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Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II

January 01, 1970

"A-10" redirects here. For other uses, see A10.

The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1977, it is named after the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, but is commonly referred to as the "Warthog" or simply "Hog".[3] The A-10 was designed to provide close air support (CAS) to friendly ground troops by attacking armored vehicles, tanks, and other enemy ground forces; it is the only production-built aircraft designed solely for CAS to have served with the U.S. Air Force.[4] Its secondary mission is to direct other aircraft in attacks on ground targets, a role called forward air controller-airborne; aircraft used primarily in this role are designated OA-10.

A-10 / OA-10 Thunderbolt II
An A-10 of the 74th Fighter Squadron after taking on fuel over Afghanistan (2011)
Role Close air support attack aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Fairchild Republic
First flight 10 May 1972; 51 years ago (1972-05-10)
Introduction October 1977
Status In service
Primary user United States Air Force
Produced 1972–1984[1]
Number built 716[2]

The A-10 was intended to improve on the performance and firepower of the Douglas A-1 Skyraider. The Thunderbolt II's airframe was designed around the high-power 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary autocannon. The airframe was designed for durability, with measures such as 1,200 pounds (540 kg) of titanium armor to protect the cockpit and aircraft systems, enabling it to absorb damage and continue flying. Its ability to take off and land from relatively short and/or unpaved runways permits operation from airstrips close to the front lines, and its simple design enables maintenance with minimal facilities.

It served in the Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm), the American-led intervention against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, where the aircraft distinguished itself. The A-10 also participated in other conflicts such as the Balkans, Afghanistan, the Iraq War, and against the Islamic State in the Middle East.

The A-10A single-seat variant was the only version produced, though one pre-production airframe was modified into the YA-10B twin-seat prototype to test an all-weather night-capable version. In 2005, a program was started to upgrade the remaining A-10A aircraft to the A-10C configuration, with modern avionics for use with precision weaponry. The U.S. Air Force had stated the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II would replace the A-10 as it entered service, but this remains highly contentious within the USAF and in political circles.[5] The USAF gained congressional permission to start retiring A-10s in 2023, but further retirements were paused until the USAF can demonstrate that the A-10's close-air-support capabilities can be replaced.

Development edit

Background edit

 
By the time of the Vietnam War, the 1940s-vintage propeller-driven Skyraider was the USAF's only dedicated close air support aircraft. It was slow, vulnerable to ground fire, and relatively lightly armed.

The development of conventionally armed attack aircraft in the United States stagnated after World War II,[6] as design efforts for tactical aircraft focused on the delivery of nuclear weapons using high-speed designs such as the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo and Republic F-105 Thunderchief.[7] As the U.S. military entered the Vietnam War, its main ground-attack aircraft was the Korean War-era Douglas A-1 Skyraider. A capable aircraft for its era, with a relatively large payload and long loiter time, the propeller-driven design was relatively slow and vulnerable to ground fire. The U.S. Air Force and Navy lost 266 A-1s in action in Vietnam, largely from small-arms fire.[8] It also had inadequate firepower.[9]

The lack of modern conventional attack capability prompted calls for a specialized attack aircraft.[10][11] On 7 June 1961, the Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered the USAF to develop two tactical aircraft, one for the long-range strike and interdictor role, and the other focusing on the fighter-bomber mission. The former was the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) intended to be common design for the USAF and the US Navy,[12] which emerged as the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark, while the second was filled by a version of the U.S. Navy's McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. While the Phantom went on to be one of the most successful fighter designs of the 1960s and proved to be a capable fighter-bomber, its short loiter time was a major problem, as was its poor low-speed performance, albeit to lesser extent. It was also expensive to buy and operate, with a flyaway cost of $2 million in FY1965 ($19.3 million today), and operational costs over $900 per hour ($9,000 per hour today).[13]

After a broad review of its tactical force structure, the USAF decided to adopt a low-cost aircraft to supplement the F-4 and F-111. It first focused on the Northrop F-5, which had air-to-air capability.[9] A 1965 cost-effectiveness study shifted the focus from the F-5 to the less expensive A-7D variant of the LTV A-7 Corsair II, and a contract was awarded. However, this aircraft doubled in cost with demands for an upgraded engine and new avionics.[9]

Army helicopter competition edit

 
The Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne appeared to offer the possibility of handing much of the tactical air-to-ground role to the U.S. Army.
See also: Key West Agreement and Pace-Finletter MOU 1952

During this period, the United States Army had been introducing the Bell UH-1 Iroquois into service. First used in its intended role as a transport, it was soon modified in the field to carry more machine guns in what became known as the helicopter gunship role. This proved effective against the lightly armed enemy, and new gun and rocket pods were added. Soon the Bell AH-1 Cobra was introduced. This was an attack helicopter armed with long-range BGM-71 TOW missiles able to destroy tanks from outside the range of defensive fire. The helicopter was effective and prompted the U.S. military to change its defensive strategy in Europe into blunting any Warsaw Pact advance with anti-tank helicopters instead of the tactical nuclear weapons that had been the basis for NATO's battle plans since the 1950s.[14]

The Cobra was a quickly-made helicopter based on the UH-1 Iroquois and was introduced in the mid-1960s as an interim design until the U.S. Army "Advanced Aerial Fire Support System" program delivered. The Army selected the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne, a more capable attack aircraft with greater speed for initial production. The development of the anti-tank helicopter concerned the USAF; a 1966 USAF study of existing close air support (CAS) capabilities revealed gaps in the escort and fire suppression roles that the Cheyenne could fill. The study concluded that the service should acquire a simple, inexpensive, dedicated CAS aircraft at least as capable as the A-1, and that it should develop doctrine, tactics, and procedures for such aircraft to accomplish the missions for which the attack helicopters were provided.[15]

A-X program edit

On 8 September 1966, General John P. McConnell, Chief of Staff of the USAF, ordered that a specialized CAS aircraft be designed, developed, and obtained. On 22 December, a Requirements Action Directive was issued for the A-X CAS airplane,[15] and the Attack Experimental (A-X) program office was formed.[16] On 6 March 1967, the USAF released a request for information to 21 defense contractors for the A-X.[16]

