Fairchild-Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II
Of the thousands of American aircraft shot down during the Vietnam War, well over half were lost to antiaircraft fire—most in the close air support role for troops in contact on the ground. In the latter half of the war, when the North Vietnamese Army switched to a more conventional style of attack, especially in the use of tanks, both the US Air Force and the US Army found that they lacked a decent antitank aircraft. This deeply concerned both services: if a conventional war should erupt in Central Europe with the Warsaw Pact, Soviet forces would employ mass tank attacks. With these factors in mind, the USAF commissioned the A-X study in 1967, issuing a requirement for a dedicated ground attack fighter with special emphasis on antitank weaponry and survivability.
By 1972, the USAF had narrowed down its prospects to the Northrop A-9 and Fairchild-Republic A-10, both of which had first flown in May 1972. Based on its maneuverability, durability, and Republic’s reputation for building hardy aircraft (including the P-47 Thunderbolt and F-105 Thunderchief), the A-10 was chosen as the A-X in 1973 and went into full production as the A-10A Thunderbolt II in 1976.
When it entered service a year later, it immediately turned heads. Unlike the sleek “teen fighters” such as the F-15 and F-16 entering USAF service at the same time, the A-10 seemed almost dumpy in comparison, and its slow speed and hideous appearance quickly earned it the moniker of “Warthog,” a name that stuck far more than Thunderbolt II. However, the straight wing and airliner engines hid a superb combat aircraft. The A-10 was built literally around a titanic GAU-8 Avenger 30mm gatling cannon, the largest such weapon ever built in the West, capable of firing 4000 rounds a minute—with each soda-bottle sized round made of hyperdense depleted uranium capable of slicing through tank armor. If that was not enough, the A-10 was provided with a dozen underwing hardpoints capable of carrying every bomb in the USAF’s inventory, along with TV-guided AGM-65 Maverick missiles, also designed for killing tanks. Laser guided bombs could also be carried thanks to a Pave Penny designator attached to the right side of the fuselage.
Survivalbility was paramount in the A-10’s design. The cockpit was surrounded by a titanium “bathtub” impervious to cannon rounds below 30 millimeter size. The high-bypass turbofan engines were mounted high on the rear fuselage, apart from each other to better resist damage, while their placement behind the wing and forward of the twin tails both masked them from ground fire and reduced their infrared footprint. The fuel tanks are protected by foam and two small tanks are designed to keep a small reserve in the unlikely event all four interior fuel tanks were penetrated. Redundancy and simplicity are meant to keep the aircraft aloft even after heavy damage, while the semi-recessed wheels reduce the damage caused by a belly landing. The A-10 was also designed to operate from austere forward bases and be capable of quick turnarounds in combat. Finally, though the straight wing seemed a throwback to World War II, it had been proven by the A-1 Skyraider in Vietnam that a straight wing, combined with comparatively slow speed, made an aircraft very maneuverable. Pilots reported the A-10 to be easy to fly, though difficult on long missions because of the lack of an autopilot.
A-10s were quickly deployed to Central Europe in 1979. In the bad weather common to Europe, it was found that if the A-10 had a weakness, it was its lack of all-weather capability, and given that the aircraft was meant to operate from very low level, this could be a real problem in wartime. There were also concerns that, even with the A-10’s durability, it was still too vulnerable to ground fire and surface-to-air missiles. With the fall of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact in 1989, the USAF saw no purpose for the A-10 and prepared to retire them from service in favor of more F-16s.
The First Gulf War saved the Warthog. Employed in the desert, where weather was less of a problem, the A-10 proved to be devastating to Iraqi tank crews, breaking up attacks on Coalition forces at Khafji and Mutla Ridge, and inflicting catastrophic damage on the so-called “Highway of Death” north of Kuwait City. Four A-10s were lost during the conflict, none to ground fire. So valuable was the A-10’s long loiter time and massive firepower that US Army commanders informed the USAF that, if the latter service got rid of the A-10, the Army would buy the. The A-10 would see extensive service in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq (again). Each time, Warthog units posted mission capable rates exceeding 85 percent. The type’s durability was also proven, with one aircraft coming back during the First Gulf War missing most of its left wing and one engine, and another in the Second Gulf War after complete loss of hydraulics.
Realizing that the only replacement for the A-10 would be another A-10, the USAF in 2008 began upgrading the A-10As in service to A-10Cs, with new wings, autopilot, GPS, “glass” multifunction cockpit, and true all-weather capability in the form of LANTIRN navigation pods. A number of A-10s are used in the forward air control role, with additional radios, as OA-10As, but functionally do not differ from regular A-10s. The type's future remains cloudy, as the USAF would like to retire it (again) to free up money for the F-35 Lightning II, while the Army and Congress wish to keep it in service.
Here the pilot climbs into his A-10, getting ready for the Wings Over the Falls airshow in 2012. This view shows off the A-10's primary armament, the GAU-8 30mm gatling cannon. This A-10 belongs to the 23rd Fighter Group stationed at Moody AFB; as the 23rd is the heir to the famous Flying Tigers, it of course carries a sharkmouth on the nose, which no A-10 is complete without in any case.
