This is a helluva plane, when I deployed with A-10s as a fuel systems mechanic in afghan we would see these guys coming back with thrashed wings and holes the size of a tank access door, but they would come back with no armnament which is the best feeling of all because you know it most likely means it hit its targets and got the mission done. One of the most satisfying feeling as a USAF mechanic, oh and summer there on the flightline is pure hell.
I remember this day. I was there. I was one of the Crew-Chiefs of this Warthog. My team and I had to secure this beast for the test fire on a HOT Florida day... right near Ft. Walton Beach... @meankitty42, I don't know how you got this video, but I was happy to see it. I remember my brain vibrating inside my skull when the cannon went off. Most awesome thing I've ever seen LIVE. They try to kill the Warthog, but it won't die. "GO UGLY EARLY!!!!" Hit me up if you know me BOSS. We can grab a Crown Royal...
Your right, I seen this thing on the History channel and they said it was the most lethal gun on any aircraft in the military. It could stop any Tank dead in its tracks.
You're right, they aren't using DU at the moment. Right now their choice of round is the HEI. I've shipped plenty of that downrange for the Warthogs. Love the burp of the GAU-8.
In the Air Force it was often referred to as the "Fart from God" for the sound it makes. I was going to be an A-10 weapons systems specialist when I left the AF. You feel this thing fire as much as hear it. I grew up at Shaw AFB SC where they practice with them. It IS impressive.
I'll agree to an extent. The US has some pretty cool and destructive weapons platforms. This and the AC-130 are the most awesome things in the world I reckon.
You forget, close air support for ground troops is filled incredibly well by the A-10. The GAU-8 isn't the only anti-tank weapon it has either. And with upgrades it's still very much relevant to the USAF. The whole purpose of a heavily armored, slow plane is for ground support.
that is the General Electric GAU 30mm gatling/vulcan cannon. Mounted on the nose of the A-10 warthog, tank killer. The best anti tank aircraft ever made. And yeah, when that puppy talks, all else ceases to matter like scallywag says. Man i need one of those for security. Put it on a stand and make it remote controlled and shit, nobody would TP my house.
@cod6guy12 i was thinking about the browning m2 which fires .50 bmg rounds. the diameter on those rounds are slightly larger. but yes, any other .50 such as the desert eagle or the magnum 500 will be 12.7mm.
Actually, the A-10 relies on a very long track of cartridges, the empties are dumped back in the track, both to push loaded cartridges in, and also to prevent dumping the brass to the ground.
This gun and aircraft together make the A10 one of the best weapons ever made and that's a fact. Love it or hate it, it will kill you if you are an enemy soldier on the ground..
An interesting fact, the gun is actually offset to the left of the plane's center, as the barrels fire when they come up on the 9 o'clock position, that way the recoil is inn line with the plan's center
The main problem being that none of the other weapons it carries require the plane to get in close. With the current focus on guided munitions and drones, the near-obsolescence of the GAU-8 against anything but rusting Soviet castoffs and the general fact that the airframe's getting rather long in the tooth, there's a lot of calls to replace this with a faster bombwagon that doesn't need to get close to do damage and has better systems on board to avoid strafing friendly targets accidentally.
@BlueySkunky do you have any idea how loud a 30mm cannon is? think of it this way, a 50 caliber is only 12.95mm and that is usually enough to make a guy jump.
The A-10 is designed around a gun, first, and second, is designed for maximum survivability against tanks, armored anti-aircraft, and ground forces. This is accomplished by mounting the twin engines high and away from incoming fire, and a titanium tub around the bottom of the fuselage, protecting the pilot. The only similarity to the 'ol Junkers is armor to protect the pilot from ground attacks.
It's definitely getting old, but I wouldn't say it's obsolete yet. The Avenger still packs a punch, and while I don't have any facts on its effectiveness against modern MBTs, it sweeps enemy encampments like no tomorrow. I don't doubt there's a replacement being designed somewhere, but the A-10 fills its role effectively for the time being. There is still a place for close air support.
People who know nothing of aircraft and their weapons sound silly when they comment. It's adorable, like watching a blind leprechaun safely cross 6th avenue in Manhattan.