In May 1970, the USAF issued a modified, more detailed request for proposals for the aircraft. The threat of Soviet armored forces and all-weather attack operations had become more serious. The requirements now included that the aircraft would be designed specifically for the 30 mm rotary cannon. The RFP also specified a maximum speed of 460 mph (400 kn; 740 km/h), takeoff distance of 4,000 feet (1,200 m), external load of 16,000 pounds (7,300 kg), 285-mile (460 km) mission radius, and a unit cost of US$1.4 million ($11 million today).[17] The A-X would be the first USAF aircraft designed exclusively for CAS.[18] During this time, a separate RFP was released for A-X's 30 mm cannon with requirements for a high rate of fire (4,000 round per minute) and a high muzzle velocity.[19] Six companies submitted aircraft proposals, with Northrop and Fairchild Republic in Germantown, Maryland,[20] selected to build prototypes: the YA-9A and YA-10A, respectively. General Electric and Philco-Ford were selected to build and test GAU-8 cannon prototypes.[21]

Two YA-10 prototypes were built in the Republic factory in Farmingdale, New York, and first flown on 10 May 1972 by pilot Howard "Sam" Nelson. Production A-10s were built by Fairchild in Hagerstown, Maryland. After trials and a fly-off against the YA-9, on 18 January 1973, the USAF announced the YA-10's selection for production.[22] General Electric was selected to build the GAU-8 cannon in June 1973.[23] The YA-10 had an additional fly-off in 1974 against the Ling-Temco-Vought A-7D Corsair II, the principal USAF attack aircraft at the time, to prove the need for a new attack aircraft. The first production A-10 flew in October 1975, and deliveries commenced in March 1976.[24]

One experimental two-seat A-10 Night Adverse Weather (N/AW) version was built by Fairchild by converting the first Demonstration Testing and Evaluation (DT&E) A-10A for consideration by the USAF.[25] It included a second seat for a weapon systems officer responsible for electronic countermeasures (ECM), navigation and target acquisition. The N/AW version did not interest the USAF or export customers. The two-seat trainer version was ordered by the USAF in 1981, but funding was canceled by U.S. Congress and was not produced.[26] The only two-seat A-10 resides at Edwards Air Force Base's Flight Test Center Museum.[27]

Production edit

On 10 February 1976, Deputy Secretary of Defense Bill Clements authorized full-rate production while the first A-10 was accepted by the USAF Tactical Air Command on 30 March 1976. Production continued and reached a peak rate of 13 aircraft per month. By 1984, 715 airplanes, including two prototypes and six development aircraft, had been delivered.[1]

When full-rate production was first authorized, the A-10's planned service life was 6,000 hours. A small design reinforcement was quickly adopted when initial fatigue testing failed at 80% of testing; the A-10 passed fatigue tests with the fix. 8,000-flight-hour service lives were becoming common at the time, so fatigue testing of the A-10 continued with a new 8,000-hour target. This new target quickly discovered serious cracks at Wing Station 23 (WS23) where the outboard portions of the wings are joined to the fuselage. The first production change was to address this problem by adding cold working at WS23. Soon after, the USAF found that the real-world A-10 fleet fatigue was harsher than estimated, forcing a change to fatigue testing and introduce "spectrum 3" equivalent flight-hour testing.[9]

Spectrum 3 fatigue testing started in 1979. This round of testing quickly determined that more drastic reinforcement would be needed. The second change in production, starting with aircraft No. 442, was to increase the thickness of the lower skin on the outer wing panels. A tech order was issued to retrofit the "thick skin" to the whole fleet, but the tech order was rescinded after roughly 242 planes, leaving about 200 planes with the original "thin skin". Starting with aircraft No. 530, cold working at WS0 was performed, and this retrofit was performed on earlier aircraft. A fourth, even more drastic change was initiated with aircraft No. 582, again to address the problems discovered with spectrum 3 testing. This change increased the thickness of the lower skin on the center wing panel, but it required modifications to the lower spar caps to accommodate the thicker skin. The USAF found it economically unfeasible to retrofit earlier planes with this modification.[9]

Upgrades edit

 
An A-10A of pre-glass cockpit design

The A-10 has received many upgrades since entering service. In 1978, it received the Pave Penny laser receiver pod, mounted on a pylon attached below the right side of the cockpit, which receives reflected laser radiation from laser designators to allow the aircraft to deliver laser-guided munitions.[28][29] In 1980, the A-10 began receiving an inertial navigation system.[30]

In the early 1990s, the A-10 began to receive the Low-Altitude Safety and Targeting Enhancement (LASTE) upgrade, which provided computerized weapon-aiming equipment, an autopilot, and a ground-collision warning system. In 1999, aircraft began receiving Global Positioning System navigation systems and a multi-function display.[31] The LASTE system was upgraded with an Integrated Flight & Fire Control Computer (IFFCC).[32]

Proposed further upgrades included integrated combat search and rescue locator systems and improved early warning and anti-jam self-protection systems, and the USAF recognized that the A-10's engine power was sub-optimal and had planned to replace them with more powerful engines since at least 2001 at an estimated cost of $2 billion.[33]

HOG UP and Wing Replacement Program edit

In 1987, Grumman Aerospace took over support for the A-10 program. In 1993, Grumman updated the damage tolerance assessment and Force Structural Maintenance Plan and Damage Threat Assessment. Over the next few years, problems with wing structure fatigue, first noticed in production years earlier, began to come to the fore. Implementation of the maintenance plan was greatly delayed by the base realignment and closure commission (BRAC), which led to 80% of the original workforce being let go.[34]

During inspections in 1995 and 1996, cracks at the WS23 location were found on many A-10s; while many were in line with updated predictions from 1993, two of these were classified as "near-critical" size, well beyond predictions. In August 1998, Grumman produced a new plan to address these issues and increase life span to 16,000 hours. This led to the "HOG UP" program, which commenced in 1999. Additional aspects were added to HOG UP over time, including new fuel bladders, flight control system changes, and engine nacelle inspections. In 2001, the cracks were reclassified as "critical", which meant they were considered repairs and not upgrades, which allowed bypassing normal acquisition channels for more rapid implementation.[35] An independent review of the HOG UP program, presented in September 2003, concluded that the data on which the wing upgrade relied could no longer be trusted. Shortly thereafter, fatigue testing on a test wing failed prematurely and also mounting problems with wings failing in-service inspections at an increasing rate became apparent. The USAF estimated that they would run out of wings by 2011. Of the plans explored, replacing the wings with new ones was the least expensive, at an initial cost of $741 million and a total cost of $1.72 billion over the program's life.[9]

