The Insane Engineering of the A-10 Warthog
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Writer/Narrator: Brian McManus
Editor: Dylan Hennessy (www.behance.net/dylanhennessy1)
Animator: Mike Ridolfi (www.moboxgraphics.com/)
3D Animation: Eli Prenten
:Sound: Graham Haerther (haerther.net/)
Thumbnail: Simon Buckmaster / forgottentowel
References:
[1] haynes.com/en-gb/fairchild-re...
[2] www.sciencedirect.com/science...
[3] theaviationgeekclub.com/somet...
[4] www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cy...
[5] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraf...
[6] apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltex...
[7] www.gd-ots.com/armaments/airc...
Thank you to AP Archive for access to their archival footage.
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Songs:
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Melted Mind - Max Anson
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We just released a new video about the A-10's grand papi, the P-47 Thunderbolt. 👴🏻 If you enjoyed this video, you will love this one: kzhead.info/sun/fNuqhLJtnZqDhXA/bejne.html
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Sorry dude, it's the A-10 THUNDERBolt, not Lightingbolt. You gotta love that first clip of live fire. You hear the louder gun "burp" a short burst of fire and then a second or two later, you hear the HE rounds it just fired detonating on the target. I've heard these live fire a ton and with HE's in the magazine, it's amazing how well the round's detonation is heard for an incredible distance. When the gun was first designed, the original @$200Million "prototype" was a slightly different design than what they are now, and due to where the original's engines were located, when the pilot fired the prototype's GAU-8 gun for the first time, the exhaust from the gun flamed out BOTH engines! Considering he was in a low-flying strafe at the time, it're really a testament to how good of a pilot he really was because he managed to land the bird. After that, the engines were moved more outboard to the fuselage and slightly higher above the wing to eliminate this from happening again. I have 3 GAU-8 rounds in my personal artillery shell collection (all inert of course). I have an HE, the DU (Depleted Uranium) and the even rarer cyclic test rounds that the armorer uses for test cycling the gun after repair/setup. These test rounds are just chunks of metal and they are rarer because they usually end up in the trash after they have been cycled. Also, dude, DU rounds were internationally outlawed for use DECADES ago, right after the original Gulf War (Bush vs. Saddam). They left too much radioactive dust all over the battlefield, which was uber-dangerous/toxic for the troops. The AP rounds they use now have a hardened Tungsten core; those work just fine and don;lt cause the ground troops to die... Real Eng. guy, you really should do a bit more research before making a video about something. You even got the NAME of this bird wrong!!! Maybe I should start making videos! I'll call myself ACCURATE Engineering... LoL
Amazing video! However, one thing wrong. At 7:56, the gun is actually slightly offset to the left so that the firing barrel is aligned with the center line of the plane.
Thunderbolt II’s father the P-47 Thunderbolt
A-10's passive ability: Buffs morale of nearby ground troops.
A-10: "brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt" Soldier: "What a magnificent speech."
This is a messed up joke don't scroll more here if you hate it. Just like Hitler What am I doing.
Good point. And that, too, is very important.
A-10 "warthog" Class: Fighter Subclass: Close Air Support Stats; HP: 150 Defence: 110 Attack: 125 Agility: 75 Speed: 75 Signature weapon: General electric GAU 8/A heavy gatling cannon Special ability: Bravado; Upon successfully completing a fire mission using its signature weapon, the A-10 boldly announces its presence on the battlefield. Nearby enemies are taunted and have a chance to fire at the A-10 instead of their original target even if the A-10 is outside their effective range, allied infantry within range of this ability instead receive an inspirational boost, giving an Increased chance to regain moral lost after an attempt to advance fails or an enemy advance succeeds.
@@crestfallensunbro6001 the A-10 was meant for Air to Ground Support even though it could Take Care of enemy Helicopters it would be to Slow For Air to Air Combat with other Fighters unless it Uses Air to Air missiles and rockets design for multi-purpose uses or Air Use.
The a-10 is my favourite gun for the simple reason it has a plane as an attachment!
[Insert "in soviet russia" joke here]
It's a gun with a seat just like how the X-15 was a rocket with a seat and a F1 car a combustion engine with a seat.
@@HappyBeezerStudios there's plenty guns with seats but they don't go brrrrrrrrrr and travel the speed of sound........ 😂😂
LOL Exactly! And not just is the plane the optional attachment to this amazing gun, but it's nearly freaking indestructible! For an airplane that is a huuuuuuuge feat of engineering! And for all of that amazing awesomesauce, how much does it cost? Wait ... what ... CHEAPER than its replacements made of tissue paper? I'll buy the lot of them!!!
Your pfp makes it even better 🤣
I knew an A10 pilot. They’re noticeably a touch crazier than other pilots.
This guy also put a Kuwaiti shieks G5 into an inverted flat spin just because the shiek said “do something crazy”
@@creepycraiyons3519 legend
@@creepycraiyons3519 You should watch Area 88, a Japanese OVA series by Kaoru Shintani. In it, Greg Gates flies an A10 and is definitely that kind of crazy. Comes back to base on fire, bleeding from the head from glass inside his helmet and tells everyone they got 5 minutes to put the fire out, refuel and reload his ammo so he can get back out there. All while dumping isopropyl alcohol on his head and slapping some gauze on, right there on the runway.
