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Random Thoughts on the Mighty Hog - Part 2

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  • Fear the 'Hog'
    by Louis A. Arana-Barradas

    6/20/2008 - Airman July/August Issue -- Bagram maintainers keep A-10s fighting

    Airman 1st Class Marissa Burke doesn't fear the "hog." Coalition ground forces fighting the war on terrorism don't fear it either. They love to hear the distinctive hum of the A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack fighter twin turbofan engines overhead. It means help is only a radio call away.

    But those who dare tangle with the hog definitely tremble in fear when it is near. Because the jet's deadly 30 mm Gatling gun can end an insurgent's career in a three-second burst of bullets.

    Bullets Airman Burke, an A-10 weapons load crew member at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, helps load on the aircraft. It's a job she likes because of the final results.

    "My job is cool because I know what I do impacts the war," said the Airman from Archibald, Pa., who is on her first deployment. "I'm actually doing something that helps people, America and the cause over here."

    She's one of more than 200 aircraft maintainers who deployed with the 81st Aircraft Maintenance Unit, from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, to join the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. Their mission since January 2008: Keep their 12 jets flying.

    The "Spang" crew has done just that, said 1st Lt. Kristen Lainis, the unit's assistant officer in charge.

    Since arriving at Bagram, maintainers have been busy keeping 81st Fighter Squadron jets flying. They "met every air tasking order with 100 percent flying schedule effectiveness and launched more than 1,300 sorties," said the lieutenant, a three-year Air Force veteran.

    That equated to more than 5,700 combat flying hours of close-air support and show-of-force missions, she said. And squadron pilots dropped more than 130 bombs, launched more than 200 rockets and fired more than 65,000 of the heavy 30 mm rounds.

    "The 'hog' has truly become feared by our enemies," Lieutenant Lainis said. And that has paved the way "for the motto that now defines our unit -- 'Fear the Hog.'"

    Keeping the more than 30-year-old jets in the air is paramount to the success of the war on terrorism in Afghanistan. But that can be a tough duty.

    "This is by no means an easy task to achieve, but teamwork is the main driving force behind the unit's success," the lieutenant said.

    That teamwork becomes evident to anyone who takes a stroll on Bagram's busy aircraft ramp, day or night, and watches the maintainers at work launching or recovering the A-10s -- especially if it's one of their hogs.

    "If the aircraft needs liquid oxygen, the LOX crew springs into action," Lieutenant Lainis said. "If there was a pilot-reported discrepancy during the sortie, the appropriate specialist is on the spot. This cohesive team expertly returns the aircraft to war-ready status in minimal time.

    "So you'll rarely see an A-10 maintainer working solo," she said.

    That's a fact Airman Burke, who works with a team, can attest to.

    "You grow a lot closer to the people you work with -- it's more like a family here," the Airman said. "Everyone is there for each other."

    The Airman has been in the service about a year and a half and may be too "green" to know that, in maintainer circles, the joke is weapons loaders can't work unless in groups of three. But load crews are perfect examples of teamwork in motion.

    "After a sortie where munitions have been expended, you can see the hours of training in the 'load barn' have paid off for load crews," Lieutenant Lainis said. "Like a well-oiled machine, crews follow the letter of the law and safely reconfigure aircraft for their next combat mission."

    But the same is true of all the maintainers, from crew chiefs to the Airmen who work on the jets' avionics, hydraulics, frame, engines or other systems on the flightline or in the back shops, Capt. Jennifer Gurganus said. She's the officer in charge of the Spang maintenance unit.

    "Our aircraft have flown great this entire deployment. Our maintainers do an outstanding job keeping our aircraft fully mission capable every day," the captain from Fayetteville, N.C., said. "This is proven by how well our aircraft have flown here. The teamwork and attention to detail is why we have easily made every combat sortie."

    But launching and "catching" jets around the clock is a tough and dirty business, and life on the A-10 ramp isn't glamorous. For example, when an A-10 returns from a combat mission, its entire nose is sometimes black from the gun gas. The residue can be thick.

    "Although a blackened nose is a 'badge of honor,' it must be cleaned," Lieutenant Lainis said. "And the light grey painted aircraft show every speck of dirt and splattered bug."

    Luckily, no crew chief ever cleans his or her aircraft alone, she said. It's not uncommon to see 10 people, no matter their job, working together to clean the jets.

    And sometimes hog handlers turn into tour guides when Soldiers pay a visit.

    "Soldiers come out to the flightline just to see the A-10 because our jets have helped them out of a tough situation," the lieutenant said. "There's no other airframe in the Air Force that can compete with the A-10 and its gun for providing combat-air support to troops on the ground."

    That's why maintainers ensure their hogs are always ready to join the fight, she said.

    In mid-May, the unit had done its job and was ready to return home to Spangdahlem's green and rolling hill country. Though she liked her Bagram experience and learned from it, Airman Burke was glad the deployment was almost over. So were her parents back in Pennsylvania, who didn't relish the thought of their daughter serving in a war zone.

    "My parents know I'm happy to be here, that this is what I want, that I needed to be here. So they accept it," Airman Burke said. "They're proud of me and brag to all their friends about me."

    As the unit packed up to return home, another unit was arriving and settling in. Get in, do the job for four to six months and get out. That's the now-familiar way of life for today's Airmen.

    As they hit the Bagram ramp again -- Airman Burke included -- all the Spang crew wanted to do was launch their last hog, pack their gear and get back home.

    Link

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    • CPI Aerostructures Awarded a Long-Term Requirements Contract of Approximately $70 Million to Provide Assemblies to The Boeing Company for the A-10 Wing Replacement Program

      EDGEWOOD, N.Y., Jul 01, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) ----CPI Aerostructures, Inc. ("CPI Aero(R: 66.97, -1.42, -2.07%)") (AMEX: CVU: 7.50, +0.01, +0.13%) announced today that it has been awarded a long-term requirements contract of approximately $70 million to provide various assemblies to the Boeing Integrated Defense Systems unit of The Boeing Company in support of its recent $2 billion award to produce up to 242 enhanced wings for the A-10 "Thunderbolt" attack jet. The first ordering period is to run until September 30, 2011, and the contract calls for an additional option period that runs from October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2016. The initial order under this contract is expected to be received by CPI Aero within the next thirty days.

      Edward J. Fred, CPI Aero's CEO and President, stated, "This is a very exciting day for CPI Aero. We have been named a subcontractor to the premier aerospace and defense company in the world, and we continue to work on a program that we have participated in since 1995. This contract extends the life of a valuable platform that supports our warfighters in accomplishing their mission to defend freedom around the globe. We look forward to this outstanding opportunity to team with The Boeing Company to enable the A-10 fleet to fly at least 20 more years. We are also quite excited that as this program reaches higher rates of production, CPI Aero will create 12 to 15 internal aerospace jobs for the Long Island region. Additionally, we will look to provide subcontracting work to Long Island-based companies whenever possible on this program, which will further impact the Long Island job market in a positive way."

      The A-10, first introduced in 1976, is a twin-engine jet aircraft designed for close-air support of ground forces. The simple, effective and survivable single-seat aircraft can be used against all ground targets, including tanks and other armored vehicles.

      CPI Aero is engaged in the contract production of structural aircraft parts for the U.S. Air Force, other branches of the armed forces and leading prime defense contractors. In conjunction with its assembly operations, CPI Aero provides engineering, technical and program management services. Among the key programs that CPI Aero supplies are the C-5A Galaxy cargo jet, the T-38 Talon jet trainer, the A-10 Thunderbolt attack jet, the E-3 Sentry AWACS jet, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter, the MH-60S mine countermeasure helicopter, and the Gulfstream G-650.

