Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Thunderbolts receive wing modification

Thunderbolts receive wing modification: "The A-10 Thunderbolt II will continue flying close-ground-support missions for the next two decades because of a reinforcement process wing replacement specialists call 'Hog Up.'

The phrase originated about a decade ago during an upgrade of the aircraft's avionics system, partially because of the A-10's 'Warthog' nickname. Specialists in the 309th Maintenance Wing's Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Hill Air Force Base, Utah, install steel straps and stronger fittings to the wings that give the A-10 an additional 8,000 flying hours"