 
Two A-10s in formation

In 2005, a business case was produced with three options to extend the fleet's life. The first two options involved expanding the service life extension program (SLEP) at a cost of $4.6 billion and $3.16 billion, respectively. The third option, worth $1.72 billion, was to build 242 new wings and avoid the need to expand the SLEP. In 2006, option 3 was chosen and Boeing won the contract.[36] The base contract is for 117 wings with options for 125 additional wings.[37] In 2013, the USAF exercised a portion of the option to add 56 wings, putting 173 wings on order with options remaining for 69 additional wings.[38][39] In November 2011, two A-10s flew with the new wings fitted. The new wings improved mission readiness, decreased maintenance costs, and allowed the A-10 to be operated up to 2035 if necessary.[40] Re-winging work was organized under the Thick-skin Urgent Spares Kitting (TUSK) Program.[38]

In 2014, as part of plans to retire the A-10, the USAF considered halting the wing replacement program to save an additional $500 million;[41][42] however, by May 2015 the re-winging program was too advanced to be financially efficient to cancel.[43] Boeing stated in February 2016 that the A-10 could operate to 2040 with the new TUSK wings.[38]

Modernization (A-10C) edit

 
A-10C cockpit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, 2012

From 2005 to June 2011,[44] the entire fleet of 356 A-10s and OA-10s were modernized in the Precision Engagement program and redesignated A-10C.[45] Upgrades included all-weather combat capability,[32] an improved fire-control system (FCS), electronic countermeasures (ECM), smart bomb targeting, a modern communications suite including a Link 16 radio and Satcom,[32] and cockpit upgrades comprising two multifunction displays and HOTAS configuration mixing the F-16's flight stick with the F-15's throttle.[46][47] The Government Accountability Office in 2007 estimated the cost of upgrading, refurbishing, and service life extension plans to total $2.25 billion through 2013.[18][48] In July 2010, the USAF issued Raytheon a contract to integrate a Helmet Mounted Integrated Targeting (HMIT) system into the A-10C.[48][49] The LASTE system was replaced with the integrated flight and fire control computer (IFFCC) included in the PE upgrade.[32]

Throughout its life, multiple software upgrades have been made. While this work was to be stopped under plans to retire the A-10 in February 2014, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James ordered that the latest upgrade, designated Suite 8, continue in response to congressional pressure. Suite 8 software includes IFF Mode 5, which modernizes the ability to identify the A-10 to friendly units.[50] Additionally, the Pave Penny pods and pylons were removed as their receive-only capability has been replaced by the AN/AAQ-28(V)4 LITENING AT targeting pods or Sniper XR targeting pod, which both have laser designators and laser rangefinders.[51][52]

In 2012, Air Combat Command requested the testing of a 600-US-gallon (2,300 L; 500 imp gal) external fuel tank which would extend the A-10's loitering time by 45–60 minutes; flight testing of such a tank had been conducted in 1997 but did not involve combat evaluation. Over 30 flight tests were conducted by the 40th Flight Test Squadron to gather data on the aircraft's handling characteristics and performance across different load configurations. It was reported that the tank slightly reduced stability in the yaw axis, but there was no decrease in aircraft tracking performance.[53]

Design edit

Overview edit

 
A-10 inboard profile drawing

The A-10 has a cantilever low-wing monoplane wing with a wide chord.[33] It has superior maneuverability at low speeds and altitude due to its large wing area, high wing aspect ratio, and large ailerons. The wing also allows short takeoffs and landings, permitting operations from austere forward airfields near front lines. The A-10 can loiter for extended periods and operate under 1,000-foot (300 m) ceilings with 1.5-mile (2.4 km) visibility. It typically flies at a relatively low speed of 300 knots (350 mph; 560 km/h), which makes it a better platform for the ground-attack role than fast fighter-bombers, which often have difficulty targeting small, slow-moving targets.[54]

The leading edge of the wing has a honeycomb structure panel construction, providing strength with minimal weight; similar panels cover the flap shrouds, elevators, rudders and sections of the fins.[55] The skin panels are integral with the stringers and are fabricated using computer-controlled machining, reducing production time and cost. Combat experience has shown that this type of panel is more resistant to damage. The skin is not load-bearing, so damaged skin sections can be easily replaced in the field, with makeshift materials if necessary.[56] The ailerons are at the far ends of the wings for greater rolling moment and have two distinguishing features: The ailerons are larger than is typical, almost 50 percent of the wingspan, providing improved control even at slow speeds; the aileron is also split, making it a deceleron.[57][58]

 
Front view of an A-10. Note the 30 mm cannon and offset front landing gear

The A-10 is designed to be refueled, rearmed, and serviced with minimal equipment.[59] Its simple design enables maintenance at forward bases with limited facilities.[60][61] An unusual feature is that many of the aircraft's parts are interchangeable between the left and right sides, including the engines, main landing gear, and vertical stabilizers. The sturdy landing gear, low-pressure tires and large, straight wings allow operation from short rough strips even with a heavy aircraft ordnance load, allowing the aircraft to operate from damaged airbases, flying from taxiways, or even straight roadway sections.[62]

The front landing gear is offset to the aircraft's right to allow placement of the 30 mm cannon with its firing barrel along the centerline of the aircraft.[63] During ground taxi, the offset front landing gear causes the A-10 to have dissimilar turning radii; turning to the right on the ground takes less distance than turning left.[Note 1] The wheels of the main landing gear partially protrude from their nacelles when retracted, making gear-up belly landings easier to control and less damaging. All landing gears retract forward; if hydraulic power is lost, a combination of gravity and aerodynamic drag can lower and lock the gear in place.[58]

Survivability edit

The A-10 is battle-hardened to an exceptional degree, being able to survive direct hits from armor-piercing and high-explosive projectiles up to 23 mm. It has double-redundant hydraulic flight systems, and a mechanical system as a backup if hydraulics are lost. Flight without hydraulic power uses the manual reversion control system; pitch and yaw control engages automatically, roll control is pilot-selected. In manual reversion mode, the A-10 is sufficiently controllable under favorable conditions to return to base, though control forces are greater than normal. It is designed to be able to fly with one engine, half of the tail, one elevator, and half of a wing missing.[64] As the A-10 operates close to enemy positions, making it an easy target for man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS), surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and enemy aircraft, it carries both flares and chaff cartridges.[65]

 
This A-10 took heavy damage during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, including to the hydraulic system, yet pilot Captain Kim Campbell safely flew it back to base on manual reversion mode.