      Link

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      • Moody Airman receives Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor
        by Airman 1st Class Spencer Gallien
        23rd Wing Public Affairs

        7/14/2008 - MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- A pilot from the 75th Fighter Squadron was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor here July 11. The award is the highest honor bestowed upon an Aircrew member for operations in war.

        Capt. Brian Erickson, 75th FS chief of mission planning, earned the medal while deployed to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan for providing ground alert close air support to a German Provincial Reconstruction Team who was under-fire from insurgents in a Hindu-Kush mountain range valley.

        "I'm extremely impressed with the way Captain Erickson handled himself out there," said Colonel Kenneth Todorov, 23rd Wing commander. "He provided close air support in hazardous conditions, with no forward air controller and led a successful mission with valor."

        On Oct. 16, 2006, Captain Erickson and his wingman were called in to provide aerial support to six German soldiers trapped in between two mountains while receiving rocket-propelled grenade, machine gun and small-arms fire.

        Initially, a B-1B Lancer was called in to assist the situation, but after unsuccessfully navigating the mountain range due to hazardous weather and steep terrain. Captain Erickson, who was then part of the 75th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, was then called in to provide the emergency close air support.

        As Captain Erickson flew his A-10 deep into the moonless valley, the only light on the ground was from insurgent weapons-fire. He successfully provided close air support as he strafed the mountain range in order to draw enemy fire and pinpoint the insurgent's location.

        While Captain Erickson made passes up-and-down the valley, his wingman flew above the weather and valley in order to relay reports about where the weapon-bursts were coming from.

        "I initially had my infrared sensor on to pinpoint the location of the insurgents," said Captain Erickson. "The problem with using the infrared is every time an RPG went off the glow impeded my ability to navigate the dark canyon. The whole screen would go white and I couldn't see outside my cockpit. The only solution was to turn the screens off."

        After Captain Erickson turned off his infrared sensor, he continued his low-level runs while illuminating the area with pyrotechnic self-protection flares in order to uncover the enemy-location, demonstrate a show of force to possibly deter the insurgents and protect the six German troops.

        During this time the captain and his wingman were able to identify a location where they believed the enemy fire was coming from.

        "After we located where we thought the insurgents were, I had my wingman light-up the area with his targeting pod," said Captain Erickson. "During this time the weapons-fire against the Germans was also becoming increasingly accurate."

        The need to bring the situation to a close was becoming more-and-more imperative," he added. "After we were able to determine that we were in fact targeting the insurgents and not the pinned-down German PRT team, it was time to take action."

        In a single-pass, Captain Erickson employed 240 30 mm rounds from the Aircraft's GAU-8 cannon. This completely halted the enemy's-fire and possibly saved the lives of six German soldiers.

        Overall, the operation lasted a total of two hours, said Captain Erickson. The mission ended with the Afghan National Army and International Security Assistance Force Quick Reaction Force escorting the German PRT to safety.

        "We train everyday to support Army coalition ground forces with CAS," he added. "It's an honor to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor for doing the job I'm trained to do."

        "But the real reward was returning those six coalition-soldiers safely to the village they were working at as part of the PRT team," said Captain Erickson. "It's a great honor to be recognized."

        Link

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        • FOR FAIR USE ONLY :

          AIR FORCE CANCELS 30 MM CANNON PROGRAM FOR AC-130U GUNSHIPS
          Will keep 40 mm, 25 mm guns in service


          by John Reed
          Inside the Air Force
          June 27, 2008

          HURLBURT FIELD, FL -- Air Force Special Operations Command has canceled its plans to install 30 mm Bushmaster cannons on its fleet of AC-130U Spooky gunships, the command’s leadership tells Inside the Air Force.