Fairchild-Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II
Of the thousands of American aircraft shot down during the Vietnam War, well over half were lost to antiaircraft fire—most in the close air support role for troops in contact on the ground. In the latter half of the war, when the North Vietnamese Army switched to a more conventional style of attack, especially in the use of tanks, both the US Air Force and the US Army found that they lacked a decent antitank aircraft. This deeply concerned both services: if a conventional war should erupt in Central Europe with the Warsaw Pact, Soviet forces would employ mass tank attacks. With these factors in mind, the USAF commissioned the A-X study in 1967, issuing a requirement for a dedicated ground attack fighter with special emphasis on antitank weaponry and survivability.
By 1972, the USAF had narrowed down its prospects to the Northrop A-9 and Fairchild-Republic A-10, both of which had first flown in May 1972. Based on its maneuverability, durability, and Republic’s reputation for building hardy aircraft (including the P-47 Thunderbolt and F-105 Thunderchief), the A-10 was chosen as the A-X in 1973 and went into full production as the A-10A Thunderbolt II in 1976.
When it entered service a year later, it immediately turned heads. Unlike the sleek “teen fighters” such as the F-15 and F-16 entering USAF service at the same time, the A-10 seemed almost dumpy in comparison, and its slow speed and hideous appearance quickly earned it the moniker of “Warthog,” a name that stuck far more than Thunderbolt II. However, the straight wing and airliner engines hid a superb combat aircraft. The A-10 was built literally around a titanic GAU-8 Avenger 30mm gatling cannon, the largest such weapon ever built in the West, capable of firing 4000 rounds a minute—with each soda-bottle sized round made of hyperdense depleted uranium capable of slicing through tank armor. If that was not enough, the A-10 was provided with a dozen underwing hardpoints capable of carrying every bomb in the USAF’s inventory, along with TV-guided AGM-65 Maverick missiles, also designed for killing tanks. Laser guided bombs could also be carried thanks to a Pave Penny designator attached to the right side of the fuselage.
Survivalbility was paramount in the A-10’s design. The cockpit was surrounded by a titanium “bathtub” impervious to cannon rounds below 30 millimeter size. The high-bypass turbofan engines were mounted high on the rear fuselage, apart from each other to better resist damage, while their placement behind the wing and forward of the twin tails both masked them from ground fire and reduced their infrared footprint. The fuel tanks are protected by foam and two small tanks are designed to keep a small reserve in the unlikely event all four interior fuel tanks were penetrated. Redundancy and simplicity are meant to keep the aircraft aloft even after heavy damage, while the semi-recessed wheels reduce the damage caused by a belly landing. The A-10 was also designed to operate from austere forward bases and be capable of quick turnarounds in combat. Finally, though the straight wing seemed a throwback to World War II, it had been proven by the A-1 Skyraider in Vietnam that a straight wing, combined with comparatively slow speed, made an aircraft very maneuverable. Pilots reported the A-10 to be easy to fly, though difficult on long missions because of the lack of an autopilot.
A-10s were quickly deployed to Central Europe in 1979. In the bad weather common to Europe, it was found that if the A-10 had a weakness, it was its lack of all-weather capability, and given that the aircraft was meant to operate from very low level, this could be a real problem in wartime. There were also concerns that, even with the A-10’s durability, it was still too vulnerable to ground fire and surface-to-air missiles. With the fall of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact in 1989, the USAF saw no purpose for the A-10 and prepared to retire them from service in favor of more F-16s.
The First Gulf War saved the Warthog. Employed in the desert, where weather was less of a problem, the A-10 proved to be devastating to Iraqi tank crews, breaking up attacks on Coalition forces at Khafji and Mutla Ridge, and inflicting catastrophic damage on the so-called “Highway of Death” north of Kuwait City. Four A-10s were lost during the conflict, none to ground fire. So valuable was the A-10’s long loiter time and massive firepower that US Army commanders informed the USAF that, if the latter service got rid of the A-10, the Army would buy the. The A-10 would see extensive service in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq (again). Each time, Warthog units posted mission capable rates exceeding 85 percent. The type’s durability was also proven, with one aircraft coming back during the First Gulf War missing most of its left wing and one engine, and another in the Second Gulf War after complete loss of hydraulics.
Realizing that the only replacement for the A-10 would be another A-10, the USAF in 2008 began upgrading the A-10As in service to A-10Cs, with new wings, autopilot, GPS, “glass” multifunction cockpit, and true all-weather capability in the form of LANTIRN navigation pods. A number of A-10s are used in the forward air control role, with additional radios, as OA-10As, but functionally do not differ from regular A-10s. The type's future remains cloudy, as the USAF would like to retire it (again) to free up money for the F-35 Lightning II, while the Army and Congress wish to keep it in service.
Here the pilot climbs into his A-10, getting ready for the Wings Over the Falls airshow in 2012. This view shows off the A-10's primary armament, the GAU-8 30mm gatling cannon. This A-10 belongs to the 23rd Fighter Group stationed at Moody AFB; as the 23rd is the heir to the famous Flying Tigers, it of course carries a sharkmouth on the nose, which no A-10 is complete without in any case.