Don't mess with an A-10

[tor lives]

How's this for a cool A-10 build (c/o LSP).

http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=58142

Friggen hell .....that is just amazing!!!
TOR

[Adam the Akrodude]

Gonna be a lot of pissed off people when the A-10 retires next year. I think troops in contact have become so used to the A-10 being there for them - it's unique engine sound and the freakin' awesome GAU-8 will be very sadly missed.

Found this video over at LSP and it is very compelling viewing - a must watch for anyone interested in the Hawg.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L_TjXXx7eQ

Here's a link to the politics going on that will surely kill the A-10 next year. Same thing happened to the SR-71. Once the dude at the top of the tree no longer wants a asset like the A-10, that's it baby! You can only survive being the Ugly Duckling for so long. Given all that is going on over in the Great Sandpit, should the A-10 be retired just yet? Hmmm!

http://www.jqpublicblog.com/hawg-the-story-of-the-a-10-and-close-air-support-in-afghanistan/

[hrtpaul]

Who gives a toss what the wanker at the top want's. It's the boots on the ground that matter most. Maybe he should get his arse into some combat and see if he still feels the same way. I'm so sick and tired of these dickhead politicians/public servants making stupid decisions without a thought to the poor bastard they sent into some shit hole to do their dirty work for them cos they're to gutless to do it themselves. I don't care what anyone says or dribbles on about, right now there's no better CAS platform to support troops on the ground in the world......... PERIOD. Once again the poor soldier on the ground has to put his life on the line because of someone elses incompetence and ineptitude

[Adam the Akrodude]

Well of course the F-35 program is immensely political. Those up the top don't factor in the needs of the "grunt" on the ground. Case in point the 3000+ US casualties from IED's exploding under Humvees. Australia offered Bushmasters to the US - to be licence built over there, but this would have meant loss of jobs where Humvees are made, so it was deemed acceptable to loose more US soldiers to keep US jobs in key US states.
Keeping the A-10 flying probably involves only a few hundred jobs. Building the F-35 involves many thousands of jobs. So, with a finite defence budget (albeit enormous!), something must give to keep those 35's rolling out the factory door.

Personally I believe much like keeping the BUFF's flying, there is a very strong and compelling argument to keep the A-10 flying. Thing is it has lost favour with the top which is interesting in that the current USAF Chief Gen. Welsh at one time was a A-10 pilot! The A-10 is the ugly duckling in the nest and no longer wanted or loved. Other assets as discussed have and do the CAS role as well - from the B-52 down to the F-16. The A-10 excels doing the really down and dirty CAS stuff - right in the face of the bad guys. This is of course a enormous moral booster for the troops in contact and something they've become almost "addicted" to. In certain situations. nothing can beat the human Mk.1 eyeball - nothing. To me the most important job for the A-10 is CSAR ("Sandy"). Drones will never do this well and helicopters are just too vulnerable - too slow as well from a response time perspective. I have doubts the F-35 will be as effective at CSAR when compared to the A-10.

The USAF is leaving gaps in it's armoury. As it is, there has also been no replacement for the EF-111 "Raven" and the USAF has had to use USN Prowlers and now Growlers for it's jamming requirements. A huge amount of faith is being invested in the F-35 and one can only hope that this amazing aeroplane can in fact do all it's being touted to do. If it can't, other technologies will be developed to fill the gap.

So it goes, the world keeps rotating, major military procurement decisions are made way above our pay grades and this entertains and creates discussion for we amateur modellers! I feel sorry for the "grunts" who will undoubtedly miss the Hawg, but they will adapt and move forward. I think we need to start a group build for A-10's to be complete around the time the A-10 is due to be retired -anyone interested?

Jeez, we can't even go to sleep these days and expect to have the same PM in the morning - this place is becoming like Italy!

[Adam the Akrodude]

Ah crap - I'm too effing weak! Just ordered the Italeri 1/48 A-10C kit plus some A/M add ons - AARRRGGGHHHHH! Too much discussion on the A-10 was the tipping point! I've wanted to build a Hawg for years and now am committed to achieving this. FFS, this site is too inspiring!

My preference is to build 1/32, but I've read about too many issues with the Trumpy kit - the nose being one such issue with no easy fix. It's cost me too much in the past having to buy correction parts for Trumpy kits and I believe this Italeri kit is probably the best overall, so I'll give it a go (one day!).

Check out one bit of bling I've ordered for my Hawg - pretty cool huh!

[hrtpaul]

I've got a 1/72 Hasegawa A-10C and some Caracal decals http://www.caracalmodels.com/cd72020.html I'll be doing the top aircraft from the 163 FS that was the first A-10 unit sent to make mince meat out of the Daesh in Iraq. Not bad for an aircraft that some flog wants to get rid of just because it's ugly and isn't a fighter even though it's the BEST CAS aircraft around

[Adam the Akrodude]

I'll probably build a Bagram AB based Hawg. The thought of Hawg's zooming around the Afghan mountains kind of appeals to me.

All is not lost. it looks like USAF ACC is at least thinking about a A-10 replacement. What this may become is anyone's guess - if anything. Interesting that they are at least publically acknowledging a possible shortfall in CAS capability - hmmm.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/strike/2015/08/17/new-acc-strategy-underlines-need--10-replacement/31861823/

[RHB785]

Let's hope commonsense will prevail in this matter Adam. The A-10 is still a very potent weapon. Slow, yes perhaps, but it can take a real beating and still bring its pilot home in one piece eg Capt. Kim "Killer Chick" Campbell. The Aussie Diggers up in New Guinea during WW2 had the same opinion of the Boomerang. Yes, it was slower than other fighters but manouvrable down low where the ground troops were and relatively heavily armed. My late Dad remembered with affection the Boomer Boys coming to help them on many occasions and doing the job very quickly cleanly and effectively. He said they always knew when the Boomers were around because of the distinctiove sound they made. About going to sleep and having a new PM when we woke up I didn't even know the first thing about this until I opened my emails this morning and that was a real shock.

Regards,
RHB.

[Adam the Akrodude]

Hey Ross, if you're into reading about these sort of low and dirty CAS/CSAR type of op's, I highly recommend a book called "Cheating Death". It's the story of Capt. George Marrett's time flying the A-1 "SPAD" over Vietnam and Laos. It is one of the best books I've read about flying op's during the Vietnam War. About a third of his squadron was killed during his time there. The A-10 of course flies the "Sandy" combat search & rescue mission these days for downed pilots these days, as the "self-lubricating" A-1 Spad did way back then. Of course the A-10 was heavily influenced in it's design by the A-1 - in terms of mission requirements (bucket loads of weapon stations and lots of loiter time).

Here's a must read article for anyone interested in CSAR op's in Vietnam and in recent times.

http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/airman-down-19013581/?no-ist

[tor lives]

This was the moment I came to fully appreciate the shear awesomeness of the A-10.
Knotty and myself were attending a great air show at MCAS Yuma in Arizona a few years ago, and it was here that I experienced my first "up close and personal" moments with the front end of the mighty "Hog". (ya gotta see this gun in the flesh to fully appreciate it)





Adam....these shots may be of some assistance to you in your A-10 build, let me know if you need copies.
TOR