![]() ![]() ![]() It’s like Rocky Balboa – it refuses to go down. It has shown that it can lose an engine, an elevator, half of its tail, even half of a wing, and still fly. of heavy-duty titanium and provides a hard shell of protection around the pilot. The defensive elements in the A-10 are like none other. It is so accurate a weapon that it reduces collateral damage to a minimum. Its distinctive sound is unforgettable, and what it does to tanks, mobile artillery, and other vehicles is scary. As an offensive platform, it is built quite literally around its 30x 173mm GAU 8 Gatling-style cannon that can fire 3,900 heavy armor-piercing rounds per minute. Besides being one mean offensive weapon, it is built to take a beating and keep on fighting. The truth is that, if you’ve seen it in action, you are one of its legions of fans. Or maybe like one of those fanciful, winged, fire-breathing dragons in the Lord of the Rings films based on J.R.R Tolkien’s books. This flying beast looks more like a swooping eagle when it’s coming in hot and low to provide heavy, precise weapons support over a battle zone. Photo: YouTube/Front Costīut when you have seen the Warthog in action, or been the beneficiary of its incredible skills and array of power, it is the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen, especially when you’re caught up in situations that can only be described as being up the proverbial creek without a paddle. One might look at it and say that it is an ugly aircraft compared to its sleeker cousins, and that may be the reason for its rather peculiar nickname, the “warthog,” implying that absurdly ugly wild pig that has such a ferocious, mean-tempered reputation on the African savannahs. ![]() This aircraft is the only one that was built from the ground up specifically as a close-air support platform and tank buster for the troops on the ground. The first iteration of the A-10 came out in 1972, and the aircraft achieved its reputation as a mean, purposeful, and powerful close air support weapon during the Gulf War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have heard several times in the past about the impending demise of the A-10 Thunderbolt, known more affectionately as the “Warthog.” It was implied that it had outlived its usefulness and will be the latest military aircraft to go to the boneyard. ![]()
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