The cockpit and parts of the flight-control systems are protected by 1,200 lb (540 kg) of titanium aircraft armor, referred to as a "bathtub".[66][67] The armor has been tested to withstand strikes from 23 mm (0.91 in) cannon fire and some indirect hits from 57 mm (2.2 in) shell fragments.[61][66][68] It is made up of titanium plates with thicknesses varying from 0.5 to 1.5 inches (13 to 38 mm) determined by a study of likely trajectories and deflection angles. The armor makes up almost six percent of the A-10's empty weight. Any interior surface of the tub directly exposed to the pilot is covered by a multi-layer nylon spall shield to protect against shell fragmentation.[69][70] The front windscreen and canopy are resistant to small arms fire.[71] Its durability was demonstrated on 7 April 2003 when Captain Kim Campbell, while flying over Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, suffered extensive flak damage that damaged one engine and crippled the hydraulic system, requiring the stabilizer and flight controls to be operated via manual reversion mode. Despite this, Campbell's A-10 flew for nearly an hour and landed safely.[72][73]

The A-10 was intended to fly from forward air bases and semi-prepared runways where foreign object damage to an aircraft's engines is normally a high risk. The unusual location of the General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofan engines decreases ingestion risk and also allows the engines to run while the aircraft is serviced and rearmed by ground crews, reducing turn-around time. The wings are also mounted closer to the ground, simplifying servicing and rearming operations.[citation needed] The heavy engines require strong support: four bolts connect the engine pylons to the airframe.[74] The engines' high 6:1 bypass ratio contributes to a relatively small infrared signature, and their position directs exhaust over the tailplanes further shielding it from detection by infrared homing surface-to-air missiles.[citation needed]

To reduce the likelihood of damage to the fuel system, all four fuel tanks are located near the aircraft's center and are separated from the fuselage; projectiles would need to penetrate the aircraft's skin before reaching a fuel tank's outer skin.[69][70] Compromised fuel transfer lines self-seal; if damage exceeds a tank's self-sealing capabilities, check valves prevent fuel from flowing into a compromised tank. Most fuel system components are inside the tanks so that component failure will not lead to fuel loss. The refueling system is also purged after use.[75] Reticulated polyurethane foam lines both the inner and outer sides of the fuel tanks, retaining debris and restricting fuel spillage in the event of damage. The engines are shielded from the rest of the airframe by firewalls and fire extinguishing equipment. If all four main tanks were lost, two self-sealing sump tanks contain fuel for 230 miles (370 km) of flight.[69][70]

Weapons edit

A-10C combat exercise at Nevada Test & Training Ground against hard targets

The A-10's primary built-in weapon is the 30×173 mm GAU-8/A Avenger autocannon. One of the most powerful aircraft cannons ever flown, the GAU-8 is a hydraulically driven seven-barrel rotary cannon designed for the anti-tank role with a high rate of fire. The original design could be switched by the pilot to 2,100 or 4,200 depleted uranium armor-piercing shells per minute;[76] this was later changed to a fixed rate of 3,900 rounds per minute.[77] The cannon takes about a half second to spin up to its maximum rate of fire, firing 50 rounds during the first second, and 65 or 70 rounds per second thereafter. It is accurate enough to place 80 percent of its shots within a 40-foot (12.4 m) diameter circle from 4,000 feet (1,220 m) while in flight.[78] The GAU-8 is optimized for a slant range of 4,000 feet (1,220 m) with the A-10 in a 30-degree dive.[79]

 
Front view of the A-10's GAU-8 installation

The aircraft's fuselage was designed around the cannon. The GAU-8/A is mounted slightly to the port side; the barrel in the firing location is on the starboard side so it is aligned with the aircraft's centerline. The gun's 5-foot, 11.5-inch (1.816 m) ammunition drum can hold up to 1,350 rounds of 30 mm ammunition,[63] but generally holds 1,174 rounds.[79] To protect the rounds from enemy fire, armor plates of differing thicknesses between the aircraft skin and the drum are designed to detonate incoming shells.[63][70]

The A-10 commonly carries the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missile. Targeted via electro-optical (TV-guided) or infrared systems, the Maverick can hit targets much farther away than the cannon, and thus incur less risk from anti-aircraft systems. During Desert Storm, in the absence of dedicated forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras for night vision, the Maverick's infrared camera was used for night missions as a "poor man's FLIR".[80] Other weapons include cluster bombs and Hydra 70 rocket pods.[81] The A-10 is equipped to carry GPS- and laser-guided bombs, such as the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, Paveway series bombs, Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser and AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon glide bombs.[82] A-10s usually fly with an ALQ-131 Electronic countermeasures (ECM) pod under one wing and two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for self-defense under the other wing.[83]

Colors and markings edit

 
An A-10 from the 343rd Tactical Fighter Wing prepares to drop Mark 82 bombs at the Yukon Command Training Site in 1988.

Aircraft camouflage is used to make the A-10 more difficult to see as it flies low to the ground at subsonic speeds. Many types of paint schemes have been tried. These have included a "peanut scheme" of sand, yellow, and field drab; black and white colors for winter operations; and a tan, green, and brown mixed pattern.[84] The most common Cold War-era scene was the European I woodland camouflage, whose dark green, medium green, and dark gray was meant to blend in with the typical European forest terrain. It reflected the assumption that the threat from hostile fighter aircraft outweighed that from ground fire. After the 1991 Gulf War, the threat from ground fire was deemed more pressing than the air-to-air threat, leading to the "Compass Ghost" scheme with darker gray on top and a lighter gray on the underside of the aircraft.[85]

Many A-10s also had a false canopy painted in dark gray on the underside of the aircraft, just behind the gun. This form of automimicry is an attempt to confuse the enemy as to aircraft attitude and maneuver direction.[86][87] Many A-10s feature nose art, such as shark mouth or warthog head features.

