Key Points and Summary on A-10 Warthog Cannon – The heart of the A-10 Thunderbolt II “Warthog” is its legendary GAU-8/A Avenger, a 30mm, seven-barreled Gatling gun that produces the iconic “BRRRRT” sound.
-This powerful cannon, which can fire up to 4,200 armor-piercing incendiary rounds per minute, is a “tank killer” of unparalleled effectiveness.
-During the 1991 Gulf War alone, A-10s destroyed over 900 Iraqi tanks. While a popular myth suggests the A-10 was “built around” the massive gun, it’s more accurately an “integrated CAS system.”
-Nevertheless, the GAU-8 Avenger is what makes the Warthog a fearsome and beloved close air support platform.
The A-10 Warthog GAU-8 Avenger 30mm Cannon Is The Stuff Of Legend
BRRRRT! That lovely sound, if you’re an American, and horrible sound if you were a Taliban, ISIS, Iraqi soldier of Saddam Hussein’s army, and Houthi rebels, was a thing to behold.
Troops on the ground, including those in the Army, Marines, Navy, and even the Air Force, loved the A-10 Warthog—the Air Force brass… not so much. She isn’t sexy, fast, or a shiny new toy. But boy, she could bring the thunder.
And the thunder came from that humungous GAU-8 Avenger 30mm cannon.
Meet the GAU-8 Avenger, a seven-barreled 30mm Gatling gun
The GAU-8/A 30mm Gatlin gun is installed on the US Air Force’s A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and the Navy’s Goalkeeper Close-In Weapon System. The GAU-8/A provides a reliable, high-rate-of-fire, combat-proven weapon for close air support and shipboard defense missions, according to General Dynamics Ordinance and Tactical Systems.
Each of the gun’s seven barrels contains a breech bolt assembly, which fires once per gun revolution. This ensures long barrel life because firing loads are distributed over all seven barrels. Continuous rotary motion reduces impact loads on gun components, resulting in longer part life and higher reliability.
The A-10 aircraft was specifically designed to provide close air support. The GAU-8/A gun offers a rapid response to threats close to friendly ground forces and is well-suited for engagements within missile envelopes.
In the Goalkeeper application, the GAU-8/A fires a lethal, high-kinetic-energy 30mm Missile-Piercing Discarding Sabot round. The Avenger can fire up to 4,200 rounds per minute, which gives it that distinctive sound.
The 30mm Gatling gun was the stuff of legend. Some say many of the stories told about the A-10 are a myth. Ask the troops from the Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria campaigns if it is a myth.
Powerful, Accurate, and Deadly
The GAU-8/A is known for its high rate of fire (3,900 rounds per minute) and the ability to fire armor-piercing rounds. It could carry 1,350 rounds, but it only carried 1,174 rounds of ammunition. Each round was about the size of a beer bottle. Its round dispersion was five milliradians in diameter, approximately 80 percent of a circle.
Used in combat during the time of the Gulf War in 1991, the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt – also affectionately known as the “Warthog” – destroyed more than 900 Iraqi tanks, some 2,000 other military vehicles, and approximately 1,200 artillery pieces. The aircraft also shot down two Iraqi helicopters.
The Hog was the last American aircraft to shoot down an enemy aircraft with its guns. The government contract also specified the development of four types of ammunition to be used with the cannon, including Armor-Piercing Incendiary, High-Explosive Incendiary, Semi-Armor-Piercing High-Explosive, and Target Practice.
A-10 Warthog Designed Around the Avenger? Some Say No
The A-10 Warthog aircraft was specifically designed to accommodate and support the GAU-8/A, highlighting its significance to the aircraft’s mission. The A-10 Thunderbolt II was designed around the GAU-8 Avenger 30mm Gatling gun.
The aircraft’s structure and systems were developed to accommodate this powerful weapon and its ammunition, rather than the other way around.
The A-10’s airframe was built to house the gun, its ammunition drum, and the associated systems. The 30mm gun is mounted along the aircraft’s centerline, and the aircraft is designed to fly in a shallow dive to engage targets with the gun.
The gun’s large size and the need to offset the landing gear to accommodate it highlight its power and unique position in military aviation.
However, Joanna Bailey wrote that the story about the aircraft being built around the massive cannon is a myth.
“The ‘gun-first’ narrative is popular in documentaries and forums, but as Air Force historian Dr. Richard Hallion has noted, the A-10 was “an integrated CAS system,” not just a flying gun.”
Close Air Support
The GAU-8/A is crucial for the A-10’s primary mission of providing close air support to ground troops. And no aircraft has done it better. However, the Air Force is retiring it two years early, and the CAS mission will be assigned to the F-35 or the F-15EX, possibly both.
The F-35’s modern sensors could help pilots use bombs more effectively in medium-altitude CAS. If friendly troops are in close contact with the enemy, however, the F-35 will have to fly at a lower altitude and use its cannon, as the US Marine Corps has learned to do with its F-35B.
Truth be told, the A-10 pilots got to rely more and more on their very effective missiles. However, the troops loved to hear that 30mm brrrrt, which gave them the feeling that everything was going to be all right.
And they were right. Hopefully, the Air Force can find a use for the 30mm gun.
About the Author:
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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