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1994-09-26
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The Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt began flight test in 1972. The first production
A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft was delivered in 1976 and a total of 713 were built
through 1984. And nobody calls the A-10 "Thunderbolt". Being the ugliest
aircraft ever built, the A-10 is affectionately called "Warthog".
Designed specifically for the close air support mission, the A-10's ability
to combine large military load, long loiter, and wide combat radius proved a
vital asset in Operation Desert Storm. The A-10s flew 8,100 sorties, with a
mission capable rate of 95.7 percent. They launched 90 percent of the Ma-
verick missiles used and achieved the only two air-to-air gun kills in the war.
Five aircraft were lost.
The Warthog is one of the hardest aircraft flying. The pilot sits in a titanium-
armor cockpit that can withstand incoming rounds from 23 millimeter cannons.
The pilot sits in a raised zero-zero ejection seat under a clear bubble canopy,
providing excellent all-around visibility. The heavily armored engines are
located high and to the rear of the fuselage for maximum shielding from
ground-launched, heat-seeking missiles. The A-10 can fly on one of its en-
gines or with half of its tail shot away.
The offensive characteristics of the Warthog are impressive and have earned
it the additional nickname of "tank-buster." The centerpiece of the A-10s arm-
ament is the huge Avenger 30mm rotary cannon. This cannon is the largest
forward-firing aerial cannon in the Air Force and can pack nearly 1,200 rounds
of extra-long, extra-potent, high-velocity slugs with depleted uranium tips.
Depleted uranium is no longer radioactive and is heavier than lead or steel.
The Avenger is, by itself, capable of taking out an enemy battle tank. In addi-
tion to the Avenger, the A-10 can carry eight tons of air-to-ground munitions.