          Problems with the 30 mm’s accuracy have prompted AFSOC to shelve its plan to replace the Spooky’s World War II-vintage 40 mm Bofors cannons and 1970s-vintage 25 mm Gatling guns with the Bushmaster -- a variant of which is the main weapon on the Army’s Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

          Last year, the Air Force modified four AC-130Us to use as test platforms for the Bushmasters. However, the service recently removed the guns from three of the planes and re-installed their original 40 mm cannons, returning these planes to combat duties. The 30 mms are being removed from the fourth plane right now, according to AFSOC’s chief for acquisitions, Brig. Gen. Bradley Heithold.

          “We’ve been working on that now for a year-and-a-half and we just can’t get the 30 mm to what we call two shot” where the gun is essentially able to perform as an airborne sniper. This means that instead of being able to automatically correct after a missed first shot, the gun misses the target in its second shots. “If we just hold the target and shoot a 40-round burst, it hits all around the target so you get a pretty good pattern,” said Heithold during a June 23 interview. “But, in the business we’re in we have to be able to shoot a small number of rounds and pick somebody off.”

          Command officials are not sure why the weapon will not shoot straight. There are several potential reasons including the possibility that the 30 mm bullets are too small to fly straight over long distances, or that the weapon’s mountings are not stiff enough for the rapid-fire chain guns, according to Heithold.

          The four test aircraft also had their 25 mm Gatling guns replaced with the Bushmasters as part of the test program. However, the 25 mms guns have not been re-installed due to a shortage of parts and ammunition. This shortage of 40 mm and 25 mm supplies was the driving force behind the 30 mm program when it began.

          Since the cancellation of the 30 mm gun program, AFSOC has shifted funding from that program into buying replacement parts and ammunition for the legacy 40 mm cannons which were made in the 1940s, according to command spokeswoman Capt. Amy Cooper.

          “The funding is in place and the program is currently exploring contractor options with the anticipated contract award in September,” said Cooper.

          The rest of the Spooky fleet continues to operate its 25 mm guns as well as the 40 mm cannons.

          While the command has abandoned the 30 mm program for the AC-130, it has turned over a Bushmaster gun system “to some DOD folks to continue to see if we might want to pursue it on the AC-XX” next-generation gunship, said Heithold.

          The command is looking at a range of guns between 20 and 40 mms to install on the AC-XX “gunship light” which is likely to be a twin engine-cargo aircraft similar to the C-27B Joint Cargo Aircraft.
          Main ammo used by the 30mm Mark-44 Bushmaster gun on the AC-130U was re-packaged PGU-13/B HEI from the A-10 “Warthog” packaging configuration into linked and clipped configuration.

          Comment


          • Quote of the Day :

            The Frogfoot is, perhaps, the best close air support aircraft in the world. It presents a tremendous challenge to our air defense forces.

            (Air Defense Artillery Magazine, Winter 1987 Issue.)

            Comment


            • Originally posted by Shipwreck View Post
              Quote of the Day :
              "So many men, so many opinions"! Terence.
              Semper in excretum. Solum profunda variat.

              Comment


              • Originally posted by glyn View Post
                "So many men, so many opinions"! Terence.
                More like ADA (Air Defense Artillery) waiving the bloody shirt to get money for its grandiose FAAD program (see these posts here and here for infos on the FAAD/LOS-F-H).

                Comment


                • Originally posted by Shipwreck View Post
                  More like ADA (Air Defense Artillery) waiving the bloody shirt to get money for its grandiose FAAD program (see these posts here and here for infos on the FAAD/LOS-F-H).
                  Only a hardened cynic could even think such a thing!
                  Semper in excretum. Solum profunda variat.

                  Comment


                  • Originally posted by glyn View Post
                    Only a hardened cynic could even think such a thing!
                    Or someone who's been involved in some of the grandiose military programs of the Reagan era. ;)

                    Comment


                    • Gunship Lite

                      30mm Bushmaster chain gun is a NO GO :

                      SOF To Convert One C-27J To Gunship Lite
                      by Amy Butler, Aviation Week
                      Jul 25, 2008

                      The Pentagon is planning this fiscal year to buy one C-27 for quick modification as a prototype gunship to augment U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command’s (AFSOC) existing AC-130 fleet.