Yeah, I had to watch that a couple times to get my head around the thump it made after firing. What accounts for that? The air collapsing into the space that the bullets occupied?
The A-10's cannon fires at 3900rpm, but its usually limitted to 2 second bursts to prevent the barrels from over heating, So in a 1/2 second burst it will rain down on the target about 32 rounds, and for a 2 second burst it will fire about 130 rounds. at 500 yrds the 130 rounds will pass through over 2 and 1/2 inches of armour plating therefor its not something you want after you when your on the ground
@bassplaya1549 The GAU-8 can fire continually for over 10 seconds without overheating or jaming. The reason pilots dont fire it more then 2 or 3 seconds is because the gun has 10,000 lbs of recoil force and it slows the plane down the longer its fired. Also the heavy smoke produced by the gun can sometimes flame out the A10's turbo fan engines though they've been upgraded to reduce that from happening. 70 rounds per sec @ 4200 rpm barrel speed.
@Gruntwithahat Yes. It fires the 30x173mm/1.18Inch autocannon round. It's twice as big as the 12.7x108mm/.50Inch round, commonly refeered as the .50 caliber round.
In the special case of what we see here, the gun *can* move the plane backwards... but ONLY if the engines aren't running. The net recoil force of the GAU-8 is approximately 45kN... that is the equivalent of the weight of 4.5 tonnes. So it's hardly insignificant. However the engine output when at full throttle is 80kN so it more then enough balances out the recoil.
@maercats It can be used for any sort of target really. But the gun was specifically meant to serve an anti tank role. The gun represents about 16% of the A-10 aircraft's unladen weight.
@fablecompulsive The gun itself takes up around half of the fuselage. It's a huge weapon. The recoil is so powerful that it slows the plane down when it's being fired.
also they are sometimes loaded with sabre rounds.. which you probably know but are burning at a very high temperature.... used tomelt right through the tanks armor
Actually(even though this comment is a year old), it is known as the GAU8, and the A-10 Thunderbolt II. The nickname Warthog was granted it by it's pilots and maintenance crews, but it is not the aircraft's official designation.
@globemaster68 most a/c mounted cannons (meaning just the M61) use electric primers. That is why we don't allow people to take unexpended rounds with them (believe, people tried..) because if they display their war trophy on top of a TV...or use a as much as a cell phone close enough, BOOM! This happen to someone in Oceana some time ago and although he didn't kill anyone, he got in BIG toruble!
about what freshfruit said, it is possible that the amount of recoil from the gun can overcome the thrust of the engines, but its pretty unlikely for that to happen.
Actually, the Ju-87 Stuka was just part of the A-10s inspiration. The Soviet Union's Il-2 and Il-10 Shturmovik, also a heavily armoured and armed tank buster provided inspiration for the A-10. In fact, I'd have to say the Shturmovik was a greater source of inspiration for the A-10 than the Ju-87.
there is a reason why they "pluse" the Cannon, If they were to unleash it, it would push the aircraft backwards in the air. They had 2 A-10s at Smokey Hill Bombing range for open house, you haven't felt power till your less then 200 yards from a A-10 firing the cannon.
@vampov Currently they use a combat load of PGU-14/B which is a armour peircing incendiary, and PGU-13/B which are High Explosive Incendiary rounds. All the rounds they use are incendiary. they only other round for this gun is the PGU-15/B which is used just for target practice.
@CruelestChris: The GAU-8 does have a 80% hit ratio at 1km. ( 5m² target ) The A-10 would be shooting from above & probably hit the lower armored turretroof.
@clohman1 ive heard it can bring the plane down in flight (if you fired it enough) so while firing is basicly glides but the plane is built to fly at low speeds
@336kgf Is it true that if that cannon fires too long the airplane is basically stalled and can fall from the sky? I heard someone say it a couple of years ago but I think that's an odd story.
