If you live in the vicinity of an active military aerodrome it can be easy to forget that many of the aircraft you see are built with some very effective offensive capabilities. Recently I was invited to experience first-hand what one particular type of aircraft does when it disappears into the vast desert ranges west of Tucson. On this day I would witness what the mighty A-10C Thunderbolt II could do with the massive General Electric GAU-8/A 30mm cannon at the Barry Goldwater Gunnery Range just south of Gila Bend, Arizona. But let me tell you right up front that nobody calls the airplane Thunderbolt II. Everyone I know calls it the Warthog.
Before leaving there was the obligatory "If you die while doing this it's not our fault" paperwork which always sets the tone for the day. A short 2 1/2 hour drive later and we arrive at Range 1, the sign above letting us know that perhaps there was a good reason we signed our lives away. Minutes after our arrival we were greeted by a 4-ship calling into the range control tower and then the show was on courtesy of the 358th Fighter Squadron "Lobos".
Breaking from formation into a racetrack pattern the Warthogs passed the tower then began working a derelict vehicle with their BDU-33 practice bombs which mimic the flight characteristics of the 500-pound bombs frequently carried during operational missions. Then came the moment we had driven so long for, lead fell into a sharp bank down to the deck and lined up with the target. At that moment, the sky was torn open.
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| At full-size there are nine 30mm rounds visible making their way to the target in the photo above! |
The small blurry lines you see in front of the smoking Hawg are the 30mm bullets racing towards the target at about 3500 ft/sec. Pitch-ups after each run afforded a unique perspective of the top of the aircraft. Flares we sometimes dispensed with a subdued popping/sizzling sound.
When the formation started hitting the target, rounds were ripping up the earth every 30-45 seconds. Hard breaks away to regroup and then it happened again. And again. And again. It was glorious.
With the rounds expended the aircraft gathered back together and performed a series of "panel checks" just to make sure nothing had been loosened during the violent process of firing the Warthog's massive Gatling-style cannon. Probably coincidental that the aircraft had to get close to our position for the range controllers to view said panels. Oh, darn the luck!
After the final pass the jets turned hard and departed the range, bound for home on a low-level route just above the desert floor. And then it was quiet; a state I wasn't sure would ever be possible after having seen "The Tank Killers" working their gun skills into razor-sharp perfection.
A big, huge, gigantic
thank you again to the Lobos for the invitation, especially Grumpski and Snookie. What a remarkable day, my cameras are always at your disposal!
ADDITIONAL IMAGE: found during the editing process is this A-10C Warthog caught with 12 30mm rounds en-route to the target! Click to see the full-size image.