                      A $1.8 billion reprogramming request from the Pentagon for FY ’08 includes a set aside for $32 million for the purchase of a single C-27, which would be modified to include “proven/known” weapons, sensors and other tactical systems for what AFSOC is calling an AC-XX Gunship Lite prototype. “This prototype will serve as a risk mitigation effort to field a new platform to operate in austere locations, with increased operational flexibility and a smaller support tail of manpower and logistics,” the reprogramming request states, noting the effort is a new start.

                      The U.S. Army and Air Force are already on contract to buy the first C-27Js for use as light cargo transports. The aircraft are being built by an L-3/Alenia North America team, with Boeing continuing negotiations to help stand up a U.S.-based final assembly plant in Florida.

                      Another $11.5 million is requested to execute an AC-XX feasibility study and engineering analyses associated with the so-called Gunship Lite. Further funding for the procurement of the aircraft is likely to be in the FY ’10 budget, which is now being crafted at the Pentagon.

                      In congressional testimony earlier this year, the Special Operations Command’s (SOCOM) chief said SOCOM was trying to roll out a small fleet of gunship-oriented C-27Js but was struggling under competing Air Force budget pressures, as well as the need to pursue necessary funds via an unfunded priority list to Congress that is not part of the regular appropriations process. He told senators that it would be an “exaggeration” to say SOCOM and the Air Force were equally eager to fund the small gunship variant, but the armed service supported the combatant command’s effort nevertheless (Aerospace DAILY, March 10). SOCOM, which has limited acquisition authority of its own, listed $30 million for a “gunship lite prototype” as a high priority in its annual unfunded procurement wish list this year.

                      Meanwhile, AFSOC has also dashed its plans to field a 30mm weapon on the AC-130U gunship. Command officials had hoped to replace the AC-130’s 40mm and 25mm weapons with a common 30mm system. But it fell short in testing. “Flight-testing revealed that it is operationally unsuitable due to unsatisfactory gunfire accuracy,” the reprogramming says.

                      Legacy systems

                      AFSOC is adding the 40mm and 25mm weapons back to the four AC-130Us delivered with the 30mm gun configuration. The omnibus includes a request to shift funding from the 30mm program back into the legacy systems.

                      Also for AFSOC, the Pentagon requests $7.5 million be transferred from an account for the MC-130W weapon system trainer to one that will purchase a U-28A trainer. AFSOC has begun to purchase the modified Pilatus PC-12 fixed wing aircraft for use in low-profile intratheater lift missions.

                      A separate line-item in the omnibus reprogramming also calls for $23.9 million to be dedicated toward the purchase of six PC-12s for use as communications relay systems for the Air Force. The mission is now being handled by C-130s and EA-6B Prowlers, which are badly needed to conduct other missions. This is also a new start program.

                      Link
                      Mini Me ... In Gunship form
                      Posted by Amy Butler at 7/24/2008 4:40 PM CDT

                      AFSOC isn't wasting time in moving on with its new plan to augment the stressed AC-130 gunship fleet.

                      The Pentagon's Fiscal 2008 omnibus reprogramming includes $32 million for the purchase of a single C-27, which will be a prototype for an AC-XX Gunship "Lite." Another $11.5 million is set aside for engineering analyses for an objective platform; the hope is AFSOC could buy a small fleet of C-27-based gunships to add to the firepower offered by the existing AC-130 fleet.

                      One weapon sure NOT to be on this new gunship is the 30 mm gun that AFSOC had hoped to use as a replacement for older 40 mm and 25 mm guns on the AC-130 fleet. Despite repeated testing, the 30 mm provide unsuitable because it would fire around targets, but not onto them. So, AFSOC is putting the older 40 mm and 25 mm systems back onto the fleet.

                      Link
                      Last edited by Shipwreck; 26 Jul 08,, 13:17.