Operational history edit

Service entry edit

 
Arkansas Air National Guard A-10C firing an AGM-65 air-to-surface missile on a firing range at Davis-Monthan AFB

The first unit to receive the A-10 was the 355th Tactical Training Wing, based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, in March 1976.[88] The first unit to achieve full combat readiness was the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina, in October 1977.[89] A-10 deployments followed at bases both at home and abroad, including England AFB, Louisiana; Eielson AFB, Alaska; Osan Air Base, South Korea; and RAF Bentwaters/RAF Woodbridge, England. The 81st TFW of RAF Bentwaters/RAF Woodbridge operated rotating detachments of A-10s at four bases in Germany known as Forward Operating Locations (FOLs): Leipheim, Sembach Air Base, Nörvenich Air Base, and RAF Ahlhorn.[90] A-10s were initially an unwelcome addition to many in the USAF; most pilots did not want to switch to it as fighter pilots traditionally favored speed and appearance.[91] In 1987, many A-10s were shifted to the forward air control (FAC) role and redesignated OA-10.[92] In the FAC role, the OA-10 is typically equipped with up to six pods of 2.75 inch (70 mm) Hydra rockets, usually with smoke or white phosphorus warheads used for target marking. OA-10s are physically unchanged and remain fully combat capable despite the redesignation.[93]

The 23rd TFW's A-10s were deployed to Bridgetown, Barbados during Operation Urgent Fury, the 1983 American Invasion of Grenada. They provided air cover for the U.S. Marine Corps landings on the island of Carriacou in late October 1983, but did not fire weapons as no resistance was met.[94][95][96]

Gulf War and Balkans edit

 
A-10A after Operation Desert Storm, 1992

The A-10 was used in combat for the first time during the Gulf War in 1991, with 132 being deployed.[97] A-10s shot down two Iraqi helicopters with the GAU-8 cannon. The first of these was shot down by Captain Robert Swain over Kuwait on 6 February 1991 for the A-10's first air-to-air victory.[98][99] Four A-10s were shot down during the war by surface-to-air missiles and eleven A-10s were hit by anti-air artillery rounds.[100] Another two battle-damaged A-10s and OA-10As returned to base and were written off. Some sustained additional damage in crash landings.[101][102] At the beginning of the war, A-10s flew missions against the Iraqi Republican Guard, but due to heavy attrition, from 15 February they were restricted to within 20 nautical miles (37 km) of the southern border.[103][104] A-10s also flew missions hunting Iraqi Scud missiles. The A-10 had a mission capable rate of 95.7 percent, flew 8,100 sorties, and launched 90 percent of the AGM-65 Maverick missiles fired in the conflict.[105] Shortly after the Gulf War, the USAF abandoned the idea of replacing the A-10 with a CAS version of the F-16.[106]

 
An A-10A during Operation Allied Force

A-10s fired approximately 10,000 30 mm rounds in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994–95. Following the seizure of heavy weapons by Bosnian Serbs from a warehouse in Ilidža, multiple sorties were launched to locate and destroy the captured equipment. On 5 August 1994, two A-10s located and strafed an anti-tank vehicle. Afterward, the Serbs agreed to return the remaining heavy weapons.[107] In August 1995, NATO launched an offensive called Operation Deliberate Force. A-10s flew CAS missions, attacking Bosnian Serb artillery and positions. In late September, A-10s began flying patrols again.[108]

A-10s returned to the Balkan region as part of Operation Allied Force in Kosovo beginning in March 1999.[108] In March 1999, A-10s escorted and supported search and rescue helicopters in finding a downed F-117 pilot.[109] The A-10s were deployed to support search and rescue missions, but gradually received more ground attack missions. The A-10's first successful attack in Operation Allied Force happened on 6 April 1999; A-10s remained in action until the end of combat in June 1999.[110]

Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and recent deployments edit

During the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, A-10s did not initially take part. Beginning in March 2002, A-10 squadrons were deployed to Pakistan and Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan for the campaign against Taliban and Al-Qaeda, known as Operation Anaconda. Afterwards, they remained in-country, fighting Taliban and Al Qaeda remnants.[111]

Operation Iraqi Freedom began on 20 March 2003. Sixty OA-10/A-10s took part in early combat.[112] United States Air Forces Central Command issued Operation Iraqi Freedom: By the Numbers, a declassified report about the aerial campaign in the conflict on 30 April 2003. During the initial invasion of Iraq, A-10s had a mission capable rate of 85 percent and fired 311,597 rounds of 30 mm ammunition. The type also flew 32 missions to airdrop propaganda leaflets. A single A-10 was shot down near Baghdad International Airport by Iraqi fire late in the campaign.[citation needed]

In September 2007, the A-10C with the Precision Engagement Upgrade reached initial operating capability.[113] The A-10C first deployed to Iraq in 2007 with the 104th Fighter Squadron of the Maryland Air National Guard.[114] The A-10C's digital avionics and communications systems greatly reduced the time to acquire and attack CAS targets.[115]

A-10s flew 32 percent of combat sorties in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. These sorties ranged from 27,800 to 34,500 annually between 2009 and 2012. In the first half of 2013, they flew 11,189 sorties in Afghanistan.[116] From the start of 2006 to October 2013, A-10s conducted 19 percent of CAS missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than the F-15E Strike Eagle and B-1B Lancer, but less than the 33 percent flown by F-16s.[117]

 
An A-10 peels away from a KC-135 tanker over Afghanistan, February 2011 with Pave Penny pod visible and featuring a false canopy painted in dark gray on the underside.

In March 2011, six A-10s were deployed as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn, the coalition intervention in Libya. They participated in attacks on Libyan ground forces there.[118][119]

The USAF 122nd Fighter Wing revealed it would deploy to the Middle East in October 2014 with 12 A-10s. Although the deployment had been planned a year in advance in a support role, the timing coincided with the ongoing Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIL militants.[120][121][122] From mid-November, U.S. commanders began sending A-10s to hit IS targets in central and northwestern Iraq on an almost daily basis.[123][124] In a two month period, A-10s flew 11 percent of all USAF sorties since the start of operations in August 2014.[125] On 15 November 2015, two days after the ISIL attacks in Paris, A-10s and AC-130s destroyed a convoy of over 100 ISIL-operated oil tanker trucks in Syria as part of an intensification of the U.S.-led intervention against ISIL called Operation Tidal Wave II (named after Operation Tidal Wave during World War II, a failed attempt to raid German oil fields) in an attempt to stop oil smuggling as a source of funds for the group.[126]

The A-10 was involved in the killing of 35 Afghan civilians from 2010 to 2015, more than any other U.S. military aircraft and also involved in killing ten U.S. troops in friendly fire over four incidents between 2001 and 2015. These incidents have been assessed as "inconclusive and statistically insignificant" in terms of the plane's capability.[127]

On 19 January 2018, 12 A-10s from the 303d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron were deployed to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, to provide CAS, marking the first time in more than three years A-10s had been deployed to Afghanistan.[128]

