For the A-10 fans...

[MD_Willington]

Who can tell me why the black elliptical shape is painted on the fuselage?

Same reason they paint them on the underside of the Canadian CF-18's...

Used to see those all the time living near CFB Comox back in BC Canada...

 

[Lennyjoe]

I don't think it would stand much of a chance against an F-15 in a dog fight under most conditions (>5,000 ft)

When using missles, no. But try to come in close for a gun shot. Different story.

 

[jungle]

Attacks in the vertical slay the Hog, he can't point his nose up with any control. Then the birds fly up the exhaust and the pilot drops the pocket calender he uses for an airspeed indicator.

Neat aircraft though.

 

[telomerase]

The greatest thing about the A-10 is the tens of tons of U238 that it has deposited in various foreign hotspots for anyone with a metal detector to pick up. (Everyone does know that more than half the energy in an H-bomb comes from the U238 jacket, right?)

 

[cbsbyte]

A-10s, like the B-52 are considered obsolete in practial military terms. They only had an intended 20 year service life as a frontline weapon designed in the 1960s to hinder the hoards of Russian tanks that would sweep across europe, so the outnumbered Europe defensives could mount couterattacks. All this changed during Desert Storm where they proved themselves to be an excellent battlefield weapon, they have remained in service but in a limited capacity. Now only about 70 A-10s are still in service in the Air National Guard. Like the B-52 their replacement parts now have to be scrounged from the bone yards in the Southwest. During the early eightys there where 350+ stationed in just Germany alone, not counting other units spread around the world.

 

[Bettys Nephew]

Regarding air to air combat: my company recently hosted a visit by General Goldfein from Nellis AFB in regards to improving training and logistics for our production lines. He was asked as to the air combat record regarding the F15. His aide Omar answered that the F15 has NEVER been defeated in actual A to A combat. The record stands at 106 - 0. It was also of interest when they talked about the new fighter capability (don't remember the F designation, but maybe 22??). In a test evaluation scenario 8 F15's went up against 2 of the new fighters. All eight of the F15's were shot down and they never had any radar or visual contact of the new ones what so ever. Both the F15 and the A10 are at present the pinnacles of what they were designed to do, but what is on the horizon will be even better.

 

[jungle]

Telomerase, Sorry, you won't be getting the Nobel prize in Nuclear Physics this year. You need to check your facts on the difference between depleted uranium and fissionable materials. Good luck building a bomb with depleted uranium.

 

[telomerase]

You need to check your facts on the difference between depleted uranium and fissionable materials. Good luck building a bomb with depleted uranium.

Jungle, most of the energy from a "fusion" bomb comes from fission of the U238 in the jacket. Yes, you need U235 for the trigger, then lithium deuteride for the fusion, but the jacket is "depleted" uranium, U238.

My Physics is fine... it's the class on making a billion dollars in software that I missed

 

[jungle]

Understood, but picking up DU off the battle field is a very long way from the assembly of a bomb, just wanted the readers to understand that and the fact that DU by itself does not make a bomb.