@spartan3686 The GAU/8 is MASSIVE, they had to offset the landing gear on the A-10 just to fit it in there, take a look on google how big the GAU/8 really is then if you ever get the chance at an Air-Show ask to see one up close. The GAU/8 is the most terrifying gun I know of, and makes the coolest sound out of a gun. If the A-10 did not have the GAU/8 it would have been retired by now and replaced, the GAU/8 is the reason the A-10 still exists and is getting upgrades.
it sure can, but before it stalls the jet, it would most likely overheat...leading to further gun/aircraft complications. Its designed to be fired in short bursts, anything too long can cause problems.
The gun is designed to destroy armored vehicles and tanks. A weapon with 7,62 mm will hardly damage the color of a tank. The A 10 is using a 30mm gun and is inspired by the German Junkers Ju 87 G which was using two 37 mm guns against ground targets.
(there go some millions in American tax money!) Seriously though, a tank, even an Abrams, might seem invincible, but think of the fact that they CAN be destroyed by other tanks. Even if it wouldn't punch through the armor in the first few hits, it would still punch through if it kept hitting. Hell, those 30mm slugs are like overpowered hammers on a hot anvil.
Actually you're part right. This gun has sufficient recoil to slow the aircraft down significantly, but because they can only fire short bursts, it's not an issue.
@b2o4e i was wondering that myself.. can such a small caliber even pierce the armor of the M1 (or any other modern battletank) after all they keep going bigger with the calibers on MBTs to keep up with armor thickness my guess would be no still i wouldn't want to sit in a tank while under fire from the avenger tho^^
That's just the barrel. The actual 30mm on the A-10 weighs almost 620 lbs and is about 20 feet long. It is the largest automatic weapon in flight. It can turn the most advanced tank into scrap metal in about four seconds.
Like I said, it couldn't until it was modernised following delays in acquiring the F-35. And it still doesn't require a plane like the A-10 to do that.
yep without the anchor it would role away... In flight, once the gun is fired, the aircraft actualy loses partial its air speed due to opposing force from the gun fire. Quite remarkable =D
Awesome firepower, basically the A-10 is a flying gun...and what a gun! Love that plane.
This is a helluva plane, when I deployed with A-10s as a fuel systems mechanic in afghan we would see these guys coming back with thrashed wings and holes the size of a tank access door, but they would come back with no armnament which is the best feeling of all because you know it most likely means it hit its targets and got the mission done. One of the most satisfying feeling as a USAF mechanic, oh and summer there on the flightline is pure hell.
Interesting Fact III: It is the first gun to come with a plane. Basically, plane was built around that beast.
Long before this, the p-39 was built with this concept in mind, in WWII
wrnchhead76 ah the airacobra....... beautiful plane imo
May I introduce you to the Hs-129
Oh, I know of the Hs-129, specifically the Hs-129 B-3..... Freaking 75mm mounted on that thing......
SgtAwesome97 You obviously haven't met the AC-130 2 20mm mini miniguns 40mm bofors and a 105mm Howitzer.
Someone please make the second one a ringtone
I remember this day. I was there. I was one of the Crew-Chiefs of this Warthog. My team and I had to secure this beast for the test fire on a HOT Florida day... right near Ft. Walton Beach... @meankitty42, I don't know how you got this video, but I was happy to see it. I remember my brain vibrating inside my skull when the cannon went off. Most awesome thing I've ever seen LIVE. They try to kill the Warthog, but it won't die. "GO UGLY EARLY!!!!" Hit me up if you know me BOSS. We can grab a Crown Royal...
"He who controls the sky, controls the battle".
Rock on, friend; I salute the USAF.
That's the most fierce sound the bad guys never get to hear.
I love the A-10
The plane built around a gun....I love it...
I just love the fact how the A-10 is practically built around the GAU-8.
Your right, I seen this thing on the History channel and they said it was the most lethal gun on any aircraft in the military. It could stop any Tank dead in its tracks.
Chuck Norris is so tough, he packs on of those A10 Gatling guns in his ankle holster as a back-up piece..
am i the only who sees those tie-down lines tense up when the A10 fires that thing?
DAMN!
This is not a plane its a flying gun
the sound of freedom
You're right, they aren't using DU at the moment. Right now their choice of round is the HEI. I've shipped plenty of that downrange for the Warthogs. Love the burp of the GAU-8.
