Chip Mayse <mayse@cs.uiuc.edu> (10/19/90)
From: Chip Mayse <mayse@cs.uiuc.edu>
I can think of a few reasons why the A-10 might be better than the AV-8B
for its particular mission:
1. The A-10 is primarily an antitank aircraft, with general CAS a secondary
role. The 30 mm gun system and its ammo drum are enormous, and probably
wouldn't fit inside an AV-8B. The AV-8 might be able to carry an external
30 mm gun pod, but aiming accuracy and ammo capacity generally suffer with
those things; perhaps ballistics do also. (The GAU-8 has a slant range of
something like 6000 ft; I've never heard anything like that claimed for a
gun pod).
2. The A-10 is designed not only to absorb 23 mm, small missiles and such
and keep flying, but also to be easily repairable back at bases. Its
materials and construction techniques facilitate this. The AV-8B makes
substantial use of composites, and probably isn't easy to build in the
first place, let alone repair in forward areas.
3. Tanks are a high-value target and likely to be defended by accompanying,
dedicated anti-aircraft units. The A-10's design features and suite of
gimmicks are likely to have taken more thorough account of this threat than
could be done on the AV-8B, which has to cover a more general forward-area
environment (including possible aerial combat).
It seems reasonable to me to suspect that each of these planes is better
than the other for its particular mission. These, however, aren't quite
the same in the two cases. By accounts that I've read, both pilot groups
are enthusiastic about the suitability of their planes (though pilots seem
to be like this generally).
Chip Mayse
cmayse@ncsa.uiuc.edusysmgr@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU (Doug Mohney) (10/24/90)
From: sysmgr@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU (Doug Mohney) In article <1990Oct22.040248.18664@cbnews.att.com>, 34X3TAN%CMUVM.BITNET@VM1.gatech.edu writes: >I personally feel that a redesigned version of AV-8 using canards, FBW, >Forward swept wings, and some low-observibility technologies would result in >one nasty piece of equipment. It would also be too expensive for purchase by the Marines.
34X3TAN%CMUVM.BITNET@VM1.gatech.edu (10/24/90)
From: <34X3TAN%CMUVM.BITNET@VM1.gatech.edu>
A little information to the group:
The AV-8B is now equipped with a 25mm Equilzer gun system where the ADENS were
oriqinally. The Equalizer, aka GAU-12U is a five barrel 25 millimeter deriviti
ve of the Vulcan, like it's older brother the GAU-8A (30 mm Avenger) that is
used on the A-10.
The Equalizer has a range in a GEMAG-25 PIVID system of 2500 meters, the damage
inflicted to the target is close to that of a 30, and the gun is not that much
larger than the Vulcan.
That means that Harriers could be just about as effective at tank-busting as
the A-10, and can be scrambled much faster.
I personally feel that a redesigned version of AV-8 using canards, FBW,
Forward swept wings, and some low-observibility technologies would result in
one nasty piece of equipment.
And, if that don't work use a B-1B.....
Jeff Kavanaugh
CMUVM34x3tan
aka: the mount pleasant madman...