Fairchild-Republic A-10A 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 using 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, which the Army would be hard-pressed to stop alone, and might require use of tactical nuclear weapons.
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—A-X study groups of the responding companies were asked to review specialized World War II-era antitank aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik and the Henschel Hs 129, both of which employed heavy cannon armament and armor protection. World War II’s top aerial tank killer, German pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel, was brought in as a consultant.
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, survivability, 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 throwback 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. Firing the GAU-8 put such forces on the aircraft that it would immediately lower the speed, to the point that pilots reported being thrown forward in their straps, while the gun gases were capable of causing compressor stalls. 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. Laser guided bombs could also be carried thanks to a Pave Penny designator attached to the right side of the fuselage.
Survivability was paramount in the A-10’s design. The cockpit was surrounded by a titanium “bathtub” impervious to cannon rounds below 30 millimeter size—an important consideration given the Soviet Union’s employment of the lethal ZSU-23 self-propelled antiaircraft gun that had wreaked havoc among Israeli forces in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. 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, waiting for the mass Soviet tank attack that would never come. In 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, 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 them back. 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.
With the realization 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 is now intended to remain in service until 2025.
80-0168 first served with the 81st TFW at RAF Bentwaters in Great Britain. When the 81st closed shop at Bentwaters, it was transferred to the 355th TFW at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, then retired to the AMARG boneyard in 2000. After 9/11 and the beginning of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, 80-0168 was returned to service to the 355th, where it saw service over Iraq. In 2013, it was decided not to convert 80-0168 to A-10C standard and it was retired for good. The aircraft was donated to the 122nd Fighter Wing (Indiana ANG) at Fort Wayne, where it is displayed at their small airpark off the front gate.
80-0168 wears the current two shades of gray camouflage used by USAF A-10s, which was found to be far more effective over the desert than the green "Europe One" scheme used earlier. It also carries the 122nd's current "IN" tailcode rather than the earlier "FW," and a "Fort Wayne" tail stripe.
As the nickname of the 122nd is the "Blacksnakes," it carries a unique take on the A-10's traditional sharkmouth--a profile of a rattlesnake's head. If it was possible to make the A-10 look any more sinister, the snake's head does it.
I took this photo on a cloudy morning at Fort Wayne in May 2017.
Fairchild-Republic A-10A 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 using 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, which the Army would be hard-pressed to stop alone, and might require use of tactical nuclear weapons.
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—A-X study groups of the responding companies were asked to review specialized World War II-era antitank aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik and the Henschel Hs 129, both of which employed heavy cannon armament and armor protection. World War II’s top aerial tank killer, German pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel, was brought in as a consultant.
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, survivability, 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 throwback 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. Firing the GAU-8 put such forces on the aircraft that it would immediately lower the speed, to the point that pilots reported being thrown forward in their straps, while the gun gases were capable of causing compressor stalls. 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. Laser guided bombs could also be carried thanks to a Pave Penny designator attached to the right side of the fuselage.
Survivability was paramount in the A-10’s design. The cockpit was surrounded by a titanium “bathtub” impervious to cannon rounds below 30 millimeter size—an important consideration given the Soviet Union’s employment of the lethal ZSU-23 self-propelled antiaircraft gun that had wreaked havoc among Israeli forces in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. 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, waiting for the mass Soviet tank attack that would never come. In 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, 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 them back. 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.
With the realization 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 is now intended to remain in service until 2025.
80-0168 first served with the 81st TFW at RAF Bentwaters in Great Britain. When the 81st closed shop at Bentwaters, it was transferred to the 355th TFW at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, then retired to the AMARG boneyard in 2000. After 9/11 and the beginning of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, 80-0168 was returned to service to the 355th, where it saw service over Iraq. In 2013, it was decided not to convert 80-0168 to A-10C standard and it was retired for good. The aircraft was donated to the 122nd Fighter Wing (Indiana ANG) at Fort Wayne, where it is displayed at their small airpark off the front gate.
80-0168 wears the current two shades of gray camouflage used by USAF A-10s, which was found to be far more effective over the desert than the green "Europe One" scheme used earlier. It also carries the 122nd's current "IN" tailcode rather than the earlier "FW," and a "Fort Wayne" tail stripe.
As the nickname of the 122nd is the "Blacksnakes," it carries a unique take on the A-10's traditional sharkmouth--a profile of a rattlesnake's head. If it was possible to make the A-10 look any more sinister, the snake's head does it.
I took this photo on a cloudy morning at Fort Wayne in May 2017.