Yes, since you must be crazy to fly A-10 when you dont have air dominance and also try to not kill friendlys while using GAU-8 (which shows that A-10 has the biggest risk of causing frindly fire with that thing since its accuracy is in 20m radius)
Yes sir :D
I remember back in the early-80's we were hiking at some national park, probably in the Mojave desert or maybe Nevada, and we're at the exit of a mountain canyon with a great sprawling view of the desert below, when this A-10 suddenly comes screaming by, through the canyon, turned sideways, barely off the ground -- scared the hell out of the group we were in, then as it continued on towards the open desert, it waggled its wings, and a lot of us cheered. The ranger or whoever was leading the hike (so long ago I can't remember the context anymore) explained to us that further down the canyon, all by itself, is a small cabin where a retired military vet lived, and the A-10 pilots loved to pay him a visit by thundering by his house at eye-level.
WHAT A NICE STORY!
VERY EPIC
I think that the shark head painted on the front is a little inconsistent with the name, Warthog. Why not put an angry warthog on the front instead?
@@teebosaurusyou it was damn loud, nonetheless.
advanced ding dong ditching
MIG 21: here's an engine, make it fly A-10: here's a 30 mm gatling gun, make it fly
SU-25 has similar 30mm gun
@@motopiknik Its 30mm but not at all similar. It's not a gatling style gun and has a much lower rate of fire.
@@motopiknik It only has about 250 rounds though.
@@motopiknik not similar at all. That's like saying a .22 lr and the .223 rem is similar because they have the same diameter
Mig-19: here’s a pilot, make him fly fast
Normal countries: “Let’s build a plane and design a gun for it.” America: “Let’s build a gun and design a plane for it.”
😂😂
Lol
🤩👌👌🥰
...Yea, and???
BRRRRRRrrrrrrTTTTTttttttttt!!!!!
As an ex A-10 pilot, I will say this. The gratitude of ground forces always made my day. It reminds you that while you killed enemies, you saved your own. The number of times I was doing a flyby at low speeds or coming in for a landing and could hear allied cheering over my own engines is immeasurable. To my allies, thank you. To my enemies, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrtttt.
How many friendlies did you fire upon with the inaccurate and weak gun :PP (edit) this WAS an attempt to mock the plane, but is very hostile for no reason, and i regret writing it. i dont like deleting comments, and want to make sure its known THAT i wrote it even tho i disagree with it today and think what i wrote was STUPID and unnecessary, including many replies. so ill let it stand and rather explain that i dont have a problem with IsfetSolaris or any other pilot, and i apologize for the hostility. i only have a problem with the plane.
@@Helperbot-2000 None. Regardless of how much the internet loves meming on us, there's a lot of training that goes into piloting an A-10. We never hit friendlies unless we're given bad information. Remember, this isn't a video game, we don't know whether those specks on the ground are friendlies or targets. We engage where we're told to engage, and if there are friendlies on site, that's control's fault.
@@IsfetSolaris the numbers say a different story, the a 10 has more friendly fire than all other us planes combined, why is that? are a 10s more suseptable to worse information? youd at least think they would have better information due to how slow they are. and yeah you dont know what that on the ground is, which is a big problem with the a 10, because you COULD know what that black dot on the ground is if you were in a more competent plane, a plane which would also fly much higher and faster so its not highly suseptable to manpads like the a 10, like for fucks sake, the f111 ardvaark was more effective for close air support than the a 10 in fuckign desert storm, the a 10 was outdated before it was implemented, its gun could barely damage its intended targets in an absolutely optimal scenario, and against modern armour its in practice useless.
😄😁😆😅😂🤣
@@Helperbot-2000 fellow lazerpig fan?
The gun is actually offset, the 9 o’clock barrel is the firing barrel and is also in line with the centerline and pilot.
And the shell casings are retained to minimize the shift in the plane's center of gravity as shells are expended.
@@theloniousm4337 yes. more importantly it serves the dual purpose of recoil and close range near terrain combat. 👍🏼
Was just meant to write about the offset, but didn't knew much detail. Thanks for this comment!
I was going to say this. Glad I checked the comments first. The A-10 is still getting upgrades to date. Love em.
i was also about to say this
07:45 The gun is mounted slightly off-centre. It's the chamber which rounds are fired from (9 o'clock) which runs along the centre line.
thank you! I had so many doubts
Yepp, that's right!
Did you have one in Winterfell ?? 😃
I was wondering why it looked slightly off-centre at 12:20 thanks
@Feeds Ravens yes the firing barrel is centerline (roughly 7 o'clock position when looking at it head on). While the gun is slightly offset the bullets are centerline. The firing position is also below the horizontal center of mass so the nose wants to pitch down when fired. There's a stability system that keeps it on target though.
"Yo we got all this Uranium laying around, what do we do to dispose of it?" "What if... >hits bong< ...we shot it at terrorists?"
this is one of the reasons why we're still behind in nuclear... too much interest for ammo.
@@yosyp5905 don't be ridiculous ahaha the US has stocked enough depleted uranium to last them another 1000 wars.
@@dennispremoli7950 the main reason why nuclear Power is mainly uranium based today is that you can make nuclear Bombs out of the Plutonium produced by it.
