WhiteBlue wrote:Are they shooting depleted uranium at 1 ton/s or what?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-10_Thunderbolt_II
A side-view drawing of the A-10's GAU-8/A Avenger gun and its approximate location in the fuselage
Although the A-10 can carry considerable disposable stores, its primary built-in weapon is the 30 mm GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling gun. One of the most powerful aircraft cannons ever flown,
it fires large depleted uranium armor-piercing shells. In the original design, the pilot could switch between two rates of fire: 2,100 or 4,200 rounds per minute;[20] this was changed to a fixed rate of 3,900 rounds per minute.[21] The cannon takes about half a second to come up to speed, so 50 rounds are fired during the first second, 65 or 70 rounds per second thereafter. The gun is precise; it can place 80% of its shots within a 40-foot (12.4 m) circle from 4,000 feet (1,220 m) while in flight.[22] The GAU-8 is optimized for a slant range of 4,000 feet (1,220 m) with the A-10 in a 30 degree dive.[23]
According to the A-10 exhibit at Imperial War Museum Duxford in England the A-10 is able to destroy any tank at a range of 1 mile (1.6 km) with one burst of depleted uranium rounds.
They are also incredibly durable airplanes
this plane flew back to base and landed.
But they have to be durable because they are slow
Performance
* Never exceed speed: 450 knots (518 mph,[39] 833 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) with 18 Mk 82 bombs[40]
* Maximum speed: 381 knots (439 mph, 706 km/h) at sea level, clean[39]
* Cruise speed: 300 knots (340 mph, 560 km/h)
* Stall speed: 120 knots (220 km/h) [41]
* Combat radius:
o On CAS mission: 250 nmi (288 mi, 460 km) at 1.88 hour single-engine loiter at 5,000 ft (1,500 m), 10 min combat
o On anti-armor mission: 252 nmi (290 mi, 467 km), 40 nm (45 mi, 75 km) sea-level penetration and exit, 30 min combat
* Ferry range: 2,240 nmi (2,580 mi, 4,150 km) with 50 knot (55 mph, 90 km/h) headwinds, 20 minutes reserve
* Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,700 m)
* Rate of climb: 6,000 ft/min (30 m/s)
* Wing loading: 99 lb/ft² (482 kg/m²)
* Thrust/weight: 0.36
