"A-10 Warthogs paintscheme" Topic

How were they painted in the mid to late eighties in central Europe? Can't seem to find any decent pics the web… Thanks in advance

This any use?

link

Charcoal Lizard pattern throughout the '80s afaik – a quick Google should get plenty of pics.

It's this one on KM's link: link

I do not think up until the Gulf War I ever saw one that had any painting job other then the basic three colour cammo pattern. Most in the early days were not camo at all.

VR
James Mattes

Found this from Google:

Colors and markingsSince the A-10 flies low to the ground and at subsonic speed, aircraft camouflage is important to make the aircraft more difficult to see. Many different types of paint schemes have been tried. These have included a "peanut scheme" of sand, yellow and field drab; black and white colors for winter operations and a tan, green and brown mixed pattern.[56]

The two most common markings applied to the A-10 have been the European I woodland camouflage scheme and a two-tone gray scheme. The European woodland scheme was designed to minimize visibility from above, as the threat from hostile fighter aircraft was felt to outweigh that from ground-fire. It uses dark green, medium green and dark gray in order to blend in with the typical European forest terrain and was used from the 1980s to the early 1990s. Following the end of the Cold War, and based on experience during the 1991 Gulf War, the air-to-air threat was no longer seen to be as important as that from ground fire, and a new color scheme known as "Compass Ghost" was chosen to minimize visibility from below. This two-tone gray scheme has darker gray color on top, with the lighter gray on the underside of the aircraft, and started to be applied from the early 1990s.[57]

Many A-10s also featured a false canopy painted in dark gray on the underside of the aircraft, just behind the gun. This form of automimicry is an attempt to confuse the enemy as to aircraft attitude and maneuver direction.

VR
James Mattes

Dom Skelton 16 Oct 2011 7:04 a.m. PST
It's this one on KM's link

Spot on Dom, best I have seen of the pattern.

VR
James Mattes

I've only ever seen them in all green or the tan, green and brown scheme.

Love the Lizard scheme.

Thanks a lot for the links and explanations. They are exactly what I needed.

I remember alot of the grey schemes due to the weather over there.

"I remember alot of the grey schemes due to the weather over there."
After 5 years in Germany most were grey, even back here in the states, most of the ones out flying CAS at FT Irwin were Grey.

Google Image "A-10 Warthogs"

I came from the 81st TFW (RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge) in late 78 – 80. All of our first A-10's were grey, later green camo was used.