Uranium is a really good at anti armor due to its physical properties. A typical DU slug is a cylinder with a taper on one end with a flat point. When that flat point hits armor, it begins to shear off material from that flat point. It begins to self sharpen into a point as it goes through the armor. Now all that sharpening makes a lot of depleted uranium dust. That dust ignites in the air, and once the slug is through the armor, it can cause secondary fires inside. And what is dangerous about depleted uranium, is it acts as a heavy metal (duh) in your body. The radiation is rather minimal considering the half life. The physical and chemical properties outweigh the radiation dangers. And they are serious concerns in their own rights due to how the projectiles work. Also doesn't help that DU also composes part of really good armor for tanks. There will be massive amounts of carcinogenic DU dust, in any future tank on tank battles.
@M D Depleted Uranium only get someone sick if it became powder and eat or breath it. Normal solid form didn't have that much radiation more than sunlight.
2:30 THANK YOU for mentioning this. My father was one of the designers of this plane and pilot survival was a main design key. A lot of other reviews of this plane simply do not touch on one of the most important key designs. The reason why they come back to the bases like this is because THEY WERE DESIGNED TO DO THIS. They knew this plane would face stiff fire and they designed it to fly without a wing and an engine. They created the titanium "bathtub" cockpit to try to help protect the pilot.
And a damn fine job those engineers did!
se fosses mentir po caralho é quew fazias bem. Liar.
I bet you’re super proud your father had a hand in the creation of this beast!
Other planes don't need it because they dont get hit.
@@neowide4970 So no other plane in the history of ever, ever got hit? You must not remember that even the high altitude spy planes got shot down. There were international incidents over such things. Nice try imbecile.
My dad was the project manager for the development of the rounds for the Gau-8. We're getting ready for an estate sale at his house, and I very recently found (and brought home) a box full of Gau-8 projectiles, cartridge cases and penetrators. Luckily, there's no DU in the box! Also, I had a friend at work who was in the Marines in the Gulf War and he said they were always very happy to see the A-10's coming. Very proud of my dad and his accomplishments.
Wow, wild find. The closest i got was a GAU-8 30mm case that my cousin found in the desert in Saudi. Kept it. But i sometimes wonder if it may be coated by a thin layer of depleted Uranium dust.
Still this plane is sh1t if we compare to su-25, A-10 less manuverble even rpg can hit this plane, less payload if we compare to su-25 the only upside of this aircraft if we compare to his counterfit is the brrrrrrrt gatling on the nose because its cooler than su-25's the only reason us still use this aircraft untill 2021 because the opration cost is cheaper compared to other us aircraft but when several dozen a-10 reportedly shot down by aligator dual axis russian attack helicopter in 2019 to early 2021they imediantely retire the a-10 to prevent spreading the shame what an irony
@@ragnarokx1128 Haters gonna hate
@@baomao7243 what a nonsense i speak the truth and you told me im haters? You should be open minded i spesk the trurth that plane is suck they retired the plane because the performance isnt match with modern warfare yes you right in 70's this plane is very good its because it can fly low with slow speed but in modern warfare you fly low but stiff not manuverable you didnt last more than 1min in battle but different story with su-25 that plane so agile he even can dodge patriot missle that why russian still using it in ukraine you know ukraine using 90% usa war equipment and 10% equiment from soviet remain or other europe donation
@@ragnarokx1128 The Frogfoot can still fly, just like the A-10. So what ? You’re arguing with the air - don’t take this personally, but I suspect nobody cares what you think or assert.
other planes: designed, then fitted with weapons this plane: basically "here is a gun; make it so that it can fly"
LMFAO
US Military at its finest
Haha 😂 that’s the way to do it!
That's a lie, the 30mm was an upgraded added after the plane was designer, originally it was supposed to have 20mms attached on the wings in little pods but the gun was added after the us saw how the Israelis used 30mms to destroy Arab tanks in the 6 day war
@@Zlonk7 its a little something called a "joke" if you didnt already know.
engeneer: so we made this 30mm gatling gun general: make it fly
It was actually the General asking for a flying 30mm rotary cannon.
the plane was invented before the gun was invented
Or better yet put a gatling gun shooting radioactive waste. Oh yes and do not worry about the natives ... or Italians.
@@shepherdlavellen3301 it's a joke
Engineer: And we basically made a flying tank...
ground troops: we’re surrounded, we’re gonna die! a-10: fear not *misses mostly but boosts moral by 400%*
ally moral lowered by 30%
I will never forget hiking thru a canyon in AZ and hearing a faint wine and looked down the canyon seeing a A10 flying 100 feet off the ground gliding thru the canyon. Very impressive jet I was surprised how quiet it was.
A-10 Warthog: The "other" national bird of America
Golden. So great. So true.
You win the comment section.
A-10 BRRRThog
ego
Its the national brrrrrrd
7:43 small addition: The gun is actually mounted off-center to the left, so that the barrel that is firing (the lower right one) is directly in center line. Therefore, the recoil doesn't push the plane off target.
Good catch
@@johnslugger can't do it..the recoil with the gun off center would twist the aircraft off center. Remember the recoil of the gun exceeds the thrust of both engines at full power.
@@duanesamuelson2256 it exceeds only one engine at full power
@@allgameriot1291 still makes it too risky.
@@johnslugger You can't just drop that weight off the nose. To say it would affect the handling characteristics greatly would be an understatement... it would probably immediately pitch up and stall.
