Posted on Feb 9, 2019
Capt Brandon Charters
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Bd17577
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LTC Self Employed
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I love the 16mm gun camera footage.
https://youtu.be/kR6lWSIWUOA
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SPC Tom DeSmet
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Yep, the A10 would be up there along with "Spooky and Ghost Rider". I have not witnessed the AC-130's in action but I have actually been a target in a convoy for a couple A10's doing "gun runs" on us in West Germany while sitting on top of my Hemmet. Also a thrill since I was an aircraft engine man and the A10 is a "gun, a seat, and two turbo fan engines" The airframe doesn't look very "fly-able" but for does so with raw power!
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SGT Tomas Husted
SGT Tomas Husted
5 y
I have watched many times as Cobra Gunships hovered in saddles. They would rise and rotate about 180 degrees and the duck down again. Then another gunship would rise and perform the same tactics about 400 or 500 yards down from the first gunship. Then the A-10's would come roaring in, the Cobras were doing target acquisition for the A-10's. Sometimes the A-10's would be escorted by F-15's. That was tactical training for all the fly boys and our Tank Battalion. I was a 19D for the Battalion. This was training in and testing of the "WES" systems, it's been 40 plus years but I believe that's what it was called. There were whoppie lights mounted on the armor along with receivers, and all the Cobras, A-10's and fast fliers had laser systems mounted in them. The accuracy and speed of these aerial attacks was unimaginable and accurate. But when your whoopie lights went off you were dead. I believe we all learned alot from these mock aerial attacks. I don't know what the tankers learned but the 19D's sure learned alot. Now this is what was called "good training". And trying to out run an A-10 with a M113 is near impossible.
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SPC Tom DeSmet
SPC Tom DeSmet
5 y
SGT Tomas Husted That would have been awesome to witness! I was in an attack helicopter battalion and never got to see the Cobras doing their thing. I got to ride front seat in a Cobra vibration testing once but I wish I could have seen them doing that too.
As far as the F15's, they called on the radio that we were dead long before we could see or hear them. What did you do as a 19D? I know what the 18 series were but not yours. Sounds cool though! We didnt have the WES system This was around 1986 in W. Germany.
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MSgt Richard Randall
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Watching 12 – 15 B-52s and KC-135s do a MITO launch at Minot during the early ‘70s was pretty impressive. On a clear day the western sky would be dark with engine exhaust. Occasionally, the F-106 Delta Darts would join the fun and launch four at time in between the larger aircraft. Cold War fun and games, gotta love it.
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