By Clinton Oja
Hill AIR FORCE BASE - Airmen and civilian contractors are finding themselves busy these days at the Ogden Air Logistics Center in the Hog-up program, designed to extend the lifespan of the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft.
According to Maj. Dave Clayton, Deputy Branch Chief for A-10 depot maintenance at Hill Air Force Base, the A-10 was originally designed as a 4,000-hour airframe. The aircraft was expected to be capable of airborne operations for 4,000 hours.
The A-10 performs a key role in close air support of ground troops. The job is unique to the A-10, and no other aircraft in the inventory can do it as well, Clayton said.
'Because of the A-10''s performance during the Gulf War, decisions were made to keep it around even longer,' Clayton said.
The Hog-up program is designed to extend the operating hours of the A-10, affectionately known in the Air Force world as 'the warthog,' to 16,000 hours, Clayton said.
Clayton said most work is being done on the center portion of the wings where most of the stresses of flying are absorbed.
Steven Burger, a swing shift supervisor with the Hog-up program, said the concept for the program began five to six years ago, but has only become a reality during the last couple years.
Eventually, the entire U.S. Air Force inventory, including Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard A-10''s will receive the upgrades.
The depot receives the aircraft from the squadrons, de-arms and de-fuels them, and then blasts all the paint off of the aircraft, exposing bare metal, Burger said. Modifications are then made on any structural component in the wing that will increase the number of flying hours.
Burger said the refurbished wings come from older aircraft that have already made it to the bone yard.
'We transition those wings onto the existing airframes we have here,' he said. 'It is more cost effective to refurbish older, existing models, than to build a new plane.'
'The A-10''s received a lot of action during Desert Storm,' Burger said. 'It was the main ground support for troops on the ground.'
The A-10 picked out tanks, radar sites, and troop movements on the ground, Burger said, proving the effectiveness of a close-air-support aircraft.
Maj. Jeremy Horn, call-sign 'Java,' and chief A-10 pilot at the depot, who has been flying the A-10 since 1991, said when he was training on the A-10 the Air Force had planned to phase the aircraft out of service.
'Here we are 12 years later, still flying,' Horn said. 'We are getting some tremendous improvements.'
Those improvements, including the Hog-up program, also encompass a computed bombing sight and a global positioning system.
Horn, who admitted the A-10 is a slow and ugly aircraft, said the aircraft gets the job done.
'It is the pickup of the tactical air force,' he said. 'When we show up at a target we''re going to get the job done, and the airplane is going to get you home.'
Horn said pilots were originally concerned about A-10''s flying so far beyond what was originally conceived with regard to total number of flying hours.
'I think Hog-up is a fabulous program,' Horn said. 'It will give us the ability to fly longer and find new missions.'
The ability to perform a task exclusive to the A-10 is what Horn enjoys about his specific niche in the Air Force.
'We are certainly the biggest gun in the Air Force,' Horn said. 'We aren''t sleek, we aren''t fast, but we love what we do.'
Burger said the A-10 was designed as a cheap no-frills aircraft, and was first delivered to the Air Force in 1975, much younger than the B-52 bomber that first flew in 1952 and is still flying.
Now, because the A-10 has proven itself and lived up to its reputation, the Air Force plans to extend its life, similar to what they have done with the B-52.
'This aircraft will take a beating,' Burger said. 'You can blow off a big portion of the flight controls and it will still keep flying. That would wipe out any other aircraft.'
After 180 days at Hog-up, most A-10''s are ready to go home, Burger said.
'The A-10 is ugly,' Horn said, comparing the A-10''s looks to himself.
'It is a face that only a mother could love.'