Something the A-10 reminds us: "Thunder comes after the lightning"
I worked for Fairchild Republic and worked on the spares for the A-10. Some of the older planes are still out there, but this new one is so impressive! I would love to be supporting this aircraft!
"and if that don't work, use more gun" -engineer
Can't wait until we see the smaller A-10, you know, for when you need a little less gun.
Engineer is credit to teaaaaaaam -heavy weapons guy from game called team fortress 2
@@ashtonhoward5582 thats why we are looking into turboprop aircraft
Then they could work on developing midair rearming, then planes would never have to land!
@@ashtonhoward5582 like the ov 10 bronco used to fight isis
P-47: Are ya winning son? A-10: Yes dad, I am.
Big engine to big brrrrrrt gun
The P47 is Grandpa. The Skyraider is the A10’s dad.
@@keirfarnum6811 and the F35 is the son
@N V true but hey, at least you can stuck 7 spears on it and call it a day
Still this plane is sh1t if we compare to su-25, A-10 less manuverble even rpg can hit this plane, less payload if we compare to su-25 the only upside of this aircraft if we compare to his counterfit is the brrrrrrrt gatling on the nose because its cooler than su-25's the only reason us still use this aircraft untill 2021 because the opration cost is cheaper compared to other us aircraft but when several dozen a-10 reportedly shot down by aligator dual axis russian attack helicopter they imediantely retire the a-10 to prevent spreading the shame what an irony
My unit supported the Flying Tigers A-10 Squadron out of England AFB in Louisiana. We performed 2 week mobility exercises in Germany back in the 1980s. It was fantastic watching what the A-10s can do. The closest I got was one of the pilots let me sit in the titanium "bathtub" cockpit which sits right on top of the gun. He said they were an amazing aircraft and he didn't want to fly anything else.
I had a A-10 pilot in a class I recently took, it was like meeting a rockstar as I have always been fascinated by the A-10. Amazing young man.
It’s not a gun mounted on a plane, *it’s a plane mounted on a gun*
Most planes have a gun. The GAU8 has a plane.
Lol, it actually is though
*Literally*
@Wing Ding yeah, as long as the plane didn't get downed by enemy AA XD
i'v never agreed with someone even more
8:00 So they could've just mounted two guns facing backwards and done away with the engines.
🤣🤣🤣
I would love to see that
For the shortest flight since the Wrights, with a destroyed runway left in its wake, but, yeah! 😂
Jetpack Joyride vibes
The get off my KZhead
I have heard the A10 increases troop morale, which is an underrated attribute. I think that is one of the reasons it is still in service. They fly low and make that distinctive sound. If I was on the ground that would make me feel good knowing they are on my team. A higher altitude aircraft using guided missiles wouldn't be noticed so much by guys on the ground.
Effect is negliable. The aircraft has been in numerous friendly fire incidents due to the lack of basic electronics to acquire targets. Which is why there were cases of pilots having to use binoculars to see targets even then, they have a hard time to identify friend from foe.
also does the opposite to the enemy :P
Survivorship bias
Yeah, I am pretty sure it’s just a morale thing.
My dad was stationed in Germany when I was a teenager. I was fortunate enough to see this plane fly often… I still never tire of this one……
Military: you are being retired A10: i will retire when i feel like it
"Trent Tulpo 6 hours ago Armed forces: You're retired. A-10 Warthog: No I'm not." 370 Likes "Soviet_Salsa 2 hours ago Military: you are being retired A10: i will retire when i feel like it" 5 Likes What's the bet that in 6 hours this comment will have 100 s of likes.
Snickering Ginger but it’s cool :(
@Snickering Ginger Just wondering, are you active, former active or retired military?
@Snickering Ginger Civilian here, not what you'd call an expert, curious: what are its main disadvantages? I'm given to understand that the A-10 kinda requires air superiority to start, but does it have no meaningful advantages in its specialized role?
@@kaymarx9677 Disadvantages - modern AA cannons rip it to shreds. Even back in 80s, Soviet 23 mm cannons would down it with ease, the plane is lucky to not take part in 'real' war. Modern missiles are also immune to its old defenses, and the new, explosive 'ring' effect would just cut off the tail downing the plane nearly instantly. It's so slow it can't run or dodge anything, its only remaining use is bombing weddings in third world country but there are planes that can do it much more cheaply.
As an Army veteran, I can tell you that when I was in Afghanistan, there was nothing more beautiful than the sight of a Hog flying overhead.
Gonna correct you, nothing more beautiful than a hog flying overhead ANYWHERE. XD. Beautiful machine.
It's not a good sight if they want to buzz the tree tops on the first day of hunting season. Bastards.
@@420frankp you couldn't hit anything anyway so what's the problem
As a veteran of being a human I find this comment repulsive. The fact that you think a machine built for the sole purpose of ending life is beautiful, is downright disgraceful. They are amazing, in that the engineering and capabilities are incredible, yet they certainly have no beauty about them. But have a nice day :)
@@justinhess2260 is war in general disgusting and disgraceful? Very much so, but once you're there and in a tough situation seeing such significant air support arrive and turn the tables, I see how that could be beautiful
Apache : I have a mounted gun A10 : my gun has an aircraft
the 10 is the amount of friendlies it kills every time it shoots the gun
I love how there is a plane strapped to that gun.
