"The jet will also have its nose-mounted, 30-millimeter cannon removed, opening up more space for scientific instruments."

http://blog.ametsoc.org/uncategorized/plane-has-combative-at...

Given that it's an A-10, it might be more accurate to say that the cannon is having its aircraft removed.

    Given that it's an A-10, it might be more accurate
    to say that the cannon is having its aircraft removed.

wow, no kidding...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAU-8_Avenger#/media/File:GAU-8...

I'd love to have been present at the first conversation where that became a plan. "Well, what's tougher than the plane we've already got? Wait.... What's the toughest plane in the sky? An A-10? Right. Who do we have to talk with to get one of them?"

I'm a surprised that the plan isn't to use a UAV. Small things can be really tough, are subject to smaller gradient-driven forces, and, if the airframe comes apart, a brave pilot won't have to die.

Thundercloud, not Thunderbolt. There's a big difference.

No they're literally flying an A-10 into the storm to try and measure things.

> the US National Science Foundation even plans to fly a particle detector on an A-10 ‘Warthog’

wow I missed this the first time reading it. Are A-10s cheaper to operate than a G-V? (costing at least 8,000 per hr)

> Are A-10s cheaper to operate than a G-V? (costing at least 8,000 per hr)

Not necessarily, but they're a hell of a lot more robust. Thunderstorms are a really violent environment and no place for an executive jet.

and it looks like work has been underway to use an A-10 for just this purpose for a while. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunder...

found some hourly cost of ownership data: A-10 17k per hour, G3 32K per hour. (compared to <6K for a civilian G3)

http://nation.time.com/2013/04/02/costly-flight-hours/

And besides, nothing says you mean business by making your appearance in an A-10. Gets them everytime.