One of the widest known myths out there. Tins of power but not enough to stop it.
are you serious?
that is freakin insane,
now thats firepower!!!
those planes are amazing, i think the gattling gun runs down most of the body. you can see the plane is anchored becuase the power of that gun is mad
In the Air Force it was often referred to as the "Fart from God" for the sound it makes. I was going to be an A-10 weapons systems specialist when I left the AF. You feel this thing fire as much as hear it. I grew up at Shaw AFB SC where they practice with them. It IS impressive.
I'll agree to an extent. The US has some pretty cool and destructive weapons platforms. This and the AC-130 are the most awesome things in the world I reckon.
Need one of those to clear up traffic jams.
the bad guys would be dead before they could hear the shot
I like how in the second burst the guy filming it is considerably farther from the gun.
You forget, close air support for ground troops is filled incredibly well by the A-10. The GAU-8 isn't the only anti-tank weapon it has either. And with upgrades it's still very much relevant to the USAF. The whole purpose of a heavily armored, slow plane is for ground support.
he doesnt shit himself from fear, the gun's shock wave rocks the camera and pushes the shit out of him
that is the General Electric GAU 30mm gatling/vulcan cannon. Mounted on the nose of the A-10 warthog, tank killer. The best anti tank aircraft ever made. And yeah, when that puppy talks, all else ceases to matter like scallywag says. Man i need one of those for security. Put it on a stand and make it remote controlled and shit, nobody would TP my house.
WOW! now thats what i call firepower.
@cod6guy12 i was thinking about the browning m2 which fires .50 bmg rounds. the diameter on those rounds are slightly larger. but yes, any other .50 such as the desert eagle or the magnum 500 will be 12.7mm.
Actually, the A-10 relies on a very long track of cartridges, the empties are dumped back in the track, both to push loaded cartridges in, and also to prevent dumping the brass to the ground.
This gun and aircraft together make the A10 one of the best weapons ever made and that's a fact. Love it or hate it, it will kill you if you are an enemy soldier on the ground..
An interesting fact, the gun is actually offset to the left of the plane's center, as the barrels fire when they come up on the 9 o'clock position, that way the recoil is inn line with the plan's center
The main problem being that none of the other weapons it carries require the plane to get in close. With the current focus on guided munitions and drones, the near-obsolescence of the GAU-8 against anything but rusting Soviet castoffs and the general fact that the airframe's getting rather long in the tooth, there's a lot of calls to replace this with a faster bombwagon that doesn't need to get close to do damage and has better systems on board to avoid strafing friendly targets accidentally.
A10 my all time favorite bomber plane. I remember when these things fired their cannon in midair it would slow down the plane by about 50 kts
@BlueySkunky do you have any idea how loud a 30mm cannon is? think of it this way, a 50 caliber is only 12.95mm and that is usually enough to make a guy jump.
DAMN That thing just spent all my taxes in 2.5 seconds!!!.....totally worth it :)
Thats one bad ass gun
It's a very effective guard system. People are simply afraid to type this thing on the roof, even firing is not necessary
The A-10 is designed around a gun, first, and second, is designed for maximum survivability against tanks, armored anti-aircraft, and ground forces. This is accomplished by mounting the twin engines high and away from incoming fire, and a titanium tub around the bottom of the fuselage, protecting the pilot. The only similarity to the 'ol Junkers is armor to protect the pilot from ground attacks.
It's definitely getting old, but I wouldn't say it's obsolete yet. The Avenger still packs a punch, and while I don't have any facts on its effectiveness against modern MBTs, it sweeps enemy encampments like no tomorrow. I don't doubt there's a replacement being designed somewhere, but the A-10 fills its role effectively for the time being. There is still a place for close air support.
the moment they manage that...i don't think anyone would want to meet a humvee
that is a pure weapon :D
People who know nothing of aircraft and their weapons sound silly when they comment. It's adorable, like watching a blind leprechaun safely cross 6th avenue in Manhattan.
Yeah, I had to watch that a couple times to get my head around the thump it made after firing. What accounts for that? The air collapsing into the space that the bullets occupied?