Haha
Yes flying guns need to be in disguised as planes
Gun's gotta get around somehow.
That was the inspiration for the plane. Also why it’s my favourite plane
*stolen idea from nazi german...
I've heard it said that the only replacement for an A-10 is another A-10.
you heard it right
Well same could be said for EA-6B but after that and the SR-71 The armed forces will eventually find a way to throw it away, replacement or not.
@@Marinealver EA-6B got replaced by EA-18G, well it's 2 crews less but capability shouldn't be much lower. SR-71 doesn't really have any use by now with something like S-400
@@natthaphonhongcharoen and reconnaissance satellites
Rell i mean it envitable the A-10 would be replaced in th future as warfare evolves
As a infantryman I absolutely love the A-10. Angels in the sky.
More like devil's. But either way, they got the job done, and when they could not we finished the job lol😮 99,% of the time, they finished the job. WHAT MAKES THE GRASS GROW!!!!!WHY IS THE SKY BLUE 😅😅🔵🔵🔵🔵
@@all4honorYou missed his point entirely.
8:40 I believe the technical term for that exhaust port is the "planus"
“A10: Ease to interchange parts, ease to repair and at a low cost.” The Honda Civic of USAF.
The wings contract with Boeing cost 2 billion. It's not cheap to keep such an old aircraft airborne.
fuck you man i was literally thinking the same thing XD
@@ChucksSEADnDEAD yeah cos u have to change their wings every annual service
@@Lt.Dan_23 When the cost to change the wings for the entire fleet is greater than just getting replacements, it's time to send them to the boneyard.
nah it’s the Toyota pickup of aircraft fuckin’ INDESTRUCTIBLE!
The A-10 Warthog: Proof that with enough thrust, even a brick will fly.
F-4 Phantom : Am I joke to you?
@@hotshotstevennonofyourbiz7200 >>> 😆😆😆
Anything will fly with strong enough engines or enough force, even a normal everyday car
_stares in MiG-31_
@@theshermantanker7043 Agreed on the everyday car...just need to be sure the darn thing has control surfaces to steer it where it needs to go, lol.
One time I was day skiing and I was amazed when 2 A-10s flew over the mountains and deafened everyone. I quite literally cheered at seeing my favorite plane conquering the skies!
I grew up about 50 miles from Grissom AFB in Indiana. As a kid I remember seeing A-10 flying over our town in the 80's. Always loved seeing them.
If you ever hear the brrrrt, that means you weren't the target
Kevin O'Shaughnessy Rephrase: If you ever hear a sky fart, that means you weren’t the target.
Yeah! Isn't that why they call it "God's Fart"
Cringe, Kevin. Shut up please.
first last False
@@first_last- your name says it all (HA HA HA!)
The conversation while creating the A-10: “See that big gun” “Yeah!” “Make it FLY”
😂
@@idan1242 You can chip down a mountain with this gun
Reminds me of AC-130
@@bruhjustanothermalaysian8117 "see those guns?" "Yeah." "Make them fly in one plane"
Also make it so if it gets hit it laughs in brrrrrr
Brilliant video giving a more in depth look at the "Hog". A well told story with good humor blending in make this little gem of an aircraft even more interesting. Thanks for preparing and sharing.
Love this; growing up in rural Norfolk (UK) in the 80's; can still hear that engine.
Sees A-10 coming Enemy: Aight GG
Enemy has left the chat.
Enemy.exe has stopped living
A-10 OP pls nerf
Types, "gonna afk.. end fast. Ggwp"
Enemy: Aight I see y'all at the gulag
**learns that general electric made the brrrrt gun** **looks at my general electric washing machine out of the corner of my eye**
haha laundry machine go brrrr
Another laundry/warfare connection is Westinghouse. They make washing machines and nuclear powered submarines.
they made the reactors. westinghouse also made radars and a bunch of other stuff
KInda trippy to think that the guys who made house appliances are the same guys who made war weapons. It feels like somewhere deep within the appliances there's a blueprint for those...
@@verticalflyingb737 probably for bankrolling bigger projects
Man, imagine if the successor to the Warthog was the same design, but with the ability to hover like a harrier or an osprey. To see that beast hovering over a battlefield spraying lead on the enemy would be just beautiful
Its gun produces so much recoil that it wouldn't be able to achieve stationary hover. There's a reason you're instructed to never exceed a 7 second gun run - firing any longer can cause your plane to fall right out of the sky.
@@IsfetSolaris good to know, but man that would still be a sight to see
AH-64
That's called a drone.
I golfed right next door to Horsham Air Guard Base Station outside of Philly for the A-10s and they would fly almost daily over our heads sometimes so low that I could see the pilots if they were banking. I LOVED seeing them! When at local establishments we would run into some A-10 pilots occasionally (only knows because they were in uniform) and they were always cool as hell. We NEVER let them pay, the least we could do for our heroes!
Tank: we have armour with a thickness of 30mm with a maximum of 65mm A-10: haha gun goes brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt
Seen an A-10 literally cut a tank apart. It's known as a Tank Killer for a damn good reason.
65 mm is nothing...
@@lucascasey8869 65 millimeters of steel is a lot.
@@vissiegames5815 not to a tank, modern tanks have can have around 1000 mm of effective armor
@@robertrosenthal7264 except the British Chub Armour.
