The Command Post - Iraq - Update on Warthog

April 08, 2003

Update on Warthog

The United States is working to retrieve a downed A-10 "Warthog" warplane. The plane went down near Baghdad Tuesday morning.
The pilot was able to eject safely and was recovered by nearby ground forces. He's said to be in good condition.

Lt. Mark Kitchens, of U.S. Central Command, said they're investigating whether the plane was shot down. He said recovery operations are under way and they're doing their best to determine the status of the aircraft and its condition.

Posted By Michele Catalano at April 8, 2003 07:26 AM | TrackBack

Comments

You really have to work at it to shoot down an A-10. Someone got very lucky.

Posted by: tenbase at April 8, 2003 08:31 AM

Actually, both the A-10's hydraulics lines run through the fuselage between the engines. It's quite vulnerable if it loses an engine which fragments, as the hydraulics lines are often cut.

We lost a bunch of A-10s in the first Gulf War that way. It makes them far more vulnerable than people think.

Posted by: SparcVark at April 8, 2003 09:39 AM

We only lost 3 A-10s during the Gulf War.

Posted by: tenbase at April 8, 2003 09:50 AM

Is that all? Now I'm going to have to check my notes again. Still, the hydraulics lines are a known vulnerability.

Posted by: SparcVark at April 8, 2003 03:28 PM

even if an A-10 loses both sets of redundant hydraulics, it has manual flight controls as backup.

Posted by: smf at April 8, 2003 10:19 PM