What Makes the GAU-8 Avenger a Nightmare for the Enemy?
Ғылым және технология
Drawing from the 19th-century Gatling gun design, the GAU-8 is an intricate assembly of seven barrels rotating around a central axis. Instead of the Gatling's hand-crank mechanism, the GAU-8 uses two hydraulic motors. As the central axis spins, cams guide each barrel through a cyclical process of loading, firing, unloading, and then reloading. What sets the GAU-8 apart is its self-sustaining firing system. Neither the recoil nor the gas from the discharged rounds drive the gun, ensuring that a misfired round doesn't halt subsequent firing.
Powering this monumental weapon requires an intricate balance of mechanical and hydraulic energy. The dual hydraulic motors ensure the rapid, seamless rotation of the barrel assembly. This rotation, driven by the aircraft's power systems, facilitates the gun's extraordinary firing rates and ensures the stability of the entire mechanism even under intense operation.
The ammunition employed by the GAU-8 is a tale of engineering genius. Each shell is a 30×173 mm cannon round, available in three variants. The armor-piercing incendiary variant is cloaked in an aluminum jacket, which protects its formidable core made of depleted uranium. This is complemented by a high-explosive incendiary and a more economically feasible target practice round. The size? Think of a standard Coca-Cola bottle; that’s approximately the size of one of these rounds.
Upon initiation, the GAU-8's firepower is evident, dispensing 50 rounds within its first second. It subsequently intensifies to 65 rounds every second, translating up to 4200 rounds in a minute.
No car or tank offers adequate protection against this weapon; it slices through armor as effortlessly as a hot knife glides through butter.
Engineers masterfully coupled the A-10 with the GAU-8 Avenger, crafting a union that elevated the A-10 to legendary status among aviation icons. However, integrating the GAU-8 into the A-10 was no small task. With the gun making up 16% of the Warthog's weight, the aircraft's balance was a significant concern.
The gun's recoil mirrored the thrust of one of the Warthog's engines, making its alignment crucial. A misaligned gun could send the aircraft veering off course upon firing.
Exhaust gases and the gun's powerful muzzle flash presented additional challenges. The flash risked blinding the pilot temporarily, while the oxygen-deprived exhaust gases could extinguish the engines. To combat these issues, engineers incorporated windscreen washers for soot removal and automatic engine igniters to reignite any snuffed-out engines.
The U.S. Air Force has committed to retaining the iconic A-10 “Warthog” close air support jet until 2040, ensuring that the legendary GAU-8 Avenger's symphony resonates for over another decade.
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So my dad flew the Hog for over 2 decades and upon retirement he was gifted one of the barrels from his Gau-8 that was mounted to a beautiful mahogany wall-mount. But before we installed it (which was hella-lot of work) he sent it, and the unfired 30mm bullet that it fires, off to be custom-dipped in liquid-chrome. Suffice it to say, I think he owns the only chrome-plated Avenger barrel and bullet set in existence. N makes one hell of a conversation piece. Long live the Hog. 🫡
@fortnite.burger
6 ай бұрын
Awesome!
@bills5009
4 ай бұрын
I've followed the A-10 since it was first announced. Love that plane. I wanted to fly one but the USAF couldn't guarantee me the chance at an open spot when I graduated college... So jealous & happy for your dad! I'll bet he has some interesting stories. Cheers!
Rest of world: Plane with gun 'Murica: Gun with wings😂
@user-kr7yh8vw9m
8 ай бұрын
Couldn't have said better myself🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@mirandela777
7 ай бұрын
Rest of the world use manpad.s to pop this crap out of the sky long before he can even see the tank.
@game0wl
Ай бұрын
It must be a... Gundam Wing!
"One spins to make things clean, the other spins to make things disappear"
@russianbais
5 ай бұрын
Russain badger?
@_Ghostrider99
5 ай бұрын
@@russianbaisyessir
@_Ghostrider99
5 ай бұрын
You’re telling me, that the company that makes toasters, is also the same company that vaporizes people?
@russianbais
5 ай бұрын
@@_Ghostrider99 i dont vaporise my targets I neutralise them
@_Ghostrider99
5 ай бұрын
@@russianbais but machine gun, toaster, it’s all just engineering
The A10 is a mainstay in combined arms combat. This bird isnt getting retired unless they devop a beast of a plane.
I hope the A-10 stays in service for decades to come.
@mirandela777
7 ай бұрын
I hope, too, will make murica lose wars even faster :p
@TheFrenchy82
5 ай бұрын
hard to say : 21th century is the century of ..... robots in the future and of course drones. I don' t know which country will start to use robot soldier on the battlefield ?? USA or China ??
@mirandela777
5 ай бұрын
@@TheFrenchy82 - China is way ahead, both in R&D, motivation, and gov support.
@MrGreenAKAguci00
3 ай бұрын
I hope it's eternal like BUFF.
Go Hawgs! Was a recipient of spectacular support. 💪🐗
1:11 Amazing weapon 👏🏻👏🏻
My favorite A-10 plane 🇺🇸🇺🇸✈✈✈🔥🔥👍🏾
The most beautiful aircraft ever.