7:44 - The gun is actually offset to the left side so that the firing barrel is directly on the center line of the plane.
Yes, exactly. The firing barrel is mounted on the center line. Seems like a minor detail but it is not.
It was a minor detail until they showed the diagram which was majorly wrong.
@@JosephHHHo the military does that. They deliberately release contradictory information. Keeps the enemies guessing.
@@brianjohnson3795 keep the enemy guessing about something that has been public for decades?
Should also mention, that if it were mounted centerline, the spinning of the gun would affect the handling of the aircraft.
@4:10 The main reason the shell casings are kept is to keep weight at the front of the plane given the recoil from the gun.
Found this channel just today! And I am loving the content... Great work @real engineering
"The stick operator, otherwise known as pilot" :D made my day
*giggles
When I was an A-10 crew chief that was a common phrase. A pilot once wrote something up and the tech wrote in the forms "CND, stick grip actuator error" can not duplicate, pilot error. I thought it was hilarious. The pilot not so much
Ask any A-10 pilot and he/she is proud to call themselves HOG DRIVERS. 😎
What's the timestamp again?
well stick, throttle and armaments operator.
8:00 So what I'm taking from this is we should just cut out the engines entirely and mount two more guns on the back as propulsion instead.
what-if.xkcd.com/21
With infinite ammo supply. Who needs engines anyway? Cheap and simple solution.
It costs 400,000 dollars to fly this aircraft, for 12 seconds.
If you run outta fuel, just hold the trigger down and fly backwards to base!
Yes!
I was fishing a lake inside one of the training places in Indiana my buddy gut us in he was Air Force. An A10 dove right above us and opened up the cannons we about jumped out of the boat. He was probably shooting at a target 5 miles away. Really cool experience after the first time
G.E: "We have finished building the gun!" A.F: "Good. Put wings, cockpit and jet engines to it." Presenting, A-10. The gun with wings.
A-10: gets a wing torn off* A-10: oh no, anyway.
"So I started blastin'..."
How to solve any problem: Brrrrrrrt at it
@@molnibalage83 Maybe, but it doesn't go brrrrt.
Like finding a huge spider in the house....call in the Brrrrrt.
Ok i'll brrrrrrrt my girl tonight
@@kleddyo I was gonna say I called the police, but there's no way they're getting through the armor on a brrrrt.
If I ever start a heavy metal band, I'll call it Uranium Raspberry.
One of the best dissertations about the Hog I've ever heard! ❤️ Well done! Gun and engines by GE...
My dad took me to an airshow at nellis when I was like 6 or 7. The a-10 and the b-2 were the main show. I was so young I didn't understand but it seemed like one single a-10 just kept dropping dozen after dozen of bombs and just kept railing the targets. When I went home I couldn't understand why anyone would think it sucked
"There's too much depleted uranium, sir." "Fire them at high speeds into a country thousands of miles away."
We must salve as many of our problems with guns as we can
@@fourofspades1 how does that work? Apply lip balm to our enemies?
@@justing42 Indeed! Is salvation about Amazing Grace or Amazing Grease?
And let’s make coalition troops clean up the mess...I love CAS however that uranium shit should not be in the rounds. Why? Some poor ass engineer will take the kills of the road and die of cancer within a few years.
God this is so fucked
I'm so happy that my tax dollars are going toward making a brrt machine
It also sounds like a burp.
What if everyone had a brrrt machine
@AKA Flix I am concerned...
@AKA Flix oh ok
I believe they retired the plane 😭
A-10s fly over my home almost daily. I just love hearing the whistle of that jet. Just awesome!!!👍👍
The GAU-8 is indeed actually mounted slightly off-center. Its made so that the barrel currently firing is always on the centerline, but the axis of rotation is not
I still absolutely love the fact that the same people that make your washing machine were like "here's a flying anti-tank BRRT machine"
Yeah, like comparing your friends Lancer Evo to one of the Mitsubishi rockets. Something in the company name only.
The gun can't bust tanks, that's why it has all those missiles
@@Zlonk7 Have you seen what 30mm Depleted Uranium rounds do to armored vehicles???
@@Zlonk7 that "gun" turns tanks into Swiss cheese
@@Anvarynn yeah maybe it can bust an APC or IFV but a tank? Nope. If you need a source for my claim I can provide it
"The Insane Engineering of the A-10 Warthog" Engineer 1:" What if you put wings.. on a big gun" Engineer 2: slamming shot of tequila "AND TURBINES!!"
Reminds me of a meme, I made a great gun, now all we need to do is make it fly. Oh so put it on a plane? No, not on a plane, this gun needs to fly!
I would have made a uav a10 hahaha
I would have made a uav a10 hahaha
The hangover is engineering around the immense brrrrt to make it the brrrrtmachine it is.
@@anshulbhardwaj4038 Swarms of autonomous fiberglass A-10's chased the covenant fleet, it retreated in flames, cursing the iron angels
Btw good on ya for presenting multiple sides of the argument in clarity and detail
Love REAL ENGINEERING excellent quality / great narration and content simply 100%
Man... I remember doing artillery training and the Warthogs training overhead all the time and that gun sounded like it was scraight up ripping a hole in spacetime itself.
Redleg!!!
And sending radioactive material to some under developed countries.
@@notthatgerry donating some uranium
Hooyah brother, I love my A-10s!
