Tag:

Warthog

Cold War

When the Warthog became Snowhog

by Till Daisd June 4, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The A-10 Warthog

October 1975 saw the delivery of the first A-10A in production at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB), in Arizona.

When the Warthog became Snowhog: the story of the A-10 that received a unique arctic camouflage — Ground crewmen perform maintenance on the two A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft being used during exercise Cool Snow Hog ’82-1.

Over the years, numerous enhancements have been made to the A-10 Warthog (also known as the famous Thunderbolt II) CAS aircraft by her aircrew. The Pave Penny laser receiver pod, which sensed reflected laser radiation from a laser designator, was installed in the aircraft in 1978. Now that more capable and sophisticated targeting pods are available, Pave Penney has been phased out. Inertial navigation systems were first installed on the A-10 in 1980.

A-10 history also included a significant event that happened on December 18, 1981.

That day, two A-10 aircraft from the Fairchild-Republic factory in Hagerstown, Maryland, arrived at Eielson Air Force Base (AFB). According to Don Fenton, the historian of the 354th Fighter Wing, in the article “Arctic camouflage makes Eielson’s hogs unique,” the aircraft tail numbers of the first two A-10s assigned to Eielson were 80-221 and 80-222.

Can you guess how the two hogs shown in this post’s images are different from one another?

From A-10 Warthog to A-10 Snowhog

The two “hogs” are identical in every way except for the color. Whereas a warthog is entirely gray or green, a snowhog is covered with arctic camouflage. Both Snowhogs and Warthogs are nicknames for the two A-10s.

Nevertheless, 80-221 was repainted in an arctic camouflage scheme shortly after arriving at Eielson. This was carried out as a test for an upcoming exercise known as Operation Cool Snow Hog.

From March 8 to 16, 1982, a forward operating location in Kotzebue, Alaska, hosted the exercise.

Cool Snow Hog

Cool Snow Hog represented the Air Force’s first test of forward-basing A-10s in Alaska. Overall, the plan called for the Air Force to fly 16 close-air-support sorties in support of the 3rd Scout Battalion of the Alaska Army National Guard.

The forward operating location concept was put to the test during the next few years with a variety of operational readiness exercises and major joint forces exercises like BRIM FROST, but the exercises were never again called Cool Snow Hog exercises.

A-10 Thunderbolt II at COOL SNOW HOG '82-1 — Overhead view of an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, with a camouflage paint scheme, parked on the apron beside a Beech C-12 aircraft. The Snowhog is being used during exercise Cool Snow Hog ’82-1.

It is important to remember that this paint scheme was merely an experiment. A-10s never operated in the arctic scheme for an extended period of time because the Air Force never fully adopted it. There are a few sources that claim that up to three more A-10s were painted in a similar manner, but no official records have been found to support this claim. The Hogs nevertheless look fantastic.

Photo by SSGT Bill Thompson / U.S. Air Force

June 4, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

The A-10 Warthog pilot who enjoyed listening to The Doors while doing strafing runs

by Till Daisd December 7, 2023

written by Till Daisd

‘Curious, I grabbed his G-suit off the rack. Sure enough, there was a Sony Walkman (tape; this is 1983) in one of the pockets…,’ Pat Markwell, former A-10 Warthog Life Support Technician in the US Air Force

Electronic devices are not allowed to be carried by fighter pilots, including music players. It is unlikely that a device will interfere with the onboard avionics, although it is possible.

But there was an A-10 Warthog pilot during the Cold War who loved breaking that rule.

Pat Markwell, former Life Support Technician in the US Air Force, recalls on Quora;

‘As a novice Life Support tech, I was doing a post-flight inspection of one of our more Sierra Hotel A-10 pilots helmet. This usually involved swabbing spit out of the oxygen mask, cleaning the visor, and a quick once-over.

‘Then I noticed a very non-Milspec cord taped to the comm line that ran from the helmet, along the hose, and dangling next to the CRU-60 quick disconnects. Curious, I grabbed his G-suit off the rack. Sure enough, there was a Sony Walkman (tape; this is 1983) in one of the pockets.

‘A few minutes later, 1st Lieutenant B strolls through the LS section. Now, this is one of the coolest individuals I have ever met. So, showtime:

‘Me, holding his helmet “Uh, Lt. B? What’s with the walkman? I’m not sure that I can allow this to be considered suitable for flight (comm loss, post-ejection flailing, etc.).”

‘Lt. B “It will be fine. I just like to listen to The Doors when I strafe“.

‘Me “Let me get this straight, Sir. They pay you big bucks, let you strap on a multi-million-dollar aircraft, and you get to listen to The Doors as you blow s**t up?”

‘Lt B, now sporting the biggest shit-eating grin I’ve ever seen “That’s right, Airman. It’s kinda like getting paid to f**k”’

Markwell concludes;

‘And that is when I realized that fighter pilots are different than you and I…’

Photo by U.S. Air Force

December 7, 2023 0 comment

Military

How the Warthog’s CCIP Gun/Rockets mode calculates Range and Impact Point without Radar

by Till Daisd August 25, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Without radar, how does the A-10 Warthog’s CCIP gun/rockets mode calculate range and impact point?

A calculation produced by a weapon’s sighting system is known as a Continually Computed Impact Point (CCIP), which is connected to the Continually Computed Release Point (CCRP). It is a predicted point of impact determined by the movement of the launch platform, the movement of the target, gravity, the launch velocity, the drag of the projectile, and other variables that can be entered. The Head Up Display (HUD) typically shows it.

Without a radar, how does the A-10 Warthog’s CCIP gun/rockets mode determine range and impact point?

‘Trigonometry.