The A-10's cannon fires at 3900rpm, but its usually limitted to 2 second bursts to prevent the barrels from over heating, So in a 1/2 second burst it will rain down on the target about 32 rounds, and for a 2 second burst it will fire about 130 rounds. at 500 yrds the 130 rounds will pass through over 2 and 1/2 inches of armour plating therefor its not something you want after you when your on the ground
@bassplaya1549
The GAU-8 can fire continually for over 10 seconds without overheating or jaming. The reason pilots dont fire it more then 2 or 3 seconds is because the gun has 10,000 lbs of recoil force and it slows the plane down the longer its fired. Also the heavy smoke produced by the gun can sometimes flame out the A10's turbo fan engines though they've been upgraded to reduce that from happening. 70 rounds per sec @ 4200 rpm barrel speed.
@Gruntwithahat
Yes. It fires the 30x173mm/1.18Inch autocannon round. It's twice as big as the 12.7x108mm/.50Inch round, commonly refeered as the .50 caliber round.
In the special case of what we see here, the gun *can* move the plane backwards... but ONLY if the engines aren't running.
The net recoil force of the GAU-8 is approximately 45kN... that is the equivalent of the weight of 4.5 tonnes. So it's hardly insignificant. However the engine output when at full throttle is 80kN so it more then enough balances out the recoil.
Who gives a damn how the A-10 looks its a badass Tank eating lead spiting piece of awesome
@maercats It can be used for any sort of target really. But the gun was specifically meant to serve an anti tank role.
The gun represents about 16% of the A-10 aircraft's unladen weight.
@fablecompulsive The gun itself takes up around half of the fuselage. It's a huge weapon. The recoil is so powerful that it slows the plane down when it's being fired.
Nice plane on that gun.
WOAH ITS SOOO AWSOME
How powerful is one 30 × 173 mm round? I only know it travels at 3,500 feet per second... and it is useful against tanks.
It is basically pissing a constant stream of bullets XD
One GAU-8 has the same power as one turbine of this jet. :) EPIC
also they are sometimes loaded with sabre rounds.. which you probably know but are burning at a very high temperature.... used tomelt right through the tanks armor
Actually(even though this comment is a year old), it is known as the GAU8, and the A-10 Thunderbolt II. The nickname Warthog was granted it by it's pilots and maintenance crews, but it is not the aircraft's official designation.
holy god!! nice video!!
@globemaster68 most a/c mounted cannons (meaning just the M61) use electric primers. That is why we don't allow people to take unexpended rounds with them (believe, people tried..) because if they display their war trophy on top of a TV...or use a as much as a cell phone close enough, BOOM! This happen to someone in Oceana some time ago and although he didn't kill anyone, he got in BIG toruble!
it's a M134 ( Longer barrel version) Gattling cannon.Which the US changed the name to Vulcan 8 barrel Cannon.
about what freshfruit said, it is possible that the amount of recoil from the gun can overcome the thrust of the engines, but its pretty unlikely for that to happen.
I love how they have to tie the plane down when they set off that beast...
Actually, the Ju-87 Stuka was just part of the A-10s inspiration. The Soviet Union's Il-2 and Il-10 Shturmovik, also a heavily armoured and armed tank buster provided inspiration for the A-10. In fact, I'd have to say the Shturmovik was a greater source of inspiration for the A-10 than the Ju-87.
Thats how real men brush their teeth.
The engines automatically increase throttle when the gun is firing. The recoil of the gau-8 is just a little more than the thrust of one engine.
there is a reason why they "pluse" the Cannon, If they were to unleash it, it would push the aircraft backwards in the air. They had 2 A-10s at Smokey Hill Bombing range for open house, you haven't felt power till your less then 200 yards from a A-10 firing the cannon.
