The sound of an aircraft cannon firing is simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying, depending on which side of the barrels a person finds themselves. And while most combat aircraft have featured guns and cannons since the dawn of aerial battle, no aircraft is more known for its gun—or respected for it—than the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II and it’s tank-busting 30mm GAU-8 Avenger cannon.
On this episode, retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Luke “Supa” Fricke joins the show to discuss the purpose-built Warthog—as the pilots affectionately refer to it—and answers all our usual questions featured in the ongoing ‘aircraft series.’
During the listener questions segment, we discuss aircraft carrier alert postures, officer-enlisted relationships, and the rudder’s importance in ACMAir Combat Maneuvering. aka Dogfighting. Close-quarters A/A combat where each pilot tries to shoot down the other, preferably first..
Episode artwork by Janek Krause. Bumper music by Jaime Lopez / announcements by Clint Bell.