‘That’s what’s behind the fancy green magic that helps you put the thing on the thing and push the thing to make stuff go boom,’ explains Lynn Taylor, former A-10 Warthog pilot, on Quora.

‘The pilot enters the target’s elevation into the CCIP system. This is obtained from either looking at the elevation lines on a map (old school) or from tagging the target with a targeting pod (new school) or from a JTAC (phone a friend).

‘The jet then takes aircraft orientation data, specifically altitude (“Opposite” in the above images) and dive angle (“theta” in the above images), and does some math using “sine” to determine the hypotenuse, or slant range to the target. It also does some math using “tangent” to determine the adjacent, or horizontal distance to the target.

‘Note that determining the length of “opposite” doesn’t really care about the elevation below the jet. It only cares about your elevation relative to the target. Your target can be in a valley and the system doesn’t care if you’re flying over a mountain ridge or the ocean when you send your weapon on its merry way.

‘The system also makes some adjustments based on what it knows about the weapon ballistics (rockets, bombs, The Gun, etc.) and how the weapon will be affected by the aircraft’s speed. There are also some adjustments based on the system’s best guess of what the wind is doing between the jet and the ground, extrapolated from whatever wind the jet is experiencing at the moment.

‘That all combines into a handy visual presentation on the heads-up display (HUD) that helps the pilot put the jet in the right place to get the weapons to their intended receiver. The little pipper in the center of the circle indicates where the weapon is expected to impact if you hit the pickle button at that precise moment, assuming the elevation is correct in the system.’

Not an actual A-10 HUD, but a pretty good simulation from the A-10 DCS game. Actual HUD images are usually more grainy.

Taylor concludes;

‘It’s a pretty snazzy system and has proven quite effective over the years.

‘BRRRRRRRTTTTTTTT!!!!’

Photo by: U.S. Air Force, Trig stuff from SkillsYouNeed.com and wiki.hoggitworld.com

August 25, 2023 0 comment

History

The history of the YA-10B, the only two-seat Warthog ever manufactured

by Till Daisd May 6, 2023

written by Till Daisd

In the early 1980s, the Night/Adverse Weather A-10 was renamed the YA-10B

In the 1970s, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, popularly referred to as the Warthog was developed to offer close air support to ground forces. The GAU-8/A Avenger, a seven-barrel Gatling gun with a maximum rate of fire of 4,200 rounds per minute, is its most notable feature. In numerous battles, such as the Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the A-10 has shown to be a very successful weapon. In non-combat situations like disaster relief and humanitarian help, it has also been employed.

The A-10 N/AW was not the first effort to develop an A-10 with two seats. A twin-fuselage A-10 was proposed by Republic Aviation (later acquired by Fairchild) in the middle of the 1970s, but the concept was ultimately dropped. There were more A-10 N/AW variants created in addition to this one. The A-10C, an updated variant of the A-10A with contemporary avionics and weapon systems, was also available in addition to the YA-10B.

Attempts to have the A-10 retired from service have been made, despite its popularity. Some believe that it is too specialized and unsuited to modern combat, while others assert that other aircraft, such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, can do its function. However, there are currently no plans to retire the A-10, which is still in use by the US Air Force and several other nations. In order to increase the A-10’s lifespan, the Air Force has actually revealed plans to modernize its avionics, engines, and other components.

The first preproduction A-10A (S/N 73-1664) was delivered back to the Republic factory in March 1979 to be transformed into a prototype two-place A-10 variant. After around three months of work, the modifications were finished, and the aircraft’s designation was changed to Night/Adverse Weather A-10. The A-10 N/AW was created to fly at night and in weather conditions that were inappropriate for the A-10A, according to the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

The story of the YA-10B (formerly Night/Adverse Weather A-10) the only the only two-seat Warthog ever built

In order to accommodate a second cockpit with dual controls for the electronic warfare officer, the forward airframe had to be rebuilt. The clamshell-style canopy was replaced with a side-opening model that was divided into two cockpits by an “A-frame” design. ACES-II type ejection seats of the “thru-the-canopy” design were fitted to the A-10 N/AW. To accommodate more avionics parts, a sizable cockpit fairing was constructed. Upgrades were made to the Head-Up Display system. A Low Light Level Television was also included, along with a Forward Looking InfraRed system. A terrain-following radar, an inertial navigation system, a radar altimeter, and an electronic moving map display were among the extra parts included to enable the night/unfavorable weather mission.

An outside pod situated on pylon 6 (the center fuselage station) housed the FLIR and laser ranger. The external pod that the terrain-following radar was housed in was in this case suspended from station four (center wing closest to the left main landing gear). The Pave Penny pod was superseded by the LLLTV. An additional 20 inches were added to the top of the rebuilt vertical stabilizers. The aircraft kept its GAU-8/A 30mm Gatling Gun, although it had a smaller drum that could only hold 750 rounds of ammo.

“Taking off in an A-10 is like being in an old pickup when you stomp on the gas.” Former Warthog pilot describes his first flight aboard the mighty A-10.

On October 23, 1979, the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, commenced the flight testing of the A-10 N/AW, serial number 73-1664. The aircraft was flown for a total of 48.6 hours across 28 missions during the Air Force Preliminary Flight Evaluation, which came to an end on December 4, 1979. Three-quarters of the missions were carried out at night. Despite the A-10 N/AW test program’s effectiveness, it was canceled due to improvements in night attack equipment (i.e. LANTIRN). Early in the 1980s, the YA-10B was designated as the A-10 N/AW.

In addition to the A-10 N/AW, the USAF looked into considering converting a small number of A-10As into two-place trainer aircraft. Although the program was abandoned before any aircraft were converted, these trainers were supposed to be given the A-10B designation.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

May 6, 2023 0 comment