Today, the A-10 Thunderbolt II stands tall as one of the most beloved aircraft in the hearts of military enthusiasts. Described as the “flying tank” of the sky, this legendary air support platform has earned its reputation as the infantryman’s favorite aircraft through decades of combat operations.
It wasn’t always this way. When the last of more than 700 A-10s was built in 1984, the aircrews and maintainers who worked on this lumbering plane thought it was so ugly they called it the “Warthog.” Today, after decades of wear and tear and blood and toil, that nickname carries with it a nickname of affection and respect, even if there are still Warthog haters who can’t wait for it to retire.
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Really appreciate it guys
I can sum it up with this…Brrrrrt!
First the only plane that is prettier is the mustang, that said THEY always came when called and most insurgents would hide if the saw them even if they couldn't see a payload on them. They know as we did they still may have ammo for that fucking thing even if they were RTB (lol, I heard that before). To finish they boy's and girl's flying them are some of the best and the ground pounders need them up there covering our asses.
Big Gun
Its a selfless lover
The A-10 is a reliable aircraft that has great maneuvering capabilities and a close in weapons system mounted in its nose. Nothing currently in service meets the needs for combat air support like the old Warthog.
Because it works in theory and in practice. It does everything it does in spite of being super low tech and old. Lastly because the Air Force hates it in spite of all of it's sucess and has been forced to keep it. Unlike the turds the US Air Force loves like the F-35 and F-22 the A-10 has actualy changed the face of modern warfare and made insane contributions to combat. Oh and it is an Air Craft that is well known to get it's pilot home even when it has taken lots of damage!
If your on the ground, and need some CAS, it is a good friend to have!
At 81 years old now, I am a Vietnam combatant after proper training at Little Creek, VA. Amphib base in Virginia signing up for a very different mos I landed in the "BROWN WATER NAVY" operating underwater on a UDT Team which, I understand, finally, over the last several years, has 'merged' with the Seal Teams, at least in part. I did the biggest part of a two-tour stint before getting a couple of wounds which left me inoperable. I always admired the Warthog aircraft and thought to myself, "Now there's a real fighting unit"!