“Another challenge is that we’re on
a very small chunk of land, crowded
with lots of people, with tons of air
traffic – much more than I saw nine
years ago the first time I was here.
“We have a term we like to use – ‘big sky,
little bullet theory’ – where you just fly and
there’s usually a very good chance you’re
not going to hit anything. We can’t really do
that around here because there are just so
many aircraft packed into such a small area.
“Our primary job in the A-10 is to support
ground troops, and our number one
objective is typically to support the ground
commander. We try to most efficiently and
effectively use air power to accomplish that.
“As far as ordnance, we can carry just
about anything the USAF has. We’re
trained in a full complement of missiles,
guns, rockets and bombs – whether that
be precision bombs or dumb bombs.
“Being very manoeuvrable, still at
moderate speeds, gives us an advantage
at low level. Another advantage of the
A-10 is our ability to employ weapons at
very low altitude, as the gun is equally
effective at low, medium or high altitude.
“Having the flexible weapon of the gun
is something that’s uniquely suited to
the A-10. In fact you can almost think
of the gun as a precision weapon.
“We also have two targeting pods – the
Litening and the Sniper – and have upgraded
the A-10 to the C-model. The aircraft
integrates much better with both the targeting
pods now, so it’s much more user friendly. We
can really exploit the capabilities of both pods,
whereas with the A-model it was difficult.
“When we shoot the gun, the A-10 has
precision attitude control; PAC. It gives minor
inputs to stabilise the control surfaces. So
you put the gun cross on what you’re trying
to fire at and then engage the PAC, and
it will now keep the cross on that spot.
“This really dampens out the recoil. I mean
the whole aircraft shakes, it’s pretty intense,
but I wouldn’t say there’s any recoil.
“We also fly with the Scorpion helmet. It’s
just a single monocle over your eye really,
which gives you target information.”Conclusion
Whether it’s keeping the ‘Vipers’ and ‘Hawgs’
airborne, or flying an intense mission in
the ‘milk bowl’ skies over Korea, the men
and women of the 8th FW at Kunsan and
the 51st FW at Osan shine at their jobs.
Despite the difficult remote locations
far from the US, the blazing summer
heat and humidity and the bone-chilling
winters, generations of US Air Force
personnel have helped stabilise the Korean
peninsula for almost seven decades.
Hopefully the political situation will
once again stabilise and the USAF in
Korea can continue to help maintain
peace on the peninsula. But if North
Korea does pursue aggression against
its southern neighbour, it will face a well-
trained and highly motivated force that
prepares daily as if they “fight tonight!”A three-ship of 35th FS
‘Pantons’ F-16C/Ds. Most
of these pilots wear the
Joint Helmet Mounted
Cueing System, which has
proven especially useful
in the demanding close
air support environment.Acknowledgements:
Thanks to the men and women of the 8th
and 51st Fighter Wings.Below: Osan’s 51st FW is the most forward
deployed permanently based wing in the
USAF. The principal US base in Korea boasts a
squadron each of F-16s and A-10s and a very
busy detachment of U-2 reconnaissance aircraft
from the 5th Reconnaissance Squadron, 9th
Reconnaissance Wing.
AFMhttp://www.airforcesmonthly.com #364 JULY 2018 // 51