[Leatherneck]

On Monday, an A-10 took some pretty heavy damage from AAA/AW and came home safely, piloted by the cool hands of the pilot shown in the last pic.
Tail damage:

[Leatherneck]

Empennage:

[Leatherneck]

The Gun:

[Leatherneck]

Wing Leading edge:

[CZ 75 BD]

for posting these pics. The A10 Thunderbolt is my favorite warbird. This one had one cool pilot to go along with its tough airframe.:)

[Leatherneck]

The blonde pilot:

[foghornl]

WOW ! ! !

Took some serious hits, but both pilot and plane live to fight another day.

Good on ya!

[Leatherneck]

Yup, Her:

[jmbg29]

:D :cool: :D

[Razor]

COOL!

[Blackhawk]

The A-10 was designed to take a lot of damage without becoming disabled since it was to be a close ground support platform. A truly amazing airplane!

[4v50 Gary]

Go girl! Good plane, good pilot.

[OF]

This war is such a major wake-up call to the middle east it's embarrasing.

- Gabe

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

Maybe Heinlein was right about women pilots too!

- pdmoderator

[Unisaw]

Excellent!:D :D :D :D Tough bird (both of them)!

[Double Naught Spy]

Am I missing something or are all the little holes nice and round? I would have figured the little holes to be machinegun fire and the larger chunky holes the be AAA. Is AAA loaded with some form of pellets?

And to think that prior to the Gulf War, the warthogs were slated to be cut from the military because of their perceived lack of applicability since the European theatre of planned operations didn't appear to be a hot spot anymore.

[Kharn]

Double Naught Spy: AAA explodes, usually triggered by a small proximity radar, and sprays fragments all over the place, I wouldnt be suprised if some types used ball bearings or the like for the fragmentation.

I wonder if the guy on the cellphone in the first picture of the pilot is calling the pilot's AAA representative to ask if she can get a loaner until her 'Hog gets fixed. :D

Kharn

[Leatherneck]

I'm not sure what weapons she encountered. The empennage damage looks like bullet holes ; hence my explanation "AW." The wing LE damage looks a bit more substantial than you could get with a MG; probably AAA, although at Warthog working altitudes, I doubt the larger 37mm/57mm shells would fuze. Whatever it was, that Hog sure did it's job! :D

TC
TFL Survivor

[LawDog]

How well I remember the pundits before the First Scuffle in the Sandbox proclaiming: "The A-10 is obsolete. We're going to replace it with a ground attack version of the F-16."

:rolleyes:

I want to see the F16 that'll take that kind of damage and still bring the pilot home. :scrutiny:

Jolly well done to the pilot, and I hope she's back to busting tanks just as soon as she gets the urge.

LawDog

[MMcCall]

They let women fly A-10's? Wow.

I have absolutely nothing against women pilots, but to me, it's the same as female chopper pilots, at the altitudes they fly at (and the risk inherent to it), that's practically a combat arms MOS/AFSC.

I'd feel safer in an A-10 going 400 miles an hour than an F-16 going 1400 miles an hour :)

[Razor]

How well I remember the pundits before the First Scuffle in the Sandbox proclaiming: "The A-10 is obsolete. We're going to replace it with a ground attack version of the F-16."

I also remember that A-10s scored more AIR TO AIR kills than the F-16s in Desert Storm.

[Marko Kloos]

Yep. A-10 air-to-air kills: two. F-16 air-to-air kills: zero.

(Both A-10 kills were helicopters that found themselves at the receiving end of a "Warthog Stomp".)

[Pilot]

Those A-10's are built to take a lot of abuse and with simple and rugged systems, they usually come back. I'd love to fly one.

[45R]

:) Gotta love those A-10s. They are tougher then nails. Like the Ruger of fighter craft. :)

[seeker_two]

Gotta love those A-10s. They are tougher then nails. Like the Ruger of fighter craft.


