A-10 Thunderbolt II

Categories: U.S. attack aircraft 1970-1979 | Anti-tank aircraft

The A-10/OA-10 Thunderbolt II, nicknamed the "Warthog", is the first US Air Force aircraft designed for close air support of ground forces. It is a simple, effective and hardy single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft designed to attack tanks, armored vehicles, and other ground targets. It is named after the P-47 Thunderbolt of World War II.

Description

The A-10/OA-10 has excellent maneuverability at low speeds and altitude, thanks to wide, straight wings. These also allow short takeoffs and landings, permitting operations from airfields near front lines. The plane can loiter for extended periods of time and operate under 1,000 foot (300 m) ceilings with 1.5-mile (2.4 km) visibility. It can fly at a relatively slow speed of 200 mph (320 km/h), which makes it better at ground-attack than fast fighter-bombers, which often have difficulty pursuing small and slow-moving targets.

The 'Warthog' is exceptionally hardy, with a strong airframe that can survive direct hits from armor-piercing and high-explosive projectiles up to 23mm. The aircraft has triple redundancy in its flight systems, with manual systems to back up double-redundant hydraulic systems. This permits pilots to fly and land when hydraulic power or part of a wing is lost. Self-sealing fuel tanks are protected by fire-retardant foam.

The cockpit and parts of the flight-control system are protected by 900 pounds (400 kg) of titanium armor, referred to as a "titanium bathtub". Its engine exhaust passes over the aircraft's horizontal stabilizer and between the twin tails, decreasing the A-10's infrared signature and the likelihood that the aircraft can be targeted by heatseeking missiles. The placement of the engines partially shields them from anti-aircraft fire behind the wings and tail. The A-10 can fly even with one engine completely shot away.

The Thunderbolt II can be serviced and operated from bases with limited facilities near battle areas. An unusual feature is that many of the aircraft's parts are interchangeable left to right, including the engines, main landing gear, and vertical stabilizers. A built-in ladder allows the pilot to enter or exit the aircraft without assistance. The sturdy landing gear, low-pressure tires and large, straight wings allow operation from short rough strips even with a modest weapon load. These also allow the aircraft to operate from damaged airbases. The aircraft is designed to be re-fueled, re-armed, and serviced with minimal equipment. Operating from a forward area is both useful for close air support and necessary due to the A-10's relatively low cruise and top speeds.

The A-10 has been criticized for its minimal avionics fit. It was originally intended purely for close air support, for which it was felt that complex electronics would be unnecessary (and would have an undesirable effect on serviceability and cost). Initial fit provided basic communications, a radar-warning system, and TACAN navigation, early aircraft lacking even an autopilot. As USAF emphasis shifted towards the anti-armor role, presumably in a conflict with the Warsaw Pact in Western Europe, where weather is frequently poor, there was pressure for improved sensors and electronics. Fairchild-Republic offered a two-seat NAW (Night and Adverse Weather) variant beginning in 1977, but it was not adopted. Aircraft were eventually upgraded with inertial navigation and a Pave Penny laser sensor (marked target seeker) pod that allowed the pilot to direct laser-guided bombs against targets marked by friendly forces.

The A-10 initially lacked systems to compute target range or impact points, greatly limiting its ability to deliver weapons other than cannon and rocket fire (in direct, visual-range attacks) or the self-guided AGM-65 Maverick missile, whose own sensors displayed imagery in the A-10's cockpit. Much later in the 'Warthog's' career, the Low-Altitude Safety and Targeting Enhancement (LASTE) upgrade provided computerized weapon-aiming equipment, an autopilot, and ground-collision warning system. The A-10 is now compatible with night-vision goggles for low-light operation. In 1999, aircraft began to be given Global Postioning System navigation systems.

Although the A-10 can carry a considerable weight of disposable stores, its primary built-in weapon is the 30 mm GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling gun. The most powerful aircraft cannon ever flown, it fires large, depleted uranium armor-piercing shells at a rate of 4,200 rounds per minute. The massive shells and high muzzle velocity allow the Avenger to destroy heavily armored main battle tanks. The chassis of the plane is actually built around the gun.

This gun is said to produce almost the same amount of force as one of the A-10's engines, leading to a persistent military legend that if enough bullets could be carried and fired in a long burst, the plane would stop flying (or move backwards, in some versions of the legend). Using the specs from the GAU-8/A product homepage, the recoil force of the GAU-8/A is measured to an average of 10,000 lbf (45 kN). This is a considerable amount: more than 50 percent of the thrust of both of the A-10 engines at full power. But the A-10 will certainly continue flying forward, assuming both engines are operating at full capacity. If one of the engines is damaged and unable to operate, the recoil force of the cannon would overpower the thrust of the remaining engine.

Despite the power of the GAU-8, the principal weapon of the A-10 is the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missile, with electro-optical targeting. The Maverick allows targets to be engaged at much greater ranges than the cannon, a safer proposition in the face of modern anti-aircraft systems. Other weapons include cluster bombs and rocket pods. Although the A-10 is equipped to deliver conventional and laser-guided bombs, their use is relatively uncommon. A-10s usually fly with an ECM pod under one wing and two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles under the other for self-defense.

The first production A-10A was delivered to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, in October 1975. It was designed for the close air support mission and had the ability to combine large military loads, long loiter time, and wide combat radius, which proved to be vital assets to the United States and its allies during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Noble Anvil. In the Gulf War, A-10s had a mission capable rate of 95.7 percent, flew 8,100 sorties and launched 90 percent of the AGM-65 Maverick missiles.

Operational service

A-10s were initially an unwelcome addition to the arsenal in the eyes of Air Force brass. The Air Force prized the high-flying, high-performance F-15 and F-16 jets, and were determined to leave the dirty work of close air support to Army helicopters.

