A-10 Warthog
The favorite aircraft for American infantry and a spine-chilling sight for enemy troops fighting on the ground, the A-10 Warthog is one of the most iconic and devastating American legacy jets in the world. Built during the height of the Cold War, the unique warplane was designed to fill a particular gap in American air combat doctrine. After years of fierce arms races that sought to create the fastest, highest-flying combat aircraft possible, the US found itself with no slow, resilient, low-flying solutions capable of delivering the close air support its ground troops needed. That is, until the Warthog arrived. A heavily armored warplane with a GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling gun the size of a truck, it is able to rain 3,900 30-millimeter depleted uranium rounds per minute to devastate even the most resistant enemy ground assets in a matter of seconds. Even so, the remarkable plane was not meant for aerial encounters, mainly due to its low speed. One pilot even described it as: (QUOTE): “So slow that it runs the constant risk of bird strikes… from behind.”
Credit Dark Skies