A-10 Warthog: 50 Facts About This Legendary Aircraft

The A-10 Warthog Carries Weapons Galore

The business end of the 30mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary cannon extends from the nose of an A-10. The cannon, which can fire 3,900 depleted uranium shells per minute, was the anti-armor weapon around which the A-10 platform was designed.

The primary integral weapon of the A-10 Warthog is a nose-mounted 30mm GAU-A8 Avenger Gatling-type Autocannon. In addition to contributing to the Warthog’s iconic look, it also allows a hard-hitting option for both air-to-ground or air-to-air targets. The heavy lifting is done by its disposable munition. With multiple hardpoints, the A-10 can be equipped with everything from bombs to mines to missiles of various sorts. The AGM-65 Maverick is a common choice: a surface-to-air missile that fits perfectly with the A-10’s mission. Remarkably, the A-10 carries more weight in weapons than it weighs itself. The Thunderbolt weighs 12 tons and, including the GAU-8/A cannon, carries a maximum of 13 tons of armament. The weight is even higher when adding AGM-65 missiles, which weigh 670 pounds each and can destroy a tank in a single shot. Bombs are released using precise technology, but the cannon, for the most part, are fired manually.