Military planners in the 1980s intended the A-10s to fly low, slow missions to counter divisions of Soviet tanks stationed in Eastern Europe.

The planes proved their mettle in the Persian Gulf War in 1991, destroying more than 1,000 tanks, 2,000 military vehicles and 1,200 artillery pieces. Five A-10s were shot down during the war, far fewer than military planners expected.

In the 1990s many A-10s were shifted to the "forward air control (FAC)" role and redesignated O/A-10. In the FAC role the 'Warthog' is typically equipped with up to six pods of 5 inch (127 mm) Zuni rockets, usually with smoke or white phosphorus warheads. They remain combat capable despite the designation.

A-10s again saw service in the 1999 Kosovo War, in later stages of the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan from an air base at Bagram, including Operation Anaconda in March 2002, and in the 2003 Iraq war. Sixty A-10s were deployed in Iraq; one was shot down near Baghdad International Airport by Iraqi fire late in the campaign.

A-10 pilots have been involved in a number of notorious 'friendly fire' incidents. In the Gulf War of 1991 an A-10 attacked two British Army Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles, killing nine soldiers. Two British reconnaissance vehicles were attacked by an A-10 in the Iraq War of 2003. They were also involved in a friendly fire incident with a U.S. Marine Amphibious Assault Vehicle at the Battle of Nasiriyah during the opening stages of Iraqi Freedom.

The A-10 is scheduled to stay in service with the USAF until 2028, when it may be replaced by the Joint Strike Fighter. In 2005 the A-10 fleet will be upgraded with improved FCS, ECM, and the ability to carry smart bombs. However, the A-10 may stay in service indefinitely due to both its low cost and its unique capabilities which the Joint Strike Fighter simply cannot incorporate such as its cannon, ruggedness, and slow flying capabilities.

The A-10 has recieved several nicknames from it's enemies. In the first Gulf war 1991, captured Iraqi tankcrews called it: "Whispering Death". In the 2003 defeat of conventional Iraqi forces, captured Fedayeen terrorists referred to the A-10 as "the Devil's Cross".

• Date deployed: March 1976
• Unit cost: US$9.8 million
• Inventory: active force, A-10, 143 and OA-10, 70; reserve, A-10, 46 and OA-10, 6; ANG, A-10, 84 and OA-10, 18

Specifications (A-10 Thunderbolt II)

Dimensions

• Wingspan: 57ft 6in/17.53m
• Length overall: 53ft 4in/16.62m
• Height overall: 14ft 8 in/4.47m
• Wing area: 506sq ft/47.01sq m

Powerplant

• Two GE TF34-GE-100A, Thrust (each): 9,065lb/40.3kN
• Bypass ratio: 6.2:1

Weights

• Operating empty: 24,959lb/11,321kg
• Basic design weight: 30,384lb/13,782kg
• Internal fuel: 10,700lb/4,853kg
• Max external load: 16,000lb/7,250kg

Take-off weights

• Maximum: 50,000lb/22,680kg
• CAS mission: 47,094lb/21,362kg
• Anti-armour mission: 42,071lb/19,083kg
• Ferry: 49,774lb/22,577kg

Performance

• Never-exceed speed: 450kt/834kmh
• Max level speed at sea level, clean: 381kt/706kmh
• Combat speed at 5,000ft (1,525m) with six Mk 82 bombs: 380kt/704kmh
• Cruising speed at sea level: 300kt/555kmh
• Sea-level rate of climb at design weight: 6,000ft/min/1,828m/min
• Service ceiling: 45,000ft/13,715m

Combat radii

• Anti-armour configuration, 30min combat, 40nm (74km) sea-level penetration and exit: 252nm/476km
• CAS configuration, 1.88hr single-engine loiter at 5,000 ft (1,525m), 10min combat: 250nm/463km
• Ferry range, 50kt (93km) headwinds, 20min reserve: 2,240nm/4,148km

(Spick, 2000, p. 21).

Armament

Image:A10 gun.jpg

• 1x 30 mm GAU-8/A Avenger seven-barrel Gatling gun with 1,350 rounds. The standard ammunition is a four-to-one mixture of high-explosive incendiary rounds and armor-piercing depleted-uranium rounds.
• 8x underwing and 3x under-fuselage pylon stations holding 16,000 lb (7,300 kg) housing:
  • Mk 82, Mk 83, and Mk 84 general-purpose bombs
  • BLU-1, BLU-27/B Rockeye II and CBU-52/71 cluster bombs
  • GBU-10 PavewayII, GBU-16 PavewayII, GBU-24 PavewayIII, and GBU-12 PavewayII Laser-Guided Bombs
  • AGM-65 Maverick and AIM-9 Sidewinder Missiles
  • LAU-68 Hydra 70mm and 127 mm rocket pods
  • Illumination flares, ECM and chaff pods
  • ALQ-131 ECMpod

Television and films

An A-10 Thunderbolt II appeared as a villainous vehicle in the 1980s G.I. Joe cartoon series, in which it was called the COBRA Rattler. In the second series of The Transformers cartoon, the heroic Autobot Powerglide, and later, two members of the combiner Superion Maximus, Sky Shadow and Terradive transformed into the likeness of an A-10 Thunderbolt. In all cases the vehicles were released as toys. It is also expected to be shown in the upcoming Gulf War movie "Jarhead".

References

• Spick, M. The Great Book of Modern Warplanes, Salamander Books, 2000. ISBN 1840651563

Related content

Designation sequence:

• A-7 - AV-8 - YA-9 - A-10 - A-12

Similar aircraft:

• Sukhoi Su-25

Related lists:

• List of attack aircraft
• List of military aircraft of the United States

External links:

• http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=70
• http://www.a-10.org/
• http://globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/a-10.htm

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