HOGS OVER AFGHANISTAN: A-10s fly in formation after refueling at Kandahar. Seems to be the week of the Warthog at StrategyPage.

RELATED: In case you missed it, the USAF has decided to let the A-10 for several more years. And yes, the National Science Foundation has experimented with using the A-10 as a “storm chaser” aircraft. You read that right — Warthogs intercepting hurricanes.

The A-10 was built to withstand a lot of ground fire and be a stable gun platform when flying close to the ground (where the weather can be rather bumpier for aircraft.) Storms tend to generate high winds and hail and close to the ground the winds can send a lot of small objects moving around at high speed. The A-10 can handle this sort of thing and carry enough fuel to stay in the air for six hours or more.

What a plane.