...and they fire bullets the size of canned hams! ;)

Tough bird & a good pilot. Well done! :D

[Dain Bramage]

Let's hear it for those designers at Fairchild! Of course, most of them are retired by now, and their company's been assimilated by the Borg. :D

[Hawkman]

McCall said "I'd feel safer in an A-10 going 400 miles an hour than an F-16 going 1400 miles an hour"


If only you could get it going 400!!! :D

Maybe full throttle, in a 45 degree dive...

[MMcCall]

JATO ;)

[rennaissancemann]

Hooah!

[Schuey2002]

The rear wing on that A-10 looks like some of the stop signs around my local Range !! :what:

[Leatherneck]

Right on, and same for the F-16 at 1400...possible, but just barely :D

TC
TFL Survivor

[MMcCall]

F-16's max speed is Mach 2, which is roughly 1400 mph at altitude, correct?

[Hutch]

When did they start paintin' 'em gray, like real Air Force jets? The red-headed stepchildren I saw flying out of England AFB in central LA in 1983 were kinda dark-green camo, IIRC. I thought they were still that color in GW 1.

[AJ Dual]

The tail damage in the pic looks like the horizontal stabilizer and the fragmentation peppering the end of the fuselage may have been the same event.

The AA shell would have it's prox sensor in the tip of it's nose, and the bursting charge would have a ring of fragments around it's sides. It looks kind of like the big hole in the stabilizer is where the AA shell went off, and the 45 deg. narrow stripe of fragmentation holes indicates the orientation of the shell when it blew...

I could be completely wrong, but that's how it looks to me.

[Erik]

Great plane and pilot. I hope, and am sure, that she gave more than she got. Great photos too. Thanks.

(I too am surprized that women fly Warthogs in combat. Good for them.)

[RustyHammer]

Yeah ... .also see that one got shot down today. Pilot punched-out and is safe. (Sort of reminds me of rush hour traffice around here, come to think of it.)

God bless them!

[aircarver]

I worked at the A-10 factory for 15 years. They were built for war in Europe that never happened. First real use was Gulf War I. I am particularly glad to see that all the built-in features, designed to bring the pilot back, worked just like in the brochure. :D
We shipped the last one in '87 (They left the factory on two trucks & were assembled in Maryland)
Closed the factory and scattered everyone to the winds. (I ended up at the F-16 factory)
Wonder how MD felt about all those 30mm cannons ? :D

[ahadams]

I mean let's face it - back when I was single I've known blondes who could incur this much damage simply by driving through DC at 3 a.m. and not paying attention to where they were going!

oh all right, but if this is what happens when she drives an airplane, don't even think about asking me to ride in a car with her! :D

[actually she done good and hopefully her boss and others told her so! :D ]

[Feanaro]

She's an ugly bird, but she can take the hits and keep on rollin'.

[Schuey2002]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. ;)

[Feanaro]

And I say it's as ugly as a thousand pound woman. But it makes up for it. :D

[4570Rick]

She's an ugly bird

Ugly is only skin deep, but Thunderbolts are bad to the bone. :D

[Azrael256]

I knew a pilot who flew an A-10 in GW1, and he took great pride in showing everybody who would stop long enough the pictures of his shot-up bird. It was swiss-cheesed worse than that one, one engine was literally shot off the aircraft, and the other one was so full of holes that it wasn't any good. There was a hole in the fuselage large enough to toss my TV through, and he climbed out of that aircraft without a scratch. His worst injury came from tripping on his way out of the airplane. It seems that he was shaking so hard that he had trouble gripping the rails on the ladder. Can't say I blame him after taking all that fire.

Personally, I don't see what's so ugly about them. I stood face-to-face with an A-10, and the drooling was almost uncontrollable.

[hops]

Here is a pirated write-up from the San Jose Mercury news. She's a SJ native - Piedmont High.

link: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/5592254.htm

Posted on Wed, Apr. 09, 2003
PLANE TAKES HEAVY FIRE, LIMPS TO SAFETY
By Crystal Carreon
Mercury News
[Air Force Capt. Kim Campbell assigned to the 23rd Fighter Group was flying over Baghdad in her A-10 Warthog fighter jet when it was hit by enemy ground fire.

