The official "WTF" thread

sdkid said:
Retirement???? It's an old graphic-- but say it ain't so...
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A-10's are bad @$$

Looks to be true... “For now, we're divesting a single squadron during the summer-fall timeframe of 2024.” The U.S. Air Force is planning to divest the entire fleet of A-10 aircraft within the next 3-5 years.

Didn't they use the "r" word about the B-52's at one point... or two? They've been in service since 1955
 
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hmmm .. wondering when we start to see prop planes case and shoot down Iranian Drones ..

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It would be tough as terrain avoiding and following radars, have put
the height above ground of only 100 FT. That is for big planes and jets too.


www.defenseindustrydaily.com

US SOCOM's "Silent Knight" - Defense Industry Daily

US SOCOM MH-47E (click to view full) Your mission is to fly from 20-100 feet off the ground, at flight speeds, regardless of rain, snow, or dark of night. These journeys often take place within countries that either don't want you there, or prefer not to admit that you ever…
www.defenseindustrydaily.com
 
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- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
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Warthog, love how they started with the gun and built a plane around it...
 
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David L said:
Warthog, love how they started with the gun and built a plane around it...
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The Warthog and the WWII Soviet II-2 Shturmovik are truly flying tanks!
 
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Last edited:
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TonyR said:
Not to mention the two, redundant hydraulic systems with a mechanical backup for its flight systems. :cool:
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And a few came back from the last big skirmishes over mideast sandboxes proving the value of redundant flight controls. If memory serves, I believe there was one A10 which lost both hydraulic systems, and the female pilot successfully landed using only mechanical flight controls - and a plane shot full of holes. Try that on a F16, F35 or whatever else.
DeJaVu all over again... Here we go again. USAF been trying to kill the Warthog since its inception. Pilots & ground grunts love it, armchair generals hate it. If not a flashy half billion dollar mach2 flying VR computer cockpit, then brass and congress not interested. A10 is a real flying airplane, which just happens to be built around a Gatlin gun. A HUGE Gatlin gun. It also flies low. And slow. And it's armored. It can & has taken hits that would have brought down any other aircraft. USAF and congress have been on a decades long quest to kill the A10 program from day one. Problem is there were too many people who liked the beast, and convinced congress it would be in their best re-election interest NOT to ax the A10. Then along comes a conflict where the A10 really shows its stuff, kicks a$$ and takes no prisoners. Like a real low level attack & support aircraft should be. Those of us with functioning memories (unlike Prez Icrecream brain) remember congress allowing the military to replace the A10 with the (at the time) new F16. That was the hieght of idiocy. Two completely different aircraft, different roles, vastly differnt design missions. But, logic never was the forte of congress or the armchair generals. So, they're at it again, eh? I suppose the F35 will be the new replacement. Brilliant move. As usual, those in charge have mistaken their residential neighborhood speed limit with an IQ limit.
 
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IIRC, Gulf War V1.0, the A10 became the first US aircraft to have a group of enemy GROUND combatants SURRENDER to THE PLANE. A group of Sadam's Republican Guard surrendered to a circling A10, waving white flags, waiting for US troops to arrive to take them into custody. Why? Because they knew what the A10 can do to heavily armored vehicles, let alone anything less protected. There is no place to hide. They didn't call it "whistling death" for nothing.
Proof that if you leave the engineers to actually do their job without micromanaging a project into oblivion, design it right the first time, you don't have to replace it every few years with a new "improved" design. The B52 "Buff" is another classic example. Still flying and will be for years to come. Has one and only one purpose: Haul as much ordinance as possible, as far as possible, and drop it on someone's head if they refuse to play nice. 70 years later, it still does that.
 
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Oldtechguy66 said:
IIRC, Gulf War V1.0, the A10 became the first US aircraft to have a group of enemy GROUND combatants SURRENDER to THE PLANE. A group of Sadam's Republican Guard surrendered to a circling A10, waving white flags, waiting for US troops to arrive to take them into custody. Why? Because they knew what the A10 can do to heavily armored vehicles, let alone anything less protected. There is no place to hide. They didn't call it "whistling death" for nothing.
Proof that if you leave the engineers to actually do their job without micromanaging a project into oblivion, design it right the first time, you don't have to replace it every few years with a new "improved" design. The B52 "Buff" is another classic example. Still flying and will be for years to come. Has one and only one purpose: Haul as much ordinance as possible, as far as possible, and drop it on someone's head if they refuse to play nice. 70 years later, it still does that.
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ah .. the B-52 ..

Back when Hollywood had real men ..

1712896793382.png

theaviationgeekclub.com

When Jimmy Stewart flew B-52's in Vietnam: the Story of the Hollywood Star who became an Air Force 2-Star General - The Aviation Geek Club

When Jimmy Stewart flew B-52's in Vietnam: the Story of the Hollywood Star who became an Air Force 2-Star General
theaviationgeekclub.com theaviationgeekclub.com
 
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America's First Tattooed European
Rare Earth

 
really ??

 
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garycrist said:
My Dad said after the war, you could just about buy any surplus airplane for $100!
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I know Helicopters after Vietnam War was a big thing, many are now at Paintball Parks...of course engines gone...
 
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