Future edit

 
23rd Fighter Group A-10s on alert

The A-10's future remains a subject of debate. In 2007, the USAF expected it to remain in service until 2028 and possibly later,[129] when it would likely be replaced by the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.[39] Director of the Straus Military Reform Project of the Project On Government Oversight Winslow Wheeler, a critic of this plan, said that replacing the A-10 with the F-35 would be a "giant leap backwards" given the A-10's performance and the F-35's high costs.[130] In 2012, the USAF considered the F-35B STOVL variant as a replacement CAS aircraft, but concluded that it could not generate sufficient sorties.[131] In August 2013, Congress and the USAF examined various proposals, including the F-35 and the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle filling the A-10's role. Proponents state that the A-10's armor and cannon are superior to aircraft such as the F-35 for ground attack, that guided munitions could be jammed, and that ground commanders commonly request A-10 support.[116]

In the USAF's FY 2015 budget, the service considered retiring the A-10 and other single-mission aircraft, prioritizing multi-mission aircraft; cutting a whole fleet and its infrastructure was seen as the only method for major savings. The U.S. Army had expressed interest in obtaining some A-10s were the USAF to retire them,[132][133] but later stated there was "no chance" of that happening.[134] The USAF stated that retirement would save $3.7 billion from 2015 to 2019. Guided munitions allows more aircraft to perform CAS duties and reduces the need for specialized aircraft; since 2001, multirole aircraft and bombers have performed 80 percent of operational CAS missions. The USAF also said that the A-10 was increasingly vulnerable to modern anti-aircraft weapons, but the Army replied that it had proved invaluable due to its versatile weapons loads, psychological impact, and limited logistics needs.[135]

 
USAF crewmen perform maintenance on an A-10's nose in the Persian Gulf region in 2003

In January 2015, USAF officials told lawmakers that it would take 15 years to fully develop a new attack aircraft to replace the A-10;[136] that year General Herbert J. Carlisle, the head of Air Combat Command, stated that a follow-on weapon system for the A-10 may need development.[137] It planned for F-16s and F-15Es to initially take up CAS sorties, and later by the F-35A once sufficient numbers become operationally available over the next decade.[138] In July 2015, Boeing held initial discussions on the prospects of selling retired or stored A-10s in near-flyaway condition to international customers.[43] However, the USAF stated that it would not permit any to be sold.[139]

Plans to develop a replacement aircraft were announced by the US Air Combat Command in August 2015.[140][141] In 2016, the USAF began studying future CAS aircraft to succeed the A-10 in low-intensity "permissive conflicts" like counterterrorism and regional stability operations, noting the F-35 to be too expensive to operate in day-to-day roles. Various platforms were considered, including low-end AT-6 Wolverine and A-29 Super Tucano turboprops and the Textron AirLand Scorpion as more basic off-the-shelf options to more sophisticated clean-sheet attack aircraft or "AT-X" derivatives of the T-X next-generation trainer as wholly new attack platforms.[138][142][143]

In January 2016, the USAF was "indefinitely freezing" plans to retire the A-10. Beyond congressional opposition, its use in anti-ISIS operations, deployments to Eastern Europe as a response to Russia's military intervention in Ukraine, and reevaluation of F-35 numbers necessitated its retention.[144][145] In February 2016, the USAF deferred the final retirement date until 2022 after F-35s replace it on a squadron-by-squadron basis.[146][147] In October 2016, the USAF Materiel Command brought the depot maintenance line back to full capacity in preparation for re-winging the fleet.[148] In June 2017, it was announced that the A-10 is retained indefinitely.[149][5]

Due to opposition from Congress, the USAF has failed to retire the A-10 for many years. However, the Air Force's plan to divest 21 A-10s gained congressional approval in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).[150][151] The retired A-10s at Fort Wayne will be replaced by an equal number of F-16s.[151] The 2024 NDAA is expected to retire an additional 42 aircraft, with Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Brown expecting all A-10s to be retired by 2028 or 2029.[152] However, Congress would pause further cuts unless the Air Force demonstrates how other aircraft can fulfill the Close Air Support missions currently undertaken by the A-10.[153] According to Dan Grazier from Project on Government Oversight, the Air Force is ill-prepared for this transition because it requires no Close Air Support training for its F-35 pilots, despite the F-35 being advertised as the main replacement for the A-10.[154]

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine led to some observers pushing for A-10s to be loaned to Ukraine while critics noted the diplomatic and tactical complications involved.[155][156] In an interview in December 2022, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that in late March he asked the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for 100 surplus A-10s, noting their value against Russian tank columns. However, Austin reportedly told Minister Reznikov that the plan was "impossible", and that the "old-fashioned and slow" A-10 would be a "squeaky target" for Russian air defenses.[157]

After multiple rejections from Congress, the USAF gained congressional permission to start retiring A-10s in 2023.[150][151] Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Brown expects all A-10s to be retired by 2028 or 2029.[152] However, further cuts to the number of active duty A-10s will be paused by Congress until the USAF demonstrates its Close Air Support capabilities can be replaced by other aircraft.[153]

Other uses edit

 
A-10 at RAF Fairford, 2005

On 25 March 2010, an A-10 conducted the first flight of an aircraft with all engines powered by a biofuel blend comprising a 1:1 blend of JP-8 and Camelina-based fuel.[158] On 28 June 2012, the A-10 became the first aircraft to fly using a new fuel blend derived from alcohol; known as ATJ (Alcohol-to-Jet), the fuel is cellulosic-based and can be produced using wood, paper, grass, or any cellulose-based material, which are fermented into alcohols before being hydro-processed into aviation fuel. ATJ is the third alternative fuel to be evaluated by the USAF as a replacement for the petroleum-derived JP-8 fuel. Previous types were synthetic paraffinic kerosene derived from coal and natural gas and a bio-mass fuel derived from plant oils and animal fats known as Hydroprocessed Renewable Jet.[159]

In 2011, the National Science Foundation granted $11 million to modify an A-10 for weather research for CIRPAS at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School[160] and in collaboration with scientists from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSM&T),[161] replacing SDSM&T's retired North American T-28 Trojan.[162] In 2018, this plan was found to be too risky due to the costly modifications required, thus the program was canceled.[163]