Air Force Capt. Kim Campbell assigned to the 23rd Fighter Group was flying over Baghdad in her A-10 Warthog fighter jet when it was hit by enemy ground fire.

Large chunks of her plane shot away, the hydraulic control system dead, Air Force Capt. Kim Campbell pushed and pulled at a backup set of manual controls, struggling to keep the anti-tank aircraft from crashing as it limped away from an ambush over Baghdad.

Landing finally in the safety of a coalition air base in southern Iraq on Monday, Campbell was greeted with applause, relief and awe. Maintenance personnel gawked, took photos, and clapped ``Capt. K.C.'' on the shoulder.

But stateside, her father, San Jose Councilman Chuck Reed, was moved to tears.

``I cried,'' Reed said Tuesday. ``It's been a roller-coaster day. Most days, pride wins; some of the time, fear wins. Today, the pride is still winning.''

Campbell, who called her father shortly after her return to the air base, also told him in a later e-mail that ``It's been a rough few days for the A-10,'' and referred him to a Web site with photos of the damaged jet.

``I had no idea that her aircraft was shot at so badly,'' Reed said. ``There are hundreds of bullet holes.''

Campbell, who is assigned to the 23rd Fighter Group from Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina, was flying over Baghdad in her A-10 ``Warthog'' on Monday when she received a call for assistance from troops on the ground. On her way back after the mission, Campbell told an Air Force reporter, she felt an abrupt jolt as something struck her aircraft. Warning lights started to flash on her cockpit panels.

``The plane rolled left and pointed at the ground, which is not a comforting feeling over Baghdad,'' Campbell told the Air Force Times. ``The jet wasn't responding to any of my control inputs.''

The A-10's hydraulic systems were damaged, disabling the flight controls, landing gear and brakes among other critical systems, including part of the plane's stabilizer.

But the manual flight controls continued to work.

For one tense hour, crew members at the air base and other A-10 pilots anxiously awaited Campbell's return. Emerging from the murky morning skies, Campbell landed her battle-scarred A-10 nearly perfectly, the Air Force Times reported.

The A-10, which flies lower than other warplanes to support ground troops, is armed with a seven-barrel Gatling gun and Maverick anti-tank missiles. Campbell had assured her father in a recent e-mail that her Warthog is ``a durable and reliable plane.''

``That is a classic understatement,'' Reed said, noting the damage to her plane seen in a photo on a Web site for A-10 pilots.

The images show dramatic damage to the jet's rear, which was bullet-riddled and pocked by Iraqi fire.

Reed received a phone call from his daughter at 1:30 a.m. Monday, shortly after she had returned from her mission.

``She was OK and wanted to let us know that before we started to see stuff on the news,'' Reed said. ``She couldn't tell us what had happened or where she had been. But she said she was ready to go back.''

Tuesday evening, Reed checked his home e-mail to see if there were any messages from his 27-year-old daughter. He checks for her messages every day. In her message Tuesday, Campbell wrote: ``It's been a rough few days for the A-10, but we're here doing our job of helping our guys on the ground when they need it most. . . . I have to say that I'm very thankful to be flying the `Hawg.' ''

Campbell, a 1993 graduate of Piedmont Hills High School in East San Jose, was deployed to Kuwait about a month ago, her father said. At the start of the war, she flew at least two missions a day over Iraq.

According to the Pentagon, there were 114 active-duty female fighter and bomber pilots in the U.S. military in 2001, and 7,735 male fighter and bomber pilots. Women have been permitted to fly combat aircraft in the U.S. military since 1993.

Last year, Campbell flew 20 combat missions in Afghanistan and had experienced enemy fire while patrolling Iraq's ``no-fly zone.''

``I think the A-10s are getting shot at on every mission,'' Reed said. ``I hope she's not in Baghdad every day.

``But that's her job, and she'll do it. As long as those guys are on the ground, she'll go.''

[alan]

Seems as if whomever it was that specified and designed the A-10, got it right. As for expressed "amazement" about a woman pilot flying in combat, I assume that was the source of the amazement, the pilot was doing what they were trained to do. Doesn't seem to make much difference as to whether it was a "he" or a "she".

