Global Aircraft -- A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog)
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A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) Specifications
Primary Function: |
close air support (A-10), airborne forward air control (OA-10) |
Contractor: |
Fairchild Republic Co. |
Crew: |
One |
Unit Cost: |
$9.8 million (fiscal 98 constant dollars) |
Powerplant |
|
Two General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofans (9,065 pounds each) |
Dimensions |
Length: |
53 feet, 4 inches (16.16 meters) |
Wingspan: |
57 feet, 6 inches (17.42 meters) |
Height: |
14 feet, 8 inches (4.42 meters) |
Weights |
Empty: |
25,600 lb |
Maximum Takeoff: |
51,000 lb (22950 kg) |
Performance |
Speed: |
420 mph (Mach 0.56) |
Ceiling: |
45,000 feet (13636 meters) |
Range: |
800 miles (695 nm) |
Armament |
|
One 30 mm GAU-8/A seven-barrel Gatling gun; up to 16,000 pounds (7,200 kilograms) of mixed ordnance on eight
under-wing and three under-fuselage pylon stations, including 500 pounds (225 kilograms) of Mk-82 and 2,000 pounds
(900 kilograms) of Mk-84 series low/high drag bombs, incendiary cluster bombs, combined effects munitions, mine
dispensing munitions, AGM-65 Maverick missiles and laser-guided/electro-optically guided bombs; infrared countermeasure
flares; electronic countermeasure chaff; jammer pods; 2.75-inch (6.99 centimeters) rockets; illumination flares and AIM-9
Sidewinder missiles. |
Service Life |
First Flight: |
May 10, 1972 (prototype)
April 5, 1972 (A-10) |
End of Service: |
N/A |
Number Built: |
A-10A (721) + A-10B (30) [~751 total] |
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A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) Achievements
- The A-10's survivability in close air support greatly exceeds that of previous air force aircraft.
- The A-10 was the first Air Force aircraft specially designed for close air support of ground forces.
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A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) Features
The Warthog is literally built around its 30-mm General Electric GAU-8 Avenger seven barrel cannon, the most powerful gun ever fitted to an aircraft of this class. The A-10 features eleven under-wing/under-fuselage hard-points and can carry 16,000lb or ordinance -- including AGM-65 Maverick anti-armor missiles, cluster bombs, LGBs, and AIM-9 AAMs.
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A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) Background
The A-10 was designed for close support in low intensity conflicts during the Vietnam War, yet it came to be seen as a dedicated anti-armor platform by the early 1970s. Early before the A-10 came into production, however, the USAF held a fly-off between the Northrop YA-9 and the Fairchild Republic A-10. The A-10 was chosen and 707 A-10A's went into production. The Warthog, as it came to be known, was designed for high-survivability with a large-area wing, rear-mounted engines, and redundant and armored flight controls. A titanium covering surrounds both the cockpit and ammunition tank. As A-10's entered service in the USAF around 1977, and as vulnerability of the A-10 was questioned it was slowly withdrawn in favor of the F-16. Although the A-10 was never exported, it was redesignated OA-10 for the Forward Air Control role. The only difference between the A-10 and OA-10 is that the OA-10 only carries smoke rockets and AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs for self-defense.
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A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) Photos
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