The Best Hog Is A Filthy Hog: If USAF Had Its Way This Jet Wouldn't Be Devouring ISIS - Filthy Hog.jpg ...

more at
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...devouring-isis

This awesome shot, showing a A-10C Warthog bristling with a diverse array of
weaponry, and its belly a sooted and greasy mess from continued firing of its
GAU-8 Avenger 30mm cannon, is a reminder of just how relevant this aircraft
still is today. And if the USAF had its way years ago, it wouldn't have had the
chance to prove that it can be among the most deadly platforms when it comes to
tearing apart Islamic State fighters and their material in Iraq and Syria, and
it has been very busy doing just that.

Seen under its wings from right to left are a pair of AIM-9M Sidewinders, a
AN/AAQ-28 LITENING targeting pod, a 500lb GBU-12 laser guided bomb, a 500lb
GBU-54 Laser JDAM, a 2,000lb GBU-31 JDAM, a AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground
missile, a LAU-131 2.75 inch rocket pod with seven rockets (or laser guided
rockets), and another GBU-12 to round out the load-out. Of course, there's also
the big drum of ammunition we can't see that holds 1,174 rounds of coke
bottle-sized PGU-14 armored piercing incendiary or PGU-13 explosive incendiary
ammunition. For ripping up the Islamic State, the PGU-13 is the flavor of
choice.

The inclusion of the 2,000lb JDAM in this load-out is somewhat rare, but we have
seen it before in the Iraq and Syria area of operations. Overall, this mix of
weapons is a reminder of how versatile the Warthog is, as it gives the jet the
flexibility to take out everything from moving heavy armor, such as tanks, to
large strategic structures, such as multi-story buildings, to small groups of
combatants or even a single ISIS member riding a moped. Additionally, it can
attack targets in any weather as the JDAMs don't require laser designation to
hit fixed targets. But even then, the A-10 can usually get down below the muck
in most instances and bring its rockets, Avenger cannon and Mavericks to bear on
the enemy—a feat jet fighters have a much harder time accomplishing.

The nearly orphaned A-10 fleet has been only second to the F-15E fleet when it
comes to releasing the most weapons on ISIS from on high. Military.com's report
from June states:

"Here are the figures for the 10 types of U.S. aircraft flying combat sorties:
F-15E Strike Eagle, 14,995 weapons released; A-10 Thunderbolt II, 13,856; B-1
Lancer, 9,195; F/A-18 Super Hornets, 8,920; F-16 Fighting Falcon, 7,679; B-52
Stratofortress, 5,041; MQ-1 Predator drone, 2,274; MQ-9 Reaper, 2,188; AV-8B,
1,650; and F-22, 1,535.

Broken down by aircraft type, fighter and attack planes dropped a total of
48,635 weapons, or 72 percent of the total; bombers released 14,236, or 21
percent; and drones dropped 4,462, or 7 percent, according to the statistics."

It is also worth noting that each 100 rounds fired from the A-10's cannon is
considered a weapons release.

These numbers don't tell the whole story, such as how many aircraft of each type
have been deployed on average to the region over the course of the operation, or
how many hours each type has flown over the enemy territory and so on, but the
metric is still highly significant and telling. The fact that the A-10 also does
the job cheaper than any other manned tactical aircraft on that list is
important to note, as is the fact that it can engage the enemy under conditions
other platforms simply cannot.

The USAF's latest andtotally ludicrous war to kill the A-10, which started
following sequestration, seems to have been largely won, as the type is now
slated to stay in the Air Force's inventory till 2030. Still, the USAF's
attempts to undermine the A-10 community's future capacity to wage war
continues. At this point in time, it looks like the hog will prevail in this
battle as well, but don't expect the USAF stop its A-10 abuse.

But considering the flying service has tried to kill the jet time and time
again, starting not long after it acquired the type decades ago, the Warthog's
track record of surviving on battlefield Capitol Hill is even better than over
actual war zones. The A-10's plight has also been helped uncannily over and over
by the course of world events. Just when the USAF brass says they can get by
without the aircraft and that it is not needed for battles of the future, it
proves itself as invaluable in combat.

more at
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...devouring-isis



*

If this image is as described in the USAF release, active in OIR, I'm
wondering about the Sidewinders - are they expecting aerial
opposition? ...Russians?

