A10 Warthog Upgrade - A new wide-field cockpit display and additional weapons are all part of the big plans to prepare the A-10 for higher missions.
Just six years ago, the US Air Force was on the verge of phasing out its entire fleet of A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, better known as Warthogs. In 2014, General Mark Wells III, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Air Force should retire the A-10 altogether if it faces significant budget cuts and needs to free up funds and manpower. . transferred to the stands of new F-35 units. Wells claimed that the loss of sustained air support would save $3.7 billion in next year's five-year defense program and another $500 million in avoided costs for upgrades that would not be needed. How times have changed. Fast forward to 2020, and the A-10 is not only here to stay, but will receive a number of upgrades to keep it going for years to come. New weapons, a new cockpit layout and a complete overhaul of tactics are some of the elements now in the pipeline to keep the Havg packs sharp and its community a valuable contributor to frontline warfare.
A10 Warthog Upgrade
Built to destroy Soviet tanks on the plains of northern Europe, the A-10 was designed around a 30mm General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger gun and its seven barrels capable of punishing devastating armor. Over the years, the Warthog's 11 capabilities have evolved from carrying ironclad bombs and missiles to carrying the latest guided vehicles. Despite gaining a formidable reputation during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and evolving as new technology emerged, the iconic ground attack aircraft has consistently come under fire from within the Air Force during layoffs.
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The USAF has made a case for the F-35A Lightning II to take over the roles of the A-10, emphasizing how the Warthog can no longer survive in today's high-risk environment filled with advanced air defense systems. The A-10 community was told that the long war in Afghanistan was over and that close air combat specialists (CAS) were no longer needed. Throughout the campaign, supporters of the A-10 in Congress strongly rejected the proposal on the grounds that it would seriously affect the USAF's ability to cover the mission, with some calling for the flight to prove once and for all that the F-35 can be suitable enough. . Replace the A-10 in this mission.
As talk of the 2014 A-10 strike grew, Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led mission to defeat the so-called Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, rapidly escalated and put pressure on the USAF. , to measures to increase its participation in the campaign. At home, the fiscal year 2015 spending plan includes provisions from the House and Senate Armed Services Committees that would essentially halt efforts to retire the A-10 fleet. It was the perfect storm that effectively saved the A-10.
The Indiana Air National Guard's 163rd Fighter Squadron, the Blacksnakes, deployed to the Central Command's (CENTCOM) area of operations in October 2014 as part of the theater security package to Kuwait. The unit quickly returned to Afghanistan to cover the withdrawal of US forces from forward operating bases (FOBs) in the war-torn country. However, after a month in theater, pressure is mounting to return the Black Snakes to Kuwait to join the growing anti-ISIS effort.
The A-10s were immediately introduced to combat missions, a move that reaffirmed the A-10's usefulness to senior executives. Over time, a number of Warthog squadrons were called upon to join the OIR mission, which encompassed both CAS and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) for coalition operations.
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The plan to retire the A-10 began to have a ripple effect in terms of support and upgrades. Operational testing of the active A-10 fleet at the 422nd Test and Evaluation Wing (TES) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and the A-10 Program Office at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, have both been effectively shut down. . However, when OIR was at its peak in the summer of 2016, all of that changed with a new push for mission-critical upgrades for the A-10.
The planned end of the A-10 briefly disrupted some supply chains, but a series of continuous improvements quickly got it back on track. "In 2017, the V-12 Lightweight Airborne Recovery System [LARS] was installed on all Air National Guard and Air Reserve Command active duty A-10s to allow pilots to contact individuals on the ground, such as downed pilots and paramedics to communicate..,” explains Air Force Maj. Matthew Kading, director of A-10 testing for the 59th TES. integrated this system into the Central Command Interface Unit to provide critical Combat Search and Rescue [CSAR] information."
As a community with limited funds, the active duty test effort within the 422nd and 59th Test and Evaluation Squadrons and the Air Force Reserve Command's (AATC) test center at Tucson Air National Guard Base, Arizona, are now working together. The USAF currently has 281 A-10s, but many attempts to reduce the fleet have failed. The USAF's proposed budget for fiscal year 2021 appears to cut three squadrons of the aircraft, effectively 44 Warthogs. Even that can be put on hold, and major upgrades to the A-10 are now proceeding at full speed.
Such is the revival of the A-10 that a new Joint Fleet Initiative is planned to keep the type in service and reliable until 2035. Among the improvements for the A-10 is the need to survive in contested conditions. This includes Warthog pilots avoiding threats through the additional use of long-range weapons along with the use of updated tactics. The A-10's operations will evolve to include the ability to engage multiple threats with precision weapons from extended ranges. Once these threats are eliminated, the A-10s could theoretically transition to more conventional missions.
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"Survival isn't just about upgrading hardware and software, it's about going into battle with the most modern and lethal tactics," says Major Kading. "What makes TES 422/59 and the 53rd Wing as a whole a unique organization is that we do all of these things."
"Currently, the 422nd is working to develop and evaluate multiple tactics [TD&Es] to address the Airlift Command's Tactical Improvement Proposals, known as 'TIPs.' and low tactics.the fidelity of night vision goggles has prompted the need to reconsider whether we can perform the A-10's primary missions at lower altitudes at night.. Other TDs and ESs are planned to adapt CSAR tactics and engaging naval targets with the AGR-20 includes the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System. APKWS] missiles. Efforts are also underway to improve the A-10's ability to operate from harsh environments with minimal support. provide greater tactical readiness and mission capability." The AGR-20 APKWS II is a guided version of the veteran 2.75-inch Folded Fin air-to-air missile that was added to the A-10's arsenal in 2013.
"Suite 9 [introduced in 2019] brought Situational Awareness Position (SAP) integration to the OFP so that JTACs [lead air controllers] can report their position digitally," says Kading. "The approval was designed to prevent surprise targeting of friendly positions with inertial munitions. It also introduced the first phase of engaging multiple targets with precision-guided munitions. It made it possible to fire six guns with one click of the "cucumber" button.
The aircraft can deliver weapons to multiple targets at the push of a button in a single pass, whereas previously this required a heavy pilot load. A-10s can use GBU-38 or 54 or 2,000-pound GBU-31 joint attack munitions (JDAM), and the aircraft will notify the pilot if they can all hit targets in a single run.
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Suite 9 also includes an advanced helmet-mounted sight called HObIT (Hybrid Optical-based Inertial Tracker), a development of the Thales Visionix Scorpion helmet worn by A-10 pilots since 2013. More precisely, an improved helmet. detects the movement of the pilot's head by means of a new optical heading tracker, which consists of a number of points on the canopy.
This Idaho ANG pilot wears the new HObIT (Hybrid Optical-Inertial Tracker) helmet., Jamie Hunter
The 2005 upgrade of the A-10As to the A-10C was a big step for the Warthog. It basically added precision weapons, a partially glass cockpit and a laser beam. "Suite 10 will be released in the spring of 2021 and is a fundamental step in the modernization of the A-10," says Kading.
Suite 10 includes "multiple target list enhancements" that allow the pilot to engage multiple targets in a single pass with three different weapon types. It also includes full integration of the AGR-20 APKWS, which Kading says "provides the ability to target at the missile's maximum kinematic range by addressing targets designed within the missile's tolerances." GBU-31(V)3 JDAM
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