A documentary about the A10 Warthog close air support jet was somehow leaked to the public on social media. The video, “Grunts in the Sky,” was withheld from the general public until a Freedom of Information Act request was filed. It features interviews with A-10 pilots, the Air Force personnel who call in air strikes, and the U.S. Army troops they support on the ground.It is not exactly clear why the video was classified. Pilots and other personnel are referred to only by their call signs or pseudonyms, and the video does not seem to reveal any classified tactics, techniques, or procedures.“Grunts in the Sky” features interviews with A-10 pilots who explain how they made the decision to fly the A-10, and what it feels like to support troops in contact with the enemy—even hearing the crack of enemy gunshots over the radio while coordinating an air strike. It also interviews Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs), Air Force personnel that embed with ground troops and are trained to work with pilots to place bombs on target. Finally, U.S. Army troops describe what it’s like to work with an A-10 flying overhead.The video itself features some spectacular footage of A-10 Warthogs doing their thing, including low-level flight and firing the 30-millimeter GAU-8/A nose-mounted gatling gun at targets on the ground.The documentary takes its name from a JTAC who describes A-10 pilots as a breed apart from other Air Force pilots, having an outlook more like their ground-pounder counterparts, making them “grunts in the sky.”General characteristicsCrew: 1Length: 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 sq ft (47.0 m2)Airfoil: NACA 6716 root, NACA 6713 tipEmpty weight: 24,959 lb (11,321 kg)Gross weight: 30,384 lb (13,782 kg)CAS mission: 47,094 lb (21,361 kg)Anti-armor mission: 42,071 lb (19,083 kg)Max takeoff weight: 50,000 lb (22,700 kg) Fuel capacity: 11,000 lb (4,990 kg) internalPowerplant: 2 × General Electric TF34-GE-100A turbofans, 9,065 lbf (40.32 kN) thrust eachPerformanceMaximum speed: 381 kn (439 mph, 706 km/h) at sea level, cleanCruise speed: 300 kn (340 mph, 560 km/h)Stall speed: 120 kn (138 mph, 220 km/h) at 30,000 lb (14,000 kg)Never exceed speed: 450 kn (518 mph, 833 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) with 18 Mark 82 bombsCombat range: 220 nmi (250 mi, 400 km) CAS mission, 1.88 hour loiter at 5,000 ft (1,500 m), 10 min combatFerry range: 2,240 nmi (2,580 mi, 4,150 km) with 50 knots (58 mph; 26 m/s) headwinds, 20 minutes reserveService ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,700 m)Rate of climb: 6,000 ft/min (30 m/s)Wing loading: 99 lb/sq ft (482 kg/m2)Thrust/weight: 0.36ArmamentGuns: 1× 30 mm (1.18 in) GAU-8/A Avenger rotary cannon with 1,174 roundsHardpoints: 11 (8× under-wing and 3× under-fuselage pylon stations) with a capacity of 16,000 lb (7,260 kg), with provisions to carry combinations of:Rockets:4× LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19×/7× Hydra 70 mm/APKWS[203] rockets, respectively)6× LAU-131 rocket pods (each with 7× Hydra 70 rockets)Missiles:2× AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for self-defense6× AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missilesBombs:Mark 80 series of unguided ‘iron’ bombs orMk 77 incendiary bombs orBLU-1, BLU-27/B, CBU-20 Rockeye II, BL755 and CBU-52/58/71/87/89/97 cluster bombs orPaveway series of Laser-guided bombs orJoint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) (A-10C) orWind Corrected Munitions DispenserOther:SUU-42A/A Flares/infrared decoys and chaff dispenser pod orAN/ALQ-131 or AN/ALQ-184 ECM pods orLockheed Martin Sniper XR or Litening targeting pods or2× 600 US gal (2,300 L) Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for increased range/loiter time.#a10 #warthog #aircraft