@@notthatgerry depleted uranium is not radioactive. It's what is left after they segregate out the radioactive isotopes.
Imagine firing a gun so powerful it has a chance of stalling your plane
Plane doesnt emphasize it good enough. Imagine firing a gun so powerful it can stall your j e t
Or even make it fly backwards.... xD
Imagine firing a gun so powerful that if mounted on the back could fly your plane in the event of a double engine loss.
@@duddude321 that's nonsense lol
Wait till you see the AC130. The pilot has to counter act the firing of the 105. It pushes the rear of the plane over.
Awesome detailed video. No hype. Pure data. And of course, A10 is my favorite plane.
As a retired Army veteran i remember 2 days after the ground war phase started in desert storm we were moving down highway 8, my buddies and I would watch 2 thunderbolts rain down massive bullets on Iraq T-72 tanks. It was unbelievable to see how those tanks were being torn to shreds and watching the turrets blow off the hull after the tank exploded from the tank rounds cooking off, never seen anything like that before it just leaves you speechless.
Armed forces: You're retired. A-10 Warthog: No I'm not.
I believe it was in a JCS meeting where the AF said "We're retiring the A-10" and the Army general immediately jumped up and said "We'll take them all, right now!". The AF general quickly said "Never mind, we'll keep them."
Armed Forces: You're retired. A-10: Jameson laugh....you're serious?!
F-35 was made to replace the A-10 but it probably won't since the A-10 is way better at ground attack and can take a FUCKING missile to it and not get itself destroyed.
Air Force: You are too old A-10: Haha Vulcan cannon go brrrrrt
@@isiffrin In a modern high threat environment you want to avoid getting shot at in the first place which is what the F35 is for. The A10 is certainly far far superior in CAS missions but in a modern war against a modernised military an A10 would struggle. They both have their place, I think the main issue is the F35 program shouldn't have been standard among all the branches.
"If you heard the BRRRTTT it means you weren't the target."
Indeed 😂
overused
@@dutchvanderlinde5218 I know, but its still fun to say.
@@ChairmanMeow1 yo man u got exposed by Arthur Morgan u need to shut up./s
Cat meow
My absolute favourite. It's absolutely amazing. The look what it does what it can take... I love it.
I love how the Air Force designated this aircraft the "Thunderbolt II" and every has completely ignored that ever since.
The Lord said: "One shall not judge a man who cometh to the video for the brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt"
Never forget the first time I heard a A-10 fire it's 30mm. Hyd. Gun.
Let me introduce you to my good friend burrrrrt
Beautiful....
AMEN!
I once listened in on a conversation between an Airforce pilot and an Army Ranger, as they discussed the Warthog, and it's upcoming retirement. They were both disappointed to see it go. The ranger loved them for the distinctive sound they made, their effectiveness, and the way the enemy would fall apart on hearing them arrive, before they even opened fire. The pilot loved them because he felt he could get hit with everything the enemy had, and still be able to fly home. Neither of them expected the replacement to be equal, or even an effective, replacement. They were just two guys talking in a bar, so take it for what that's worth.
The one thing about the A-10 Is that armor will bring the person home The aircraft will be out of action for awhile Back in 1991 during the Gulf War, the USAF was frustrated because of the A-10 fleet returning shot up which meant longer times between missions to patch them up, or even write off aircraft Overall I believe the A-10 had the most combat losses of any USAF aircraft with 3 shot down and 2 written off due to battle damage IIRC
We just bought a bunch of a29 Super tucanos to fill the roll of A-10s when they were being sent out for CAS against light ground vehicles which was way overkill. This will keep the hours off and extend the service life to 2030s. Also an A-10 is $7000/hr operational cost vs $600 for the a29. www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/08/13/a-10-re-winging-completed-will-keep-warthog-in-the-air-until-late-2030s/ www.blogbeforeflight.net/2020/03/usaf-purhases-a29-super-tucano-light.html
@@Troph2 does the a29 have a similar gun to the a10?
@@WeaponsGG Nope, its got twin 50s, I forget the payload but its pretty significant for the size. Its not a tank buster like the A-10, although smart bombs work too. The cost and hours we were putting on our a-10s to blow up toyota pickups was really adding up, and forcing our fleet into retirement.
@@WeaponsGG Most CAS by far is provided by high altitude munitions drops. The gun is pretty much useless in modern conflicts, no matter how awesome it is.
Another reason they don't eject the used 30mm rounds is so they can maintain a relatively similar center of mass.
US Air Force: we need a cheap, reliable plane Fairchild Republic: hey, we accidentally summoned satan? US Air Force: we’ll take 1,000… does he take checks?
4:17 Deadliest candy corns ever made.
Oh yeahhh. Rain it on halloween
LOL!
You're not kidding. As I recall, once those rounds penetrated the tank's armor, they would ricochet around inside the crew cabin, reducing the people inside to hamburger.
@@strider2175 haha crew go chunky
forbidden candy corn
"Like Gandalf arriving at Helm's Deep" great analogy lol.
Gandalf goes BRRRRT!
Should have said something like " like Gandalf arriving at Helmand deep"
I know right?
If i flew a A-10 ill call it Gandalf
@@Andythespacekid ...and paint a wizard on its side, holding forth his staff with the exclamation "BRR-RRRT!"
