A-10's upgrade to JDAMs
Deagel:
The Air Force wanted to retire the plane a few years ago, but it is just too good to quit using it so they have recently been upgrading it to keep it in operations for a few more years. I know the fighter mafia would rather concentrate on more F-22s, but they should be looking at a UAV version of the A-10 as a replacement down the road. Hopefully it would be one that could operate off of air craft carriers too. The Army also should be looking at a way to incorporate such a craft into their anti tank combat operations. It is much more effective than the Apache.
Hat tip to Graham.
The A-10 Thunderbolt II, nicknamed the Warthog and known for its close-air support superiority and the ability to carry large and varied ordnance, is now on its way to delivering a new capability to the warfighter.Readers of this blog know what a big fan of the A-10 I am. It is one of the most effective close air support planes in history. I wish the Marines could get a carrier based version of it. It is a tough plane that has been devastating against enemy operations particularly in Afghanistan where the Taliban tends to mass company size units for ambushes. This new capability will make it even more effective against those units when they are on the move.
A pilot from the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., with support from people with the 46th Test Wing, Boeing and a host of other units, flew a quick yet historic mission early in November. For the first time, a guided bomb unit-54, the Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition, or LJDAM, was dropped from an A-10C.
"There is a strong need to destroy moving targets in the AOR," said Capt. Kirt Cassell, the lead A-10C flight test engineer. "The Laser JDAM has shown to be very effective at destroying moving targets on other (aircraft) and Air Combat Command (officials) wanted to bring that capability to the A-10C for an upcoming deployment."
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"The LJDAM provides the pilot the ability to update the targeting if the target moves while the weapon is in flight," he said.
The A-10C has already demonstrated tremendous capability in supporting the war on terrorism. According to Lt. Col. Evan Dertien, the 40th Flight Test Squadron commander, putting this bomb on the aircraft "will give the A-10 an outstanding precision targeting capability that will help the Air Force continue to provide precision engagement."
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The Air Force wanted to retire the plane a few years ago, but it is just too good to quit using it so they have recently been upgrading it to keep it in operations for a few more years. I know the fighter mafia would rather concentrate on more F-22s, but they should be looking at a UAV version of the A-10 as a replacement down the road. Hopefully it would be one that could operate off of air craft carriers too. The Army also should be looking at a way to incorporate such a craft into their anti tank combat operations. It is much more effective than the Apache.
Hat tip to Graham.
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