@vampov Currently they use a combat load of PGU-14/B which is a armour peircing incendiary, and PGU-13/B which are High Explosive Incendiary rounds. All the rounds they use are incendiary. they only other round for this gun is the PGU-15/B which is used just for target practice.
i like how they have to make sure the plane is tie down before the gau-8 is fired. =)
A-10 *BRRRRRT* 🔥🔥🔥🔥🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
"Et Cost 4 Million dollarz to fire dis weapon for twelve seconds"
Yup, it's not because of the power, it's the recoil.
yeah you can hear it periodically throughout the day from almost anywhere on base
kind of what i imagined looking at those
tie-down lines, i wonder if the pilots teeth rattle louder than the gun?
I've seen the "R2D2" ship versions in action in the 80's... friggin things can throw out a sheet. Target drones look like they literally hit a wall.
@CruelestChris: The GAU-8 does have a 80% hit ratio at 1km. ( 5m² target ) The A-10 would be shooting from above & probably hit the lower armored turretroof.
One of those rounds hits you, or even a part of one of those rounds hits you, and you wont have time to even think about death or pain; its game over.
What? That's how real men brush their teeth.
@clohman1 ive heard it can bring the plane down in flight (if you fired it enough) so while firing is basicly glides but the plane is built to fly at low speeds
That gun makes Tanks look like a friggin colander.Cool A10 tankbuster T-shirts at BIGNUMPTEES MILITARY MADHOUSE.
So how many bullets do they usually take up with them? and whats the actual rate of fire for this thing? need some slow mo of this video or any A-10
70 rounds per second right there. i bet that adds up quickly.
@336kgf Is it true that if that cannon fires too long the airplane is basically stalled and can fall from the sky? I heard someone say it a couple of years ago but I think that's an odd story.
Oh... the deadly fart.
@spartan3686
The GAU/8 is MASSIVE, they had to offset the landing gear on the A-10 just to fit it in there, take a look on google how big the GAU/8 really is then if you ever get the chance at an Air-Show ask to see one up close. The GAU/8 is the most terrifying gun I know of, and makes the coolest sound out of a gun. If the A-10 did not have the GAU/8 it would have been retired by now and replaced, the GAU/8 is the reason the A-10 still exists and is getting upgrades.
@jesserjzz1 or a single crystal thrust by hand by Lex?
it sure can, but before it stalls the jet, it would most likely overheat...leading to further gun/aircraft complications. Its designed to be fired in short bursts, anything too long can cause problems.
I' guessing it would need to be moving fast for the air to cool the barrels effectively, that must produce a shedload of heat.
The gun is designed to destroy armored vehicles and tanks. A weapon with 7,62 mm will hardly damage the color of a tank.
The A 10 is using a 30mm gun and is inspired by the German Junkers Ju 87 G which was using two 37 mm guns against ground targets.
@AtomicFreerun there is no explosion just big holes in the ground, this sound is just simply the gun shooting
There would be no squirrel left! lol
(there go some millions in American tax money!)
Seriously though, a tank, even an Abrams, might seem invincible, but think of the fact that they CAN be destroyed by other tanks. Even if it wouldn't punch through the armor in the first few hits, it would still punch through if it kept hitting. Hell, those 30mm slugs are like overpowered hammers on a hot anvil.
Actually you're part right. This gun has sufficient recoil to slow the aircraft down significantly, but because they can only fire short bursts, it's not an issue.
@b2o4e i was wondering that myself.. can such a small caliber even pierce the armor of the M1 (or any other modern battletank)
after all they keep going bigger with the calibers on MBTs to keep up with armor thickness
my guess would be no
still i wouldn't want to sit in a tank while under fire from the avenger tho^^
That's just the barrel. The actual 30mm on the A-10 weighs almost 620 lbs and is about 20 feet long. It is the largest automatic weapon in flight. It can turn the most advanced tank into scrap metal in about four seconds.
"We bring good thing to life"
Like I said, it couldn't until it was modernised following delays in acquiring the F-35. And it still doesn't require a plane like the A-10 to do that.
@kingmigget Depleted uranium shells at $15 a piece? Where do you live at?
yep without the anchor it would role away...
In flight, once the gun is fired, the aircraft actualy loses partial its air speed due to opposing force from the gun fire. Quite remarkable =D
@Tyrant60 Yea, and sometimes they carry AIM-9 Sidewinders