A10 Warthog Recycles Shell Casings

The A-10 Thunderbolt II, nicknamed the Warthog, is famous as a close air support plane that flies around a massive nose-mounted GAU-8 Avenger autocannon. When the cannon spits out its heavy 30-millimeter rounds, the aircraft does not eject the spent shell casings into the air. Instead, a return system feeds the empty cases back into the drum inside the fuselage to keep the aircraft’s weight balanced. By holding on to its own spent shells, the Warthog maintains its center of gravity.

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