[p35]

The scandal here is that the Air Force did all it could to kill the A-10 program, and finally succeeded, because they would rather spend their budget on faster, prettier fighter jets. The Army, OTOH, loves the A-10 but can't fly fixed wing combat aircraft because of the rules set up when the Air Force was split off from the Army after WW2. They have to go with helicopters, which are more expensive, less effective, and more vulnerable to ground fire. Really stupid, but these interservice fights never get solved in a way that helps the military as a whole.

[alan]

too true.

[beckrodgers]

Heard on neal boortz today as well. he said go to www.a-10.org,I did the address worked real good. Thanks

[jimpeel]

That would be http://www.a-10.org . Be careful with period placement when the addy comes at the end of a sentence. Place a space between the end of the addy and the ending period.

http://www.a-10.org. will not work but http://www.a-10.org . will.

HA! Just realized that the thread is a year old :rolleyes: 2003 kinda looks like 2004 -- doesn't it?

[Lone_Gunman]

Gotta love those A-10s. They are tougher then nails. Like the Ruger of fighter craft.


Yep, just as tough, and just a butt ugly.

[Waitone]

I vaguely remember a report or story which said the Army is looking to take over responsibility for A-10.'s. The Air Force like speed and the Army like durability and loitering time and is not really impressed with combat vehicles that leave the area at a great speed. I guess the Army will have to get a waver to the rotary wing edict.

[geekWithA.45]

I've always admired the 'hog for it's many virtues, and agree that it's a perfect example of an incredibly useful and stellar weapon/platform that was simply cancelled too early.

I also recall seeing them come back from GWI way more beat up than this. As I recall, they're triply redundant in all critical systems, and the pilot sits in a tub of kevlar coated titanium, covered with a ballistic blanket.

I've also heard that the crew chiefs regularly replace the cushions on verbal (rather than written) request, without comment.

Without a doubt, it's the plane that has caused more enemy infantryman's pants to be set to "condition brown" than any other, with the possible exception of the C130 gunships.

[The_Antibubba]

Is it true that her plane wasn't attacked, but that she flew over an Iraqi wedding at the wrong time? :evil: :D

[alan]

Re the "turf fights" mentioned/described in other posts in this discussion or is it threads, given that the U.S. Airforce and the U.S. Army are "involved" or would bickering be a better term, given that they each serve the same country, or have they gone into business for themselves, one would think that they would have outgrown turf battles, and similar examples of childishness, despite the fact that other branches of government, members of our our so-called intelligence establishment in particular haven't.

O.K., so the A-10 doesn't fly fast enough, high enough or far enough to make The Airforce happy. If The Army is happy with them, despite the above mentioned "limitations", why the hell would The Air Force stand in the way? It might be that I'm "slow", but these "turf fights", when the same turf doesn't even seem to be involved, simply do not make any sense.

[mrapathy2000]

the warthog is probably the most durable jet in existence. I remember hearing one pilot on discovery channel during program saying a warthog took well over 100 bullets and had 1 engine destroyed yet it was still able to fly home.

its not much to look at but it sure seems to give tax payers their moneys worth.

[MarkDido]

Isn't it funny that the media tripped over their tongues covering Jessica and Shoshona, but nothing is mentioned about the female Warthog pilot?

[ThreadKiller]

Long live the "Thunderbolt!" The A-10 picks up where the famed P-47 left off.

I remember reading a story of a WWII pilot whose P-47 had run out of ammo. His lead had an ME-109 on his tail, so the P-47 driver slid alongside the ME and slapped a wing tip down into the cockpit of the ME. The ME went down and the P-47 went home.

Tim

[Waitone]

Where's Lennyjoe when you need 'im?

[alan]

MarkDido wrote:



Isn't it funny that the media tripped over their tongues covering Jessica and Shoshona, but nothing is mentioned about the female Warthog pilot?


