Summary: The A-10 Warthog, renowned for its powerful 30mm GAU-8/A Gatling gun, is a critical asset for the U.S. military's Close Air Support missions. This seven-barreled beast can fire 4,200 rounds per minute with a muzzle velocity of 3,400 feet per second.

Key Points: 

-Unlike other modern warplanes, the A-10 is designed to hover over battlefields and provide precise support, making it indispensable in close combat scenarios.

-Despite its effectiveness and cost-efficiency, the Air Force plans to retire the A-10. Given its unique capabilities and proven track record, maintaining the A-10 fleet is essential until a suitable replacement is found.

A-10 Warthog: The Indispensable Flying Tank with a Gatling Gun

The A-10 Warthog is probably one of the greatest warplanes in the history of flight. This is no fancy, supersonic warbird with composite skin grafted atop an intricate web of sensors. It’s just an armored beast that can hover above a battlefield and blast the bejesus out of enemy troops below. The primary weapon the A-10 uses for that purpose is not all that sophisticated. I am referring, of course, to the 30mm GAU-8/A Gatling gun. 

The GAU-8/A is more advanced than the Gatling guns used in the First World War, but the concept remains basically the same. When married to the armored beast that is the A-10 Warthog, the U.S. military has a powerful killing machine. 

What Makes the Gatling Gun So Unique

This seven-barreled gun has a breech bolt assembly that fires once per gun revolution, according to the website of its producer, General Dynamics. The feature prolongs the GAU-8/A’s lifespan by ensuring that all seven barrels on the gun are used evenly. Thus, the gun is well-balanced, and it runs down at an even clip, making maintenance and replacement both predictable and convenient. 

The A-10’s Gatling gun serves the Warthog’s main mission. Whereas the F-22 Raptor is designed for air-superiority missions and the B-21 Raider is a strategic bomber, the A-10 is built to provide Close Air Support. 

When U.S. or allied troops are caught in a tough battle and need air support, but enemy ground forces are too close to the friendly forces, the A-10 can come in close and fire its Gatling gun, rather than blast the area with missiles. 

The name “Gatling gun” might evoke images of bulky weapons in a 20th century trench, but the 620-pound GAU-8/A is a modern beast.   

The GAU-8/A pops off an astonishing 4,200 rounds per minute, with a muzzle velocity of 3,400 feet per second. The recoil force on this weapon is about 10,000 pounds.  

A-10: A Warplane Like No Other and Why It Matters 

No other warplane in the Air Force’s inventory has this weapon. In fact, the A-10 Warthog isn’t so much a plane with a big gun. Instead, it’s a big cannon that happens to be attached to a plane. What’s more, there doesn’t seem to be another major air power in the world that has managed to produce a weapons system as potent and long-lasting as the A-10 Warthog with its Gatling gun.

The Russians since the Soviet era have flown their own version of the A-10, the Su-25 “Frogfoot.” Like the A-10, the Su-25 is classified as a Close Air Support plane – the Frogfoot even looks somewhat like the Warthog. 

But the Russians left out the most important part – they failed to incorporate a powerful machine gun like the one that dominates the A-10’s airframe. Rather than a powerful Gatling gun of the kind the A-10 has, the Su-25 arms a 30mm AO-17A twin barrel gun that fires a meager 250 rounds.

Keep the A-10 Flying

The Air Force built a real gem in the A-10 Warthog. It isn’t some fancy next-generation platform. It’s a classic flying tank with the mother of all machine guns as its primary offensive system. 

The Air Force wants to retire this program. That would be a huge mistake. These birds are relatively cheap, easy to fly, even easier to maintain, and they pack quite a wallop. Until the Air Force can deploy a warbird as cheap and effective as the A-10, it should keep this bird flying indefinitely. 

A-10 Warthog Photo Essay 

About the Author 

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is due October 22 from Encounter Books. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.