A-10 Thunderbolt II landing on German Autobahn

[airboyd.tv] Courtesy: Fighter Bomber Wing 43 eV http://www.fliegerhorst-oldenburg.de

Read more on German Highway Airfields at http://bit.ly/93GzX1

The A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support (CAS) of ground forces by attacking tanks, armored vehicles, and other ground targets with a limited air interdiction capability. It is the first U.S. Air Force aircraft designed exclusively for close air support.

The A-10 was designed around the GAU-8 Avenger, a heavy automatic cannon which forms the aircraft's primary armament. The aircraft's hull incorporates over 1,200 pounds (540 kg) of armor and was designed with survivability as a priority, with protective measures in place which enable the aircraft to continue flying even after taking significant damage.

The A-10's official name comes from the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt of World War II, a fighter that was particularly effective at close air support. The A-10 is more commonly known by its nickname "Warthog" or simply "Hog". As a secondary mission, it provides airborne forward air control, guiding other aircraft against ground targets. A-10s used primarily in this role are designated OA-10. The A-10 is expected to be replaced in 2028 or later.
srdsays...

>> ^Sagemind:

... But Why?


During the cold war, there were some 2 mile long arrow-straight, bridge-free stretches of autobahn. There were supposed to be used as emergency airfields when the primary runways got bombed/nuked. Not a lot of these stretches remain in their aircraft supporting condition.

This cheery news has been brought to you by the same set of circumstances that had every major bridge in west germany stuffed with high explosives up until the mid 1990s.

siftbotsays...

Tags for this video have been changed from 'a10, aircraft, tank killer, warthog, landing' to 'a10, aircraft, tank killer, warthog, landing, highway, road' - edited by calvados

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