I suppose that it all depends on how one spells "funny". Actually, I think that "sad" or "strange" might be more suitable adjectives to describe media's relative "silence".

[skynyrd1911]

I worked on them from 1977 to 1980 at Myrtle Beach AFB, S.C. They will always be MY favorite! Ours were the gray color at first and then we started receiving the camo ones. I do like the F-15 Eagle, but the WartHog will remain dear to my heart.

[MarkDido]

markdido wrote:

"Isn't it funny that the media tripped over their tongues covering Jessica and Shoshona, but nothing is mentioned about the female Warthog pilot?"

alan wrote:

"I suppose that it all depends on how one spells "funny". Actually, I think that "sad" or "strange" might be more suitable adjectives to describe media's relative "silence"."

True. I attribute it to Media Bias

After all, Jessica and Shoshone were simply poor enlisted women who only joined the military for the educational benefits and never imagined that they might actually get sent to war...

While K.C (The Warthog Pilot) was a merciless killer, dropping bombs on old women in wheelchairs and babies.

[alan]

After all, Jessica and Shoshone were simply poor enlisted women who only joined the military for the educational benefits and never imagined that they might actually get sent to war...

While K.C (The Warthog Pilot) was a merciless killer, dropping bombs on old women in wheelchairs and babies.

I'm curious as to the following. Notwithstanding nation building, humitarian activities, educational benefits, and that sort of thing, the purpose of anyone's army, it has been noted is as follows: "To break things and kill people", or put in a slightly different set of words, "to fight wars". I hadn't noticed that 2 + 2 had come to equal anything other than the usual 4, though I might have missed a salient point or two somewhere along the way.

As to the role of media in the above, the following is perhaps off point, please bear with me, but the following comes to mind. The absolutely blatant, slanted, distorted pack of lies that pass for news coverage regarding anything having to do with firearms.

Given that, is anyone really surprised at the fact that media slants their coverage of "military affairs", and this is definately not to say that the military has never dropped the ball either, for they have, and as with this turf battle, or what appears to be a turf battle between The Army and The Airforce, they continue to so do. Of course, media continues to grind such axes as might be handy, at any given moment also.

[jimpeel]

It comes down to the fact that the pilot of the Warthog was not injured, did not get rescued, did not have hospital interviews, and did not have a parade in her honor when she got back home.

In the media world, no news is, well, no news.

[nygunguy]

According to our illustrious NYS Assembly leader Sheldon Silver we need to ban .50 cal rifles to keep terrorists from shooting down 747's. Must be the guns they have in Iraq aren't as dangerous.

I hope that young lady was able to dish out a little before she got hit.

[mete]

I remember seeing photos of an A-10 that was shot up a lot worse in Desert Storm. They are extraordinary planes !!

[artherd]

Extrordinary plane, Extrordinary pilot.

I was going to say the pilot must have huge balls. I stand by that, she must have huge balls!

[Colt46]

Her dad is a local politician and awfully proud of that young lady. I remember she did an interview and said as soon as she was hit she was afraid it would keep her from flying cover over the grunts on the ground. That was what scared her most!
I think she was back up the next day. In her plane or perhaps another, not certain. That must give Islamic Fundamentalists Fits!!!

[AZLibertarian]

Just so we're all on the same page here, and certainly not to take anything away from either the airplane or the pilot, please note that this story is just over a year old.

[Lennyjoe]

Yep, thats my baby. (not the one in the picture, just the MDS)

Thats why I have enjoyed working the Hog for the last 18 years.

A-10; "Ugly" but well hung!

[wrffr]

Isn't it funny that the media tripped over their tongues covering Jessica and Shoshona, but nothing is mentioned about the female Warthog pilot?

Actually, while they didn't have as much about her, I remember seeing them interview her on tv back when this happened.

The best part was when, with a cocky grin, she said that K.C. stood for "killer chick". :D

[HABU]

I'm glad I am not the guy busted picking his nose in the (I think) 4th picture!:neener:

[jimpeel]

If you are speaking of the guy sixth from the left in THIS PICTURE (http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=216066) he is talking on a telephone.