The A-10 Warthog Was the Best Close Air Support Aircraft Ever Flown

The A-10 Warthog is a legendary aircraft. Generally regarded as the greatest close air support airframe ever, the A-10 is best known for being built around a massive Gatling gun. But after nearly five decades in service, the A-10’s active-duty life is coming to an end; the U.S. Air Force is already phasing out the vaunted A-10. Let’s take a closer look at the Warthog and remember the features that made it so special.

Built to Last

When an aircraft is built to fly low and slow in areas of intensive ground combat, one can expect that aircraft to take enemy fire. And if an aircraft is expected to take enemy fire, said aircraft needs to be able to continue functioning despite the damage sustained. In other words, the aircraft needs to be tough. The A-10 is indeed tough, starting with the cockpit itself.

The most important feature in most aircraft (albeit not newer, autonomous, or remotely operated aircraft) is the pilot. In the A-10, the pilot enjoys phenomenal protection in the form of a titanium-encased cockpit. The encasement, which protects the pilot from anti-aircraft munitions as well as small arms fire, resembles a bathtub, situated along the underside of the cockpit. The result is a difficult-to-penetrate shield keeping the pilot safe as he or she operates in hotly contested combat zones. 

Similarly, the airframe itself was built tough. The engines were placed above the wings to reduce the likelihood of the engines taking a direct hit. However, the A-10 can take a direct hit; the A-10 is renowned for its ability to take a hit and keep on flying. The jet is aerodynamically stable and features redundant systems.

Built to Destroy

The A-10’s most recognizable feature is the GAU-8/A Avenger autocannon, which pokes from the nose of the aircraft’s port side. The GAU-8 is a seven-barreled monster, capable of firing up to seventy rounds per second. The pilot typically has over 1,100 rounds of ammunition available, stored in a nearly six-foot-long ammunition drum. The depleted uranium shells are capable of destroying tanks and armored vehicles that would be impervious to most gunfire. Each round is roughly the size of a Pepsi can. When fired, the GAU-8 makes a distinctive “BRRT” sound, which the A-10 is identified with.

In addition to the autocannon, the A-10 also carries air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles, although the A-10 is not known for its air-to-air prowess and is best not used to engage with anything other than an enemy helicopter. 

The effectiveness of the A-10s weaponry has earned the aircraft a revered reputation amongst the ground troops who rely upon the Warthog for close air support. Indeed, when the Air Force proposed retiring the A-10, the Army was most adamant about keeping the jet in service, going so far as to consider operating the A-10 themselves. 

End of an Era

But alas, the A-10 will indeed have its numbers reduced. Warthogs are already being phased out from active duty and transported to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona for mothballing. The A-10 will be missed, surely—especially considering that its close air support replacements (the F-35, for example) were not designed solely for close air support and thus are not as effective in the role. The A-10 will always be remembered, however, as arguably the best close air support aircraft ever flown. 

Harrison Kass is a senior defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the U.S. Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

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