The shells aren't thrown away because the loss in mass from the front of the plane will move its center of balance to the back and negatively affect its flight characteristics.
00:07 Introduction to the A-10 Thunderbolt 00:31 The role of the A-10 in air land battle doctrine 01:03 Qualities required for close air support 02:02 Survivability and simplicity of the A-10 03:24 Design considerations for manufacturing the A-10 04:42 Redundancy and control systems of the A-10 06:34 Features for increased survivability 08:22 Design choices for operating from remote airfields 09:16 Challenges and solutions related to the A-10's gun 10:16 The power and effectiveness of the A-10's ammunition 13:01it can carry just as much as the f-16 when air superiority is established it's a multi-role fighter designed for the modern battlefield 13:52 the f-35 was created with future Wars in mind where the threat environment will be so dense that simply being able to take a punch won't save us
That plane saved my life when I was on the ground. Love the warthog
Thank you for your service.
@@Tuanigamanepola i loved it. 12 years front line combat marine, I miss it and if it wasn't for my wife I'd still be over there. It was hard on her, marines are deployed longer.
How many halo jokes does it get?
Thank you for your service
@@confusedpufferfish2607 thank my brothers who died. I made it back . And what I've seen my country become id rather be ba k in Afghanistan. At least I know where I stand there.
I have a particular soft spot for these after hearing a story my Dad told me about when he was a Marine in Desert Storm. His unit was being pinned down by a couple Iraqi tanks and his CO called in close air support. Dad said about 10 minutes later a pair of these beauties came in right over the dunes and absolutely melted those tanks.
Most Platoons have a Law or something like that. They might have been able to break there engines or tracks while holding out if not I think your father would have been chopped to bits from the machine guns or main gun. Maybe they just hide out of view IDK maybe you could tell us more.
@@wheneggsdrop1701 I was trained as a dragon anti-tank missile gunner., The only times I ever touched one, was annual EIB training. The Army was already phasing them out in favor of the Javelin, and even though they were on our MTOE, we never trained with their use, nor touched a live one.
Thank you for making this video! Amazing..
Amazing content I love this series.
"Everybody is a gangsta until the sky starts farting"
😆
hahahahahaha, i almost spit my water out
LMAO!
This might be my all time favourite yt comment
Lmao
“The A-10 Warthog is not to be flown upside down in the field” 6:44
I am tho
I think he meant when in the battlefield and not after Air-to-air refueling
It can fly upside down. But never, in the battlefield.
I think it's more "don't go upside down anywhere near the ground" both because the canopy has less armor and you don't want to point your weakest point at your enemy, and going upside down will effect the aerodynamics of the plane. It does look really cool to break off and go upside down though... Edit:going back and listening "this isn't the type of plane to be flying upside down over the battlefield".
@@jordanl.8509 Physics doesn't change based on orientation. The aerodynamics ARE NOT affected by flying upside down. Up/Down is reversed and the pilot needs to be aware of that.
I love every single one of your videos so damned much, thank-you!
0:07 A-10: "Brrrrrtt" YT caption: [Music]
"Sir, why are you engineered like a flying tank?" "Tanks frighten me. It is time my enemies tasted my fear."
Batman Begins Reference?
@@Madjo-qj2ge yep
@@Madjo-qj2ge I got the fluck. I.love it. ........ what a lovely voice... . BAIN !!!!
All they will be tasting is uranium
@@vivek-zo2yy should i have said pain then? Or would anything i said been wrong
i love how General Electric makes a gun like that ..and toasters.
GE is a weapon systems manufacturer first, and an appliance manufacturer last...
How else are they going to keep the toasters in line?
Well that gun is a toaster if you're opposing troops or any thing on the ground :)
Except the plane just keep flying and the fucking toaster cant even toast evenly and dies 2 years after purchase !!!!!! FUCKYOU GE !!!! hahaha
@@Piddlefoots that gun prob sells for millions they don't give a shit about our 50$ toasters lol
The a10 will always have a place in my heart. It's saved as many lives as it's taken.
Love the a-10 and the ah-64 but the craziest thing i ever saw was an oh-58 supporting us from the air with their m-4s. Many thanks to all the CAS pilots and crewmembers.
Tank: I am bulletproof! A-10: No.
Hahaha plane go brrrrrrrrt
Bulletproof you say? Pretty sure you are unfamiliar with this flying mail truck built around a very large repeating rifle. Here, hold my beer...
Bullet *resistant*. What constitutes a bullet becomes a semantic argument as you increase the scale.
Nothing is bulletproof when you are fireing depleted uranium incased bullets at mach 1 at hundreds of rounds a second
Sees A-10 coming Enemy: Aight GG
the sound of that gun is so iconic damn never realised the rest of the plane was so impressive
Those shells are about the size of a 2L the actual projectile about the same size as a smaller personal 20oz bottle of coke
@@russell7852 Those projectiles are also launched at 4200 rpm.
Once you see that gun operate you will be a believer. Once you see that gun operate onboard a flying A-10 you will have come to Jesus!
@@russell7852 Fun fact, tyey actually sell shot glass sets made out of the casings.
You hear that sound that resembles flatulence? That is a monster s--ting out the remnants of the last terrorist that got in its way.
It's a gun with wings. A tank that flies. Possibly, the scariest thing in the air since the Cretacious Period.