clipka <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> The Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II's GAU-8/A machine cannon, when fired, produces
> more recoil thrust (45 kN) than a single of the plane's two turbofan engines (40
> kN each)...

  In order to not to get a misleading picture, a bit of context should be
given: While the recoil is indeed 45 kN, the maximum combined output of the
A-10 engines is 82.6 kN.

  There's a persistent urban legend that the recoil of the GAU cannon is
so strong that firing it for long periods of time would stop the plane.
While the recoil is indeed impressive, it's not, however, strong enough
to stop the plane (but it can slow it down significantly).

> Fire power, literally. That's what I'd call brute force.

  In certain communities the term is "more dakka".

> (Then again, that's what that whole ugly thing was designed for.)

  Ugly? Certainly not. It's beautiful. Impressive. Awesome. :)

  This photo shows the size of the thing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GAU-8_meets_VW_Type_1.jpg

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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