The military’s go-to provider of close-air support will need some serious help of its own to take home the Military Times Battle Bracket championship.
Despite margins of victory in previous rounds that dwarfed those of even its most successful competition, the A-10 Thunderbolt II (“Warthog”) has been obliterated thus far in the title matchup, losing to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier by a 3-to-1 margin. Voting closes Tuesday at noon Eastern; head here to weigh in.
Trusted veterans: Both programs made their debuts in 1975, making the air frame and the flattop design older than the wide majority of those who serve on, in or around them. And both are riding off into the sunset, although their paths to that sunset are anything but clear: The A-10’s retirement plan remains fluid (and contentious), and the first ship of the next-generation Ford carrier class has yet to be commissioned.
Size matters: This is, after all, a popularity contest — each carrier has a crew of about 3,000, with an air wing adding another 1,500 people to the mix. The A-10 is a one-seater; it’s made it this far, at least according to social media posts, thanks to those who’ve seen it in action from the ground.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier John C. Stennis, shown here during a 2011 underway in the Pacific Ocean.
Photo Credit: MC3 Kenneth Abbate/Navy
Why so serious?: Many of the Nimitz’s supporters — again, going by social media — are taking the analytical approach to casting their ballot. One example from the Navy Times Facebook page: “The A-10, as sweet of an aircraft as it is … would be wasted before it got within 200 miles of a carrier.”
Criteria for the Battle Bracket is in the eye of the beholder, but a literal one-on-one showdown was never the exact intent. Otherwise, it’s unlikely the Army’s “Woobie” poncho liner would’ve decisively defeated the AT4 rocket launcher in the same round that a hand gesture downed a machine gun.
On the big screen: The first-in-class Nimitz had a starring role alongside Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen in 1980’s “The Final Countdown,” in which the flattop falls through a time warp and ends up in the Pacific Ocean the day before Pearl Harbor. Critics weren’t impressed: Roger Ebert’s two-star review praised the ship while panning most everything else:
It’s an appealing idea: A nuclear-powered carrier with a full complement of jet warplanes, right off Pearl and knowing the Japanese attack plans. Unfortunately, the movie makes such a mess of it that the biggest element of interest is the aircraft carrier itself. The movie was shot on board, with Navy cooperation, and the operations of the carrier are shown in interesting detail.
While the A-10 may be nearing retirement, it survived the rise of the machines according to at least one film franchise: The Warthog gets a good deal of screen time in “Terminator: Salvation,” a 2009 feature starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. Critics liked it less than they liked “The Final Countdown.”
Spread the word: Once you’ve made up your mind and cast your ballot, use #BattleBracket to back your selection on Facebook and Twitter. The winner will be announced tomorrow.
