DrStrange From Germany, joined Jul 2007, 44 posts, RR: 0 Posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 4490 times:
Hi, did not see this posted yet.
German media are reporting a US A-10 crashed near Laufeld, Germany. Pilot is reported to have ejected safely and was hospitalized via helicopter. The small town is close to Spangdahlem airbase, where the plane was (temporarily) based.
The A10 reportedly did not carry any armaments and crashed in a field outside of town.
Local witnesses say the plane impacted "vertically" into the ground, with the mayor of Laufeld stating the pilot pulled up a little to make it past the town. If true, kudos to the pilot.
There is not much more information available currently.
Spacepope From Vatican City, joined Dec 1999, 2736 posts, RR: 1 Reply 2, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 6 days 18 hours ago) and read 4341 times:
Quoting NoUFO (Reply 1): With the exception of ~1,300 rounds of ammo.
If I'm reading the last paragraph of the suddeutsche link correctly, they assume it may have had ammo loaded, but they had no information one way or another. My German is getting rusty!
NoUFO From Germany, joined Apr 2001, 7796 posts, RR: 13 Reply 3, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 4235 times:
I think you mean the swr-link as the last paragraph of Sueddeutsche's article states something completely different.
SWR (now) says the A-10 carried 2 practice missiles and 1,500 rounds of ammo.
KC135TopBoom From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 11708 posts, RR: 52 Reply 4, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 3629 times:
The ammo drum on the A-10 holds 1350 rounds maximum. But it is usually only filled with about 1200, or so rounds to prevent jamming.
So, if this A-10 was carrying ammo, the SWR numbers are a misquote. The 2 practice missiles could be anything from training shapes to inert missiles that provide the electronic signals to the aircraft.
There were about 760 A-10s built, and about 335 (now 334?) remain active with the USAF, ANG, and USAFR. However, there are several A-10s in storage at DM that can be reactivated or used as replacements. The USAF currently plans keeping the A-10 in the active inventory until about 2030.
Specifications (A-10A)
Close up of the A-10's 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger cannon
The Pave Penny pod
An A-10 firing its 30 mm GAU-8 Gatling gun during testing
Data from The Great Book of Modern Warplanes,[90] Fairchild-Republic A/OA-10[91]
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 53 ft 4 in (16.26 m)
Wingspan: 57 ft 6 in (17.53 m)
Height: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
Wing area: 506 ft² (47.0 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 6716 root, NACA 6713 tip
Empty weight: 24,959 lb (11,321 kg)
Loaded weight: 30,384 lb (13,782 kg)) On CAS mission: 47,094 lb (21,361 kg)
On anti-armor mission: 42,071 lb (19,083 kg
Max takeoff weight: 50,000 lb (23,000 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric TF34-GE-100A turbofans, 9,065 lbf (40.32 kN) each
Performance
Never exceed speed: 450 knots (518 mph,[91] 833 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) with 18 Mk 82 bombs[92]
Maximum speed: 381 knots (439 mph, 706 km/h) at sea level, clean[91]
Cruise speed: 300 knots (340 mph, 560 km/h)
Stall speed: 120 knots (138 mph, 220 km/h) [93]
Combat radius:
On CAS mission: 250 nmi (288 mi, 460 km) at 1.88 hour single-engine loiter at 5,000 ft (1,500 m), 10 min combat
On anti-armor mission: 252 nmi (290 mi, 467 km), 40 nm (45 mi, 75 km) sea-level penetration and exit, 30 min combat
Ferry range: 2,240 nmi (2,580 mi, 4,150 km) with 50 knot (55 mph, 90 km/h) headwinds, 20 minutes reserve
Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,700 m)
Rate of climb: 6,000 ft/min (30 m/s)
Wing loading: 99 lb/ft² (482 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.36
Armament
Guns: 1× 30 mm (1.18 in) GAU-8/A Avenger gatling cannon with 1,174 rounds
Hardpoints: 11 (8× under-wing and 3× under-fuselage pylon stations) with a capacity of 16,000 lb (7,260 kg) and provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets:
4× LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19× / 7× Hydra 70 mm rockets, respectively)
4× LAU-5003 rocket pods (each with 19× CRV7 70 mm rockets)
6× LAU-10 rocket pods (each with 4× 127 mm (5.0 in) Zuni rockets)
Missiles:
Mark 80 series of unguided iron bombs or
Mk 77 incendiary bombs or
BLU-1, BLU-27/B Rockeye II, Mk20, BL-755[94] and CBU-52/58/71/87/89/97 cluster bombs or
Paveway series of Laser-guided bombs or
Joint Direct Attack Munition (A-10C)[95] or
Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (A-10C)
Other:
SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys and chaff dispenser pod or
AN/ALQ-131 & AN/ALQ-184 ECM pods or
Lockheed Martin Sniper XR & LITENING targeting pods (A-10C) or
2× 600 US gallon Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for extended range/loitering time.
Avionics
AN/AAS-35(V) Pave Penny laser tracker pod[96] (mounted beneath right side of cockpit) for use with Paveway LGBs
Head-up display (HUD) for improved technical flying and air-to-ground support.[97]
DrStrange From Germany, joined Jul 2007, 44 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 3495 times:
I really like the A10. Used to have a model of it, too.
About 20 years ago, when low altitude flying was still allowed in Germany, an A10 circled our town really low.
I don't know why. It was a sunny day. I waved towards the pilot, because he was circling around me.
He kept circling for 2 or 3 more turns and I kept waving. I like to imagine that he saw me waving and circled around because of that
MD11Engineer From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 13334 posts, RR: 64 Reply 6, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 3483 times:
Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 4): The ammo drum on the A-10 holds 1350 rounds maximum. But it is usually only filled with about 1200, or so rounds to prevent jamming.
So, if this A-10 was carrying ammo, the SWR numbers are a misquote. The 2 practice missiles could be anything from training shapes to inert missiles that provide the electronic signals to the aircraft.
The aircraft most likely was on the way to came back from a training mission at US Army Baumholder training range about 50 km south of Spangdahlem. Since there the pilot would just fire at soft practice targets and not hardened targets like tanks, cheaper steel practice ammunition would be sufficient. He wouldn´t need to carry depleted uranium armour piercing rounds.
Sponsor Message: 
From Germany, joined Jul 2007, 44 posts, 
From Vatican City, joined Dec 1999, 2736 posts, 
From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 11708 posts, 
Sponsor Message: 
Printer friendly format