Variants edit

 
A updated A-10C arrives at Davis-Monthan AFB, 29 November 2006.
YA-10A
Pre-production variant. 12 were built.[164]
A-10A
Single-seat close air support, ground-attack production version.
OA-10A
A-10As used for airborne forward air control.
YA-10B Night/Adverse Weather (N/AW)
Two-seat experimental prototype, for work at night and in bad weather. The one YA-10B prototype was converted from an A-10A.[165][166]
A-10C
A-10As updated under the incremental Precision Engagement (PE) program.[45]
A-10PCAS
Proposed unmanned version developed by Raytheon and Aurora Flight Sciences as part of DARPA's Persistent Close Air Support program.[167] The PCAS program eventually dropped the idea of using an optionally manned A-10.[168]
SPA-10
Proposed by the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology to replace its North American T-28 Trojan thunderstorm penetration aircraft. The A-10 would have its military engines, avionics, and oxygen system replaced by civilian versions. The engines and airframe would receive protection from hail, and the GAU-8 Avenger would be replaced with ballast or scientific instruments.[169] Project canceled after partial modification of a single A-10C.[163][170]

Operators edit

 
An A-10 Thunderbolt II refueling
 
Four A-10s of the 103rd Fighter Squadron, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, fly in formation during a refueling mission.
 
A-10C of the 163rd Fighter Squadron, Fort Wayne Air National Guard
 
USAF A-10A showing kill markings from Operation Desert Storm, 1991
 
An A-10 firing its 30 mm GAU-8 Gatling gun during testing

The A-10 has been flown exclusively by the United States Air Force and its Air Reserve components, the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and the Air National Guard (ANG). As of 2017, 282 A-10C aircraft are reported as operational, divided as follows: 141 USAF, 55 AFRC, 86 ANG.[171]

  United States

Former squadrons edit

Aircraft on display edit

Germany edit

A-10A

South Korea edit

A-10A

United Kingdom edit

A-10A

United States edit

YA-10A
YA-10B
A-10A
 
A-10 at Hill Aerospace Museum
 
A-10A at Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB
 
YA-10B 73-1664

Specifications (A-10C) edit

 

 
A-10's 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger cannon

Data from The Great Book of Modern Warplanes,[213] Fairchild-Republic A/OA-10,[214] USAF[113]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 53 ft 4 in (16.26 m)
  • Wingspan: 57 ft 6 in (17.53 m)
  • Height: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
  • Wing area: 506 sq ft (47.0 m2)
  • Airfoil: NACA 6716 root, NACA 6713 tip
  • Empty weight: 24,959 lb (11,321 kg)
  • Gross weight: 30,384 lb (13,782 kg)
    • CAS mission: 47,094 lb (21,361 kg)
    • Anti-armor mission: 42,071 lb (19,083 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 46,000 lb (20,865 kg) [215]
  • Fuel capacity: 11,000 lb (4,990 kg) internal
  • Powerplant: 2 × General Electric TF34-GE-100A turbofans, 9,065 lbf (40.32 kN) thrust each

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 381 kn (439 mph, 706 km/h) at sea level, clean[214]
  • Cruise speed: 300 kn (340 mph, 560 km/h)
  • Stall speed: 120 kn (138 mph, 220 km/h) at 30,000 lb (14,000 kg)[216]
  • Never exceed speed: 450 kn (518 mph, 833 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) with 18 Mark 82 bombs[217][214]
  • Combat range: 250 nmi (288 mi, 463 km)
    • CAS mission: 250 nmi (290 mi; 460 km) 1.88 hour loiter at 5,000 ft (1,500 m), 10 min combat
    • Anti-armor mission: 252 nmi (290 mi; 467 km) with sea-level penetration and exit, 30 min combat
  • Ferry range: 2,240 nmi (2,580 mi, 4,150 km) with 50 knots (58 mph; 26 m/s) headwinds, 20 minutes reserve
  • Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,700 m)
  • Rate of climb: 6,000 ft/min (30 m/s)
  • Wing loading: 99 lb/sq ft (482 kg/m2)
  • Thrust/weight: 0.47

Armament

Avionics

Notable appearances in media edit

Main article: Aircraft in fiction § A-10 Thunderbolt II

Nicknames edit

The A-10 Thunderbolt II received its popular nickname "Warthog" from the pilots and crews of the USAF attack squadrons who flew and maintained it. The A-10 is the last of Republic's jet attack aircraft to serve with the USAF. The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was nicknamed the "Hog", F-84F Thunderstreak nicknamed "Superhog", and the Republic F-105 Thunderchief tagged "Ultra Hog".[225] The saying Go Ugly Early has been associated with the aircraft in reference to calling in the A-10 early to support troops in ground combat.[226]

See also edit

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ First unit to become operational with the A-10.
  1. ^ With the inner wheel on a turn stopped, the minimum radius of the turn is dictated by the distance between the inner wheel and the nose wheel. Since the distance is less between the right main wheel and the nose gear than the same measurement on the left, the aircraft can turn more tightly to the right.

Citations edit

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Bibliography edit

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  • Campbell, Douglas N. The Warthog and the Close Air Support Debate. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2003. ISBN 1-55750-232-3
  • Coram, Robert (2004) [2002]. Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War. Los Angeles: Back Bay Books. ISBN 0-316-79688-3.
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  • Drendel, Lou. A-10 Warthog in Action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1981. ISBN 0-89747-122-9.
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  • Spick, Mike. The Great Book of Modern Warplanes. London: Salamander Books, 2000. ISBN 1-84065-156-3.
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External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to A-10 Thunderbolt II.

