DORAN: Close air support is protecting troops on the ground. We work closely with those troops on to make sure that they’re able to effectively operate safely on a complex battlefield and we’ve got some great firepower to help them do it.
GREAT FIREPOWER IS THE A-10’S SPECIALITY.
THE WARTHOG IS BASICALLY A GUN… WITH AN AIRPLANE ATTACHED.
DORAN: The A-10 gun is called the GAU-8 Avenger or just the gun by A-10 pilots. It’s 21 feet long, it’s the heaviest gun, automatic cannon mounted on aircraft. It weighs more than 4,000 pounds when it’s fully loaded.
THE AVENGER’S MAGAZINE HOLDS OVER A THOUSAND ROUNDS OF 30 MM AMMUNITION –
SPIT OUT AT 70 ROUNDS PER SECOND.