Good
The title is wrong, it should be: A-10 Warthog the coolest plane ever mounted on a GAU-8?
if you hear it then you know your still alive
Nice❤❤
They flying heavy training right now in Centeal Wisconsin... lots of Brrrrrrting going on last couple of days. Do they use non-radioactive rounds in training?
Nice❤❤❤
what are your sources for all of this information
Great plane
@mirandela777
7 ай бұрын
to shine in a museum, cuz in a battle, will be a flying coffin.
Any information about it barrels made of🤔
Waoo
Hearing the "brrrtt" is music to my ears, but hearing a Britt say 'Aluminum" hurts them!
you already know chatgpt was used when making this script lmaoooo
Factoid: every barrel takes a rest through rotation. BTW: it is rifled. Not a cannon.
10x the power of a 50 BMG!?! Wow! 'Merica.
Why is this video so…unpopular?? Only 700 likes?
0.87 rounds of formidable exposure.....goodness, sounds ghastly...
Only gun mounted with a plane 😂
@_critikillz_
7 ай бұрын
I seen a video of the enemy escaping in a truck. The A-10 strafes it and puts a basketball sized hole through the engine block. This gun is no joke😂
@patrioticz2858
7 ай бұрын
@@_critikillz_ that is why the people who fly it are referred to "Stick Operators" and not "Pilots" by many 😂
@patrioticz2858
7 ай бұрын
@rutilary9899 The Fat Electrician has a funny video on it and Habitatal Linecrosser who is also funny has it in his videos, HLC describes it being a result of giving a Florida man a butch of energy drink and an unlimited budget lol. Tho the A-10 is relatively cheap, tho the try to replace it with the Skywarden, Fat Electrician has a video on that too and HLC mentions it in his shorts. Btw HLC is actively in the US Army and is an expert in Air Defense and helps program Patriot and teaches classes on Air Defense to trainees
@_critikillz_
7 ай бұрын
@@patrioticz2858 cool imma check it out😂
The bullets kinda look like candy corn
@sleepyrasta14820
7 ай бұрын
Don't want to eat one of them though
Imagine a mech with 2 of those gau's as main armament... total ground anihilation
2:00 Instead of the what?
@michaelgautreaux3168
8 ай бұрын
The M-61 (M-130 Army) was electrically powered the A1 has 3 or 4 barrels tapped for gas operation after motor startup like the M-134 rifle caliber version.
If you can hear the A10 firing, it missed.
@YampaYak-vd1xo
Ай бұрын
Why assume I'm the target?
I'm curious why it's called the warthog?
@pgee8702
6 ай бұрын
Because it's ugly looks only a mother would love....and besides...it looked like a worthog in a way
Wax on, wax off
🦅🇺🇲🦅🇺🇲🦅🇺🇲🦅🇺🇲🦅🇺🇲
This airplane makes no sense - it has to be very close to fire. As stated in wikipedia - if it fires from 1km, it will have a probability to hit a target. But after that it will get even closer and most likely shot down. Its only useful for fighting against unarmoured enemy.
@Gu....
8 ай бұрын
the years of successful service say otherwise
@NoName-md5zb
8 ай бұрын
@@Gu.... well it says exactly that. Service against ak shooting baboons.
@michaelgautreaux3168
8 ай бұрын
Like the AC-130s & MH-53, it operates mostly in uncontested air but will be tasked as part of a package when in air crew recovery.
@Gu....
8 ай бұрын
@@NoName-md5zb the gun is able to penetrate armored targets but lol those baboonns had it coming
@mirandela777
7 ай бұрын
not unarmored, lol, UNARMED ! Like all the fights, murica love to pick.
😂😂😂😂
wow.. the weight of this weapon is formidable... You have to create the right plane for it .... and to absorb all the recall of this weapon!! Impressive !! Too bad there are no A 10 warhawks in Ukraine's war.... Russians wouldn't be so confident (or is it only its "president" ???)....
@dantealighieri1265
3 ай бұрын
dude, russians would laugh at the Warthog. It is from the 70's and you should do some research what kind of anti air vehicles exist today xD The Warthog would not even know what hit it ^^
Too bad that A10 performance is actually terrible. Pilots can barely hit anything and the dmg is... Unimpressive.
@PeekabooGram
8 ай бұрын
Unfortunately for anyone on the receiving end of the A10's wrath, "barely" is all it takes.
@Gu....
8 ай бұрын
well the performance is good enough for it to be in service this long
@magunn
8 ай бұрын
Not rly no. It fail miserably at it main task - destroying tanks. @@PeekabooGram
@magunn
8 ай бұрын
kzread.info/dash/bejne/nHausK2MXZTgpLg.htmlsi=SHYga_MYqM81Dc9w@@Gu....
@michaelgautreaux3168
8 ай бұрын
Training or lack thereof. Have many friends now retired who pasted on glamour jet slots to stay w/ Hawg. The dismal performance was caused by "Pissy" attitudes. A few were gals that talk "Big Strong"!
The concept of this aircraft is fun and scary/badass and awesome but its actual effectiveness in real combat is comically ineffective 😂 totaly useless and inaccurate Its just a slow sitting duck in the air. It is basicaly like it was designed and built by a 6 year old 😂 form over function clown aircraft 😂