The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of Us Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
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Dirty Little Secrets
A-10 Impact in Afghanistan
by James Dunnigan
January 10, 2006
Discussion Board on this DLS topic
In Afghanistan, one of the most
effective aircraft weapons has been the 30mm automatic cannon carried
by the A-10 aircraft. Stationed outside of Kabul, the A-10s average
about 18 sorties (each nearly four hours long) a day. Several times a
month, an A-10 will be called on to apply some precision firepower with
it’s 30mm cannon. For these missions, high-explosive/incendiary rounds
are used. Pilots are very accurate with the cannon, and it is the
preferred weapon when the bad guys are operating close to civilians.
At
other times, the aircraft drops laser guided bombs, or fires rockets at
ground targets. Because the A-10 has armor, and is designed to fly
close to the ground, the aircraft often does scouting in support of
friendly ground forces. In fact, most of the sorties are scouting
missions, because the A-10s can most quickly get to the scene of a
recent Taliban attack. The mere sight of the A-10 usually sends the
Taliban fleeing. Actually, the knowledge that an A-10 can be overhead
in an hour or so is something Taliban raiding parties have to take into
account. The A-10s usually operate in pairs, making them even more
effective for searching and fighting.
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