Gun represents business end of wing's A-10s

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Tom Talbert
  • 442nd Fighter Wing public affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  It might surprise you that the biggest guns in the U.S. aviation arsenal are housed right here with the 442nd Fighter Wing and more specifically on each of the wing's A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft.

Those entrusted with keeping these killer-cannons maintained work in the 442nd armament shop. They know the gun and take great pride in their mission.

"This is the first time in history a plane was designed around a gun and not the other way around," said Chief Master Sgt. Greg Wetzel, 442nd armament flight chief.

"Whoever designed this gun really did a fantastic job,'' he said. ''From a maintainer's point of view, it's really reliable and extremely simple. It holds together really well."

The GAU-8/A Avenger, the 30- mm, seven-barrel, Gatling-type rotory cannon mounted on the A-10 Thunderbolt II, is the largest, heaviest and most powerful aircraft cannon in U.S. military history. The capable crew responsible for maintaining these frightful, fear-mongering firearms for the fighting 442nd loves the gun and the job maintaining it.

"It's the biggest, baddest system in a fighter aircraft in the entire world, what's not to like?" said Tech. Sgt. Sigmund Gross, who transferred to the 442nd after the New Orleans base closing last year. "I've worked on the 20mm guns on the f-16 and this is more fun because you know it does lots more damage to the enemy."

The shop employs the resources of 10 full-time and 15 traditional reservists to keep these 26 A-10 guns running in tip-top shape. Once a gun is brought in for servicing it takes about five days for the entire shop to do the gun's service work.

"Most of these guns were manufactured in 1977 or before, so we can't complain about reliability," Chief Wetzel said. "Every 24 months, or 25,000 rounds, whichever comes first, we will pull the gun and go through it from top to bottom. At 250,000 rounds the gun actually gets replaced and the old one sent off to be completely rebuilt and restored."

"The Avenger is a joy to work on compared to other guns," Chief Wetzel said . ''With other guns, everything had to perfectly timed and in place. These guns are so incredibly reliable, forgiving, well manufactured and are remarkably powerful."

Tech. Sgt. Toby J. McCord, 442nd armament specialist who transferred from F-16 Fighting Falcons at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., concurs. "The mechanism is incredible. It can go backwards and forward. The guns I've worked on in the past could not go backwards or it would break the system."

"Regardless of the fun we have working on the weapon, the security of the job is kind of nice as well," Chief Wetzel said. "For a while I thought the A-10 wouldn't be around much longer, but due to this weapon's reliability, this will be along long after I retire -- well past 2020."