Air Force) In 1972 the Fairchild Republic A-10 came out of the big aluminum womb ugly, misbegotten and ignored. Accommodations: Pilot on ACES II zero/zero ejection seat. An A-10C Thunderbolt II from the 75th Fighter Squadron honing its skills in the skies over the training ranges at Ft. Armament: One internally mounted 30 mm, seven-barrel GAU-8/A cannon (1,174 rd of high-explosive incendiary (HEI) or HEI/armor-piercing incendiary) four AIM-9 Sidewinders, AGM-65 Mavericks, laser-guided rockets, most free-fall or guided air-to-surface weapons in USAF inventory, and ECM pods. Performance: Speed 518 mph, range 800 miles (further with air refueling). Power Plant: Two GE Aviation TF34-GE-100 turbofans, each 9,065 lb thrust. The tough, reliable A-10 Thunderbolt Warthog ground-attack plane has provided U.S. ![]() Dimensions: Span 57.5 ft, length 53.3 ft, height 14.7 ft. Weapons: The A-10 Warthog Attack Aircraft. Upgraded version of the A-10A ground attack aircraft. Osan AB, South Korea Selfridge ANGB, Mich. Boise Air Terminal, Idaho DavisMonthan AFB, Ariz. Production: 713 Inventory: 281 Operator: ACC, AFMC, PACAF, ANG, AFRC. USAF plans to retain the fleet through 2030 or beyond, and Congress denied the Air Force’s request to retire 44 airframes in FY21.Ĭontractors: Fairchild Republic (Lockheed Martin) Boeing (re-wing). Ongoing mods include HMCS improvements, cockpit display replacement to eliminate analog instruments and add hi-resolution target tracking, SDB-1 integration, directional audio threat cueing, ARC-210 UHF/ VHF comm modernization, and Ethernet to enable EW upgrades.Īn initial 173 aircraft were re-winged, and Boeing received a follow-on contract to re-wing up to 112 additional aircraft through FY30. The Operational Flight Program (OFP) continuously updates the A-10’s software to integrate advanced weapons and add situational awareness, targeting, navigation, comms, and cyber security improvements. With NVGs and targeting pods, the A-10C can operate under 1,000-ft ceilings at night. The A-10C debuted in combat during Iraqi Freedom in 2007. The A-10C adds color cockpit MFDs, a Helmet Mounted Cueing System (HMCS), hands-on throttle and stick, digital stores management, improved fire-control, GPS-guided weapons, Litening/Sniper pods, advanced data links, and integrated sensors. The fleet was modernized under the Precision Engagement Program, resulting in the A-10C which first flew at Eglin in 2005. 15, 1975, and A-10As were delivered between October 1975 and March 1984. The A-10A development aircraft first flew Feb. The prototype YA-10A first flew on May 10, 1972, wining USAF’s A-X competition for a new attack aircraft. ![]() The A-10 is capable of carrying up to 16,000 lb of ordnance in addition to its 30 mm cannon which can destroy heavy armor while protecting the pilot in a titanium-armored cockpit. It combines a heavy, diverse weapons load with lowlevel maneuverability, a large combat radius, and long loiter time over the battlefield. Stephen Losey, a senior reporter with Air Force Times, joined The Show to discuss the A-10 program in Arizona and more broadly.The A-10 “Warthog” is a specialized CAS aircraft tasked with interdiction, Forward Air Controller-Airborne (FAC-A), CSAR, and Strike Control & Reconnaissance. ![]() Ann Kirkpatrick are fighting those efforts. Martha McSally, a former A-10 pilot herself, and Rep. Air Force would like to retire all of them. ![]() More than 40 of these planes are stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, and the U.S. In recent years there has been an effort to retire and replace the A-10 fleet - and efforts to preserve it. Over the years, it demonstrated its ability to support ground troops during operations including the first Gulf War, peacekeeping missions in the Balkans, and the wars on terror in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. The A-10 Warthog is a twin-engine jet designed in the 1970s as a tank-busting, ground-support plane to be used during potential Cold War engagements against the Soviet Union and its allies. The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, commonly referred to as the "Warthog."
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |