The Air Force’s decision to award the contract to Fairchild Republic—which went on to build the A-10 Warthog—proved to be one of the greatest decisions Pentagon acquisitions experts have ever made.

Known as a flying bomb-truck, the A-10 really shines when it comes to armament power. Equipped with the formidable GAU-8 Avenger 30mm gatling gun mounted on its nose, the Warthog provides ...