I’m happy to hear the powers that be have decided to stop trying to scrap with awesome CAS beast, to developing new/updated versions:
Awesome, thanks for sharing. That video popped in my feed but I haven’t watched it yet. Glad to see the platform hang on for the next generation.
That was really cool, thanks for sharing.
I wonder how this will compete with SOCOM’s procurement of a close air support aircraft.
Yep, A-10 isn’t going away until at least 2035.
New cockpit display, updated HMD, AKPWS rockets, SDB, and constantly updated podded targeting systems will help lethality, while new wings will extend service life.
Particularly cool (to me) is the new ability of the A-10 to pickle six guided munitions at six separate targets with a single press of a switch. Kinda like a death blossom…
They just need to replace the 30mm gattler with 2 30mm gattlers for some extra uranium depleted F U.
A10’s and Apaches provided close air support for us (4/32nd Armor Regiment, 3rd AD) during Desert Storm. Awesome firepower.
Good news for one bada** plane
There’s a lot of outdated information in the linked video…most of the quotations come from 5-10 years ago. The A-10 is a cool airplane, but it’s old and hamstrung by the fact that the OEM doesn’t exist anymore, so just dealing with normal wear and tear requires massive contracting efforts. The F-15 and F-16 have had a much less difficult time staying in the inventory because new versions are still in production, so the lifecycle management is much easier. The whole reason the F-15EX came about is because Boeing had the airplane ready to go, and there’s almost no training bill for aircrew and maintenance to go from the legacy C model to the new jet. Upgrading the A-10 with modern avionics and sensors is kind of like trying to put Bluetooth, GPS, and a digital control system in a '73 Ford pickup–you end up with hodgepodge of old and new tech that may or may not play well together.
The A-10 is a cool jet, and the folks that fly and maintain them are solid professionals. I personally think the thing A-10s do better than anyone else is the CSAR mission–I can’t think of a more capable aircraft in the Sandy role. As a CAS asset–the survivability is great, but in the last 20 years most CAS engagements have involved level deliveries of precision guided munitions from medium altitude. In that kind of attack profile, just about every fighter, most bombers and some SOF platforms do just about as good. I can’t deny how cool the gun is, but for pretty much everything except area denial, laser guided rockets like the AGR-20 are more lethal. In Afghanistan and Iraq/Syria, the A-10s struggled with some precision strikes just because despite being “low and slow,” they have some sensor limitations. They are freaking awesome at suppressing terrain features, though–I’ve watched them light up green zones and ridge lines and completely wreck bad guys.
I personally think we’ll see the A-10 get upgraded and stick around for another 5-10 years, at least. I do think the “light attack/armed overwatch” concept is absolutely necessary–everyone wants to talk about a potential fight against Russia or China, but I just don’t see the US ever getting out of the irregular warfare/counter terrorism fight.
For supporting troops in an environment with no hostile aircraft or radar SAMs, the A-10 is fine. For major conflicts with foreign powers, it was suboptimal from the beginning.
The problem I have with the aircraft is that it’s no good for the only role I think our military should be performing: The defense of the homeland against foreign threats.
I find myself viewing the transformation of our military into a force primarily dedicated to using force against large numbers of disobedient civilians with increasing alarm.
I agree, though I think it would be rad to send them into mexico and tear up the cartels.
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That is the general battle plan. 15/22 establish air superiority, A-10 destroys every thing on ground like we did on Highway 80.
Yeah, I just do not see armor rolling in from Mexico or Canada anytime soon.
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So you’re basically saying the A-10 is a modern-day Skyraider? Good analogy, I agree.
The deceleration would be…. Interesting. The change in CG from all that ammo moving…
Actually, the GAU-8 produces so much recoil that it completely cancels out one engine at full power, and if you could hold the trigger woud deplete the ammo supply in about 15-20 seconds. A second 7-barrel assembly you’d need a total redesign to make room… if you want redundancy I’d pull the GAU-8 and replace it with two GPU-5 Pave Claw barrel assemblies. (Pave Claw is a 4-barrel version meant to try to give an F-16 Hog punch, but the F-16’s centerline station couldn’t take the stress of recoil.) The CG doesn’t change much because as rounds are fired the empty cases get sent back into the drum to be removed and reprocessed.
While we’re at it, throw a Sidewinder rail on each wingtip so you don’t have to block one of the outboard stations with a Dual Rail Adapter. SDB’s plus APKWS-II pods and Hellfire quads mean you can rain ruin on lots of individual targets til the cows come home. 
Bonus, since the primary threat is IR-guided MANPADS, see if Northrop Grumman can miniaturize the NEMESIS laser countermeasure system to slap on.
I’ve had…A-10s, F-14s, F-18s, B-1s, B-52s, AV-8Bs…for CAS. A-10s better than most for sure.
Here’s what I want: slow, loitering, metric crap-ton of armament.
You mighta loved the “Arsenal BUFF” component of a refit proposal an old prof and I put together… imagine a B-52 with its bay packed full of SDB’s, and Hellfires and APKWS-II hung everywhere they can safely fit and launch from (even converting the tiptanks into weapons pods). SDB’s dropped from a BUFF at altitude can hit anything within 40 miles. Getting a stiffy yet?
The old A-1 Skyraider filled that role nicely in Vietnam. But it’s goose was cooked when the SA-7 MANPADS made it’s appearance.
All of SOCOM’s compose aircraft are very reminiscent of the A1. That was the one thing I always wanted, something that could go low and slow and hang around for a long time. Some of the other aircraft become and drop two, three, maybe four bombs and then they would either be Winchester or bingo.
Just make the engines more powerful. Cuz 'Merica!
But have you had a B-1B Gunship?! The mind boggles…