Warthogs, Cobras and Apaches 

I'm sitting here is Flagstaff Az at a Starbucks on my way to the Grand Canyon. What better time to talk about aircraft :-)

When you Mess with the Best - Die like the Rest. These are some awesome machines. I stopped in Tuscon at an air museum. The had 3 hangers filled with planes and choppers that looked like they just rolled off the assembly.

The Warthog

The a-10 was built as a tank killer for a European war that never came. The were scheduled to be retired ... and then came the first Gulf war. They devastated the Basra Highway with their Hell Fire missiles and the 30mm, 7 barrel rotary cannon. The air craft is built around the cannon (on the nose of the ac)

The Cobra

It all stated with the Vietnam era helicopter. The first US helicopter built just to kill. The Cobra has the evil eye gun site which is interfaced to the weapons officers helmet. Where ever he looks the 3 barrel 20mm rotary cannon points at. The current version can carry most of the current air to ground and some air to air missiles and canisters of rockets. It is so slender it hard to see from head on.

The Apache

The next gen for attach helicopters, it big and powerful and can carry a heavy load of weapons. The main gun is a 30mm single barrel chain gun and  can fire at the rate of 25 rounds per second. The Apache is built by Boeing in Mesa Az.  I took this snap near the the plant.