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Bait for Dusty

By The Armorer on April 4, 2006 | | Comments (4)

Let's see if this will bring him up for air. Shamelessly stolen from Strategy Page who stole it from the Air Force, anyway - which means it really isn't stealing...

(U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Lance Cheung)

Cpt. Nick DiCapua pilots his OA/A-10 Thunderbolt II observation / attack aircraft to a precontact position behind a KC-135R/T air refueling aircraft, on 26 March, 2006. Afterwards he will make a snap roll and dive thousands of feet, to his low level close air support mission below. Capt. DiCapua a native of Dallas, Tx. is deployed to the 355th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, from the 355th Fighter Squadron, Eielson, Air Force Base Alaska. The KC-135R/T is deployed to the 22 Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Manas Air Base, Kyrgyz Republic, from the 92nd Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. U.S. Air Force photos by Master Sgt. Lance Cheung.

To see the whole series - click this link: A10 Refueling and break-away.

Heh. I remember when A10s were brand-new. They've lasted a lot longer than I did... of course, it would help if I could be rebuilt now and then, too...

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4 Comments

By MCart on April 4, 2006 11:51 AM
IMHO the most beautiful fixed-wing aircraft to take to the sky since the P-38 in WW2. Too bad I won't be able to afford one when the Air Force finally retires them. I do NOT understand why they aren't building more of them.
 
By ry on April 4, 2006 3:28 PM
"I do NOT understand why they aren't building more of them." I've got 4 characters that explain why they aren't building more A-10s. F-22. ANd of course I've heard from some in the AF that the F-35/JDAM/other stuff mated to the F-35 should be able to do everything the A-10 does. I've also heard from some people in the other services that they want to lynch anyone and everyone who claims that.
 
By MajMike on April 5, 2006 9:49 AM
John, maybe iff'n ya had a titanium butt, you'd be easier to repair..
 
By MCart on April 5, 2006 1:07 PM
I like the F-35 design concept, and I realize the A-10 has some shortcomings, but I don't see how the F-35 can stay on-station at low altitude looking at the ground for hours at a time. I also can't picture a shot-up F-35 missing half a wing limping back to base either. Perhaps i'm romanticizing the A-10 a bit too much, but being able to fly as low and slow as it does, almost puts it in the same category as a Helicopter. It seems to me more like the F-22 and F-35 are better utilized keeping the skies clear and safe for the A-10 to get down to the dirty ground work. If you can fit precision bombs onto the '22 and '35, so much the better because they can return re-arm and speed to a target much better than an A-10. Overlapping and complementing abilities. If the A-10 was obsolete, it wouldn't be as terrifyingly effective as it is today.
 
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