The A-10 Warthog: What Its Like to Fly Into Battle Blasting 4,000 Rounds per MInute

The A-10 Warthog is one of the strongest planes built for close ground support, and its pilots are all praises for it. Once aimed, the plane would be deadly at enemies on the receiving end.

One of the pilots of the A-10 said the US ground forces began the attack with a blast of rocket gunnery, followed by bombs released from bombardiers and strike planes. Looking into the targeting pod, lit up by night vision, he could see enemies running down the hill.

The A-10 Warthog is a flying gun

In-flight, the strike unit was getting target info from an AC-130 gunship. The planes made seven passes, shooting almost all of the 1,150 rounds that they brought, reported 19FortyFive.

Pilots of the A-10 Thunderbolt II is a flying cannon, the 30 mm Gau-8 Avenger that can fire 4,000 rounds in a minute, cited Military. Its seven barrels made a loud sound when it fired.

One of the seasoned pilots of the A-10 with 16-years in the service, the commander of the 74th Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, said that shooting the massive cannon is an incredible thing.

When training to fly the A-10, it took two months before he shot the cannon. Flying the Thunderbolt is all about the gun built around it.

Pilots press the fire button that comes in short bursts; in-combat burst would be for two seconds. Inside the cockpit, when the A-10 Warthog gun fires, there is a smell of cordite, a propellant that smells like gunpowder and electrical fire, as the primary weapon is used.

Pilots wear two layers of ear protection to preserve the pilot's hearing due to the loud cannon of the Warthog, and the navigator felt the firing of the gun. Since the pilot is positioned right over the Gau Avenger cannon when it rumbles, it feels like the airframe shakes like crazy.

Features of the A-10 plane

The close support aircraft can carry up to 16,000 pounds of munitions types. The A-10 Warthog first flew in the 1970s, and it was the first time a plane was made to be a bruiser that could survive.

A-10 is specialized for attacking ground targets like tanks and armor, making it dangerous for less armored planes, cited AF Mil.

The plane pilot can fly out of the roughest airfields and though slower, can still fight jets if needed. It got better with the upgrading done on the Warthog to the A-10C, which is not lost on die-hards.

Most pilots know they are flying the biggest gun ever installed and essentially a flying weapon. It defines the mission, which is to accomplish close air support with the most capable plane. Ground forces rely on the Warthog as a guardian angel when it comes to taking care of hostiles.

Many pilots say the CAS mission and the plane's impact are immense, but the Air force will be phasing it out.

Flying the close support plane until another aircraft will replace it, and if another one were available, it would be the F-35. The Air Force could use the 5th generation stealth fighter for close air support.

The A-10 Warthog has impacted its pilots, who know the platform is hard to replace with another plane. Modifications would need to be done when the replacement comes, but those privileged to fly it will miss the aircraft.