On 14 Jul 2017 06:47:25 -0700, Miloch
wrote:

more at
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...devouring-isis

This awesome shot, showing a A-10C Warthog bristling with a diverse array of
weaponry, and its belly a sooted and greasy mess from continued firing of its
GAU-8 Avenger 30mm cannon, is a reminder of just how relevant this aircraft
still is today. And if the USAF had its way years ago, it wouldn't have had the
chance to prove that it can be among the most deadly platforms when it comes to
tearing apart Islamic State fighters and their material in Iraq and Syria, and
it has been very busy doing just that.

Seen under its wings from right to left are a pair of AIM-9M Sidewinders, a
AN/AAQ-28 LITENING targeting pod, a 500lb GBU-12 laser guided bomb, a 500lb
GBU-54 Laser JDAM, a 2,000lb GBU-31 JDAM, a AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground
missile, a LAU-131 2.75 inch rocket pod with seven rockets (or laser guided
rockets), and another GBU-12 to round out the load-out. Of course, there's also
the big drum of ammunition we can't see that holds 1,174 rounds of coke
bottle-sized PGU-14 armored piercing incendiary or PGU-13 explosive incendiary
ammunition. For ripping up the Islamic State, the PGU-13 is the flavor of
choice.

The inclusion of the 2,000lb JDAM in this load-out is somewhat rare, but we have
seen it before in the Iraq and Syria area of operations. Overall, this mix of
weapons is a reminder of how versatile the Warthog is, as it gives the jet the
flexibility to take out everything from moving heavy armor, such as tanks, to
large strategic structures, such as multi-story buildings, to small groups of
combatants or even a single ISIS member riding a moped. Additionally, it can
attack targets in any weather as the JDAMs don't require laser designation to
hit fixed targets. But even then, the A-10 can usually get down below the muck
in most instances and bring its rockets, Avenger cannon and Mavericks to bear on
the enemy—a feat jet fighters have a much harder time accomplishing.

The nearly orphaned A-10 fleet has been only second to the F-15E fleet when it
comes to releasing the most weapons on ISIS from on high. Military.com's report
from June states:

"Here are the figures for the 10 types of U.S. aircraft flying combat sorties:
F-15E Strike Eagle, 14,995 weapons released; A-10 Thunderbolt II, 13,856; B-1
Lancer, 9,195; F/A-18 Super Hornets, 8,920; F-16 Fighting Falcon, 7,679; B-52
Stratofortress, 5,041; MQ-1 Predator drone, 2,274; MQ-9 Reaper, 2,188; AV-8B,
1,650; and F-22, 1,535.

Broken down by aircraft type, fighter and attack planes dropped a total of
48,635 weapons, or 72 percent of the total; bombers released 14,236, or 21
percent; and drones dropped 4,462, or 7 percent, according to the statistics."

It is also worth noting that each 100 rounds fired from the A-10's cannon is
considered a weapons release.

These numbers don't tell the whole story, such as how many aircraft of each type
have been deployed on average to the region over the course of the operation, or
how many hours each type has flown over the enemy territory and so on, but the
metric is still highly significant and telling. The fact that the A-10 also does
the job cheaper than any other manned tactical aircraft on that list is
important to note, as is the fact that it can engage the enemy under conditions
other platforms simply cannot.

The USAF's latest andtotally ludicrous war to kill the A-10, which started
following sequestration, seems to have been largely won, as the type is now
slated to stay in the Air Force's inventory till 2030. Still, the USAF's
attempts to undermine the A-10 community's future capacity to wage war
continues. At this point in time, it looks like the hog will prevail in this
battle as well, but don't expect the USAF stop its A-10 abuse.

But considering the flying service has tried to kill the jet time and time
again, starting not long after it acquired the type decades ago, the Warthog's
track record of surviving on battlefield Capitol Hill is even better than over
actual war zones. The A-10's plight has also been helped uncannily over and over
by the course of world events. Just when the USAF brass says they can get by
without the aircraft and that it is not needed for battles of the future, it
proves itself as invaluable in combat.

more at
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...devouring-isis



*