                      Comment


                      • Jokes

                        What is the greatest threat to the A-10 during low-level flight ?
                        Bird strikes from the rear.

                        What is the speed indicator in an A-10 ?
                        A calendar.

                        Comment


                        • Lockheed Martins Sniper® ATP Provides Successful Combat Capability on B-1B Lancer

                          Press Release

                          ORLANDO, FL, September 16th, 2008 -- Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE:LMT] Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) recently deployed on the B-1B Lancer in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Aircrews deployed with Sniper technology marked a combat first in August when they successfully targeted and engaged enemy forces on the ground.

                          The Sniper ATP enables positive identification of targets, coordinates self-generation, remotely operated video enhancement receiver video down link, laser guided weapons employment and expands B-1’s non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability.

                          The U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin and Boeing team responded to an urgent needs request earlier this year by rapidly integrating, testing, training and fielding the Sniper pod on the B-1 aircraft at Ellsworth Air Force Base, SD. By combining the developmental and operational testing, program preparation was shortened from two months to two weeks and the overall program time was shortened from nine months to three months.

                          “Sniper ATP brings an amazing new capability to the already amazing B-1B,” said Air Force Col. Marilyn Kott, 379th Expeditionary Operations Group commander. “It increases the speed and accuracy with which the aircrew and the [joint tactical air controllers] can execute their missions. Our enemies now have even less opportunity to avoid us, less opportunity to get away and less opportunity to continue their efforts against the populations of Iraq and Afghanistan.”

                          Deployed in theater since January 2005, Sniper pods have accumulated over 100,000 flight hours in thousands of sorties throughout Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Competitively selected as the Air Force’s advanced targeting pod, Lockheed Martin’s Sniper ATP has also been selected by nine international air forces and coalition partners.

                          “The Sniper ATP provides critical capabilities to counterinsurgency missions by providing advanced positive ID, non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; coordination with ground troops; and real-time coordinate generation for joint direct attack munitions,” said Ken Fuhr, Sniper ATP program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “As threats on the battlefield evolve, so will Sniper technology.”

                          Designed, developed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the Sniper ATP achieves unmatched performance from its high-resolution, mid-wave forward-looking infrared and TV sensors, which operate in conjunction with a dual-mode laser, permitting eye-safe operation and precise geo-location in urban environments. For target coordination, the Sniper pod possesses a laser spot tracker to see other laser spots from air and ground assets, an infrared marker visible to night vision goggles and a video down link to ground forces. The Sniper ATP is the only targeting pod fielded that incorporates meta-data in every frame of video. The date/time stamp and coordinate information further ensures accuracy throughout intelligence and command and control functions.

                          The Sniper ATP is currently flying on the U.S. Air Force and multinational F-16, F-15, B-1, F-18, Harrier and A-10 aircraft. The system is also being integrated on the B-52.

                          Link

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                          • Originally posted by Shipwreck View Post
                            While we may have less pictures of heavily damaged Su-25s limping back to base for obvious reasons, there are plenty of documented such cases in Sukhoi OKB's or TAM's archives to name those two (e.g. on July 1987 a Su-25 returning to base with a large hole in the fuselage side from a MANPADS hit that destroyed one engine and almost completely burned through the elevator control rods).
                            Afghanistan :
                            Attached Files

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by Shipwreck View Post
                              While we may have less pictures of heavily damaged Su-25s limping back to base for obvious reasons, there are plenty of documented such cases in Sukhoi OKB's or TAM's archives to name those two (e.g. on July 1987 a Su-25 returning to base with a large hole in the fuselage side from a MANPADS hit that destroyed one engine and almost completely burned through the elevator control rods).
                              Georgia :
                              Attached Files

                              Comment


                              • Not surprising really. Both planes were designed for the same purpose, facing the same threats. So it stands to reason that both have massive amounts of armor, reinforced structure and redundancy up the wazoo.

                                Maybe the US should ask Sukhoy for a proposal, for when the A-10s run out of hours? ;)

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