January 01, 1970
fairchild, republic, thunderbolt, redirects, here, other, uses, single, seat, twin, turbofan, straight, wing, subsonic, attack, aircraft, developed, fairchild, republic, united, states, force, usaf, service, since, 1977, named, after, republic, thunderbolt, co. A 10 redirects here For other uses see A10 The Fairchild Republic A 10 Thunderbolt II is a single seat twin turbofan straight wing subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force USAF In service since 1977 it is named after the Republic P 47 Thunderbolt but is commonly referred to as the Warthog or simply Hog 3 The A 10 was designed to provide close air support CAS to friendly ground troops by attacking armored vehicles tanks and other enemy ground forces it is the only production built aircraft designed solely for CAS to have served with the U S Air Force 4 Its secondary mission is to direct other aircraft in attacks on ground targets a role called forward air controller airborne aircraft used primarily in this role are designated OA 10 A 10 OA 10 Thunderbolt II An A 10 of the 74th Fighter Squadron after taking on fuel over Afghanistan 2011 Role Close air support attack aircraft National origin United States Manufacturer Fairchild Republic First flight 10 May 1972 51 years ago 1972 05 10 Introduction October 1977 Status In service Primary user United States Air Force Produced 1972 1984 1 Number built 716 2 The A 10 was intended to improve on the performance and firepower of the Douglas A 1 Skyraider The Thunderbolt II s airframe was designed around the high power 30 mm GAU 8 Avenger rotary autocannon The airframe was designed for durability with measures such as 1 200 pounds 540 kg of titanium armor to protect the cockpit and aircraft systems enabling it to absorb damage and continue flying Its ability to take off and land from relatively short and or unpaved runways permits operation from airstrips close to the front lines and its simple design enables maintenance with minimal facilities It served in the Gulf War Operation Desert Storm the American led intervention against Iraq s invasion of Kuwait where the aircraft distinguished itself The A 10 also participated in other conflicts such as the Balkans Afghanistan the Iraq War and against the Islamic State in the Middle East The A 10A single seat variant was the only version produced though one pre production airframe was modified into the YA 10B twin seat prototype to test an all weather night capable version In 2005 a program was started to upgrade the remaining A 10A aircraft to the A 10C configuration with modern avionics for use with precision weaponry The U S Air Force had stated the Lockheed Martin F 35 Lightning II would replace the A 10 as it entered service but this remains highly contentious within the USAF and in political circles 5 The USAF gained congressional permission to start retiring A 10s in 2023 but further retirements were paused until the USAF can demonstrate that the A 10 s close air support capabilities can be replaced Contents 1 Development 1 1 Background 1 2 Army helicopter competition 1 3 A X program 1 4 Production 1 5 Upgrades 1 5 1 HOG UP and Wing Replacement Program 1 5 2 Modernization A 10C 2 Design 2 1 Overview 2 2 Survivability 2 3 Weapons 2 4 Colors and markings 3 Operational history 3 1 Service entry 3 2 Gulf War and Balkans 3 3 Afghanistan Iraq Libya and recent deployments 3 4 Future 3 5 Other uses 4 Variants 5 Operators 5 1 Former squadrons 6 Aircraft on display 6 1 Germany 6 2 South Korea 6 3 United Kingdom 6 4 United States 7 Specifications A 10C 8 Notable appearances in media 9 Nicknames 10 See also 11 References 11 1 Notes 11 2 Citations 11 3 Bibliography 12 External linksDevelopment editBackground edit nbsp By the time of the Vietnam War the 1940s vintage propeller driven Skyraider was the USAF s only dedicated close air support aircraft It was slow vulnerable to ground fire and relatively lightly armed The development of conventionally armed attack aircraft in the United States stagnated after World War II 6 as design efforts for tactical aircraft focused on the delivery of nuclear weapons using high speed designs such as the McDonnell F 101 Voodoo and Republic F 105 Thunderchief 7 As the U S military entered the Vietnam War its main ground attack aircraft was the Korean War era Douglas A 1 Skyraider A capable aircraft for its era with a relatively large payload and long loiter time the propeller driven design was relatively slow and vulnerable to ground fire The U S Air Force and Navy lost 266 A 1s in action in Vietnam largely from small arms fire 8 It also had inadequate firepower 9 The lack of modern conventional attack capability prompted calls for a specialized attack aircraft 10 11 On 7 June 1961 the Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered the USAF to develop two tactical aircraft one for the long range strike and interdictor role and the other focusing on the fighter bomber mission The former was the Tactical Fighter Experimental TFX intended to be common design for the USAF and the US Navy 12 which emerged as the General Dynamics F 111 Aardvark while the second was filled by a version of the U S Navy s McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II While the Phantom went on to be one of the most successful fighter designs of the 1960s and proved to be a capable fighter bomber its short loiter time was a major problem as was its poor low speed performance albeit to lesser extent It was also expensive to buy and operate with a flyaway cost of 2 million in FY1965 19 3 million today and operational costs over 900 per hour 9 000 per hour today 13 After a broad review of its tactical force structure the USAF decided to adopt a low cost aircraft to supplement the F 4 and F 111 It first focused on the Northrop F 5 which had air to air capability 9 A 1965 cost effectiveness study shifted the focus from the F 5 to the less expensive A 7D variant of the LTV A 7 Corsair II and a contract was awarded However this aircraft doubled in cost with demands for an upgraded engine and new avionics 9 Army helicopter competition edit nbsp The Lockheed AH 56 Cheyenne appeared to offer the possibility of handing much of the tactical air to ground role to the U S Army See also Key West Agreement and Pace Finletter MOU 1952 During this period the United States Army had been introducing the Bell UH 1 Iroquois into service First used in its intended role as a transport it was soon modified in the field to carry more machine guns in what became known as the helicopter gunship role This proved effective against the lightly armed enemy and new gun and rocket pods were added Soon the Bell AH 1 Cobra was introduced This was an attack helicopter armed with long range BGM 71 TOW missiles able to destroy tanks from outside the range of defensive fire The helicopter was effective and prompted the U S military to change its defensive strategy in Europe into blunting any Warsaw Pact advance with anti tank helicopters instead of the tactical nuclear weapons that had been the basis for NATO s battle plans since the 1950s 14 The Cobra was a quickly made helicopter based on the UH 1 Iroquois and was introduced in the mid 1960s as an interim design until the U S Army Advanced Aerial Fire Support System program delivered The Army selected the Lockheed AH 56 Cheyenne a more capable attack aircraft with greater speed for initial production The development of the anti tank helicopter concerned the USAF a 1966 USAF study of existing close air support CAS capabilities revealed gaps in the escort and fire suppression roles that the Cheyenne could fill The study concluded that the service should acquire a simple inexpensive dedicated CAS aircraft at least as capable as the A 1 and that it should develop doctrine tactics and procedures for such aircraft to accomplish the missions for which the attack helicopters were provided 15 A X program edit On 8 September 1966 General John P McConnell Chief of Staff of the USAF ordered that a specialized CAS aircraft be designed developed and obtained On 22 December a Requirements Action Directive was issued for the A X CAS airplane 15 and the Attack Experimental A X program office was formed 16 On 6 March 1967 the USAF released a request for information to 21 defense contractors for the A X 16 In May 1970 the USAF issued a modified more detailed request for proposals for the aircraft The threat of Soviet armored forces and all weather attack operations had become more serious The requirements now included that the aircraft would be designed specifically for the 30 mm rotary cannon The RFP also specified a maximum speed of 460 mph 400 kn 740 km h takeoff distance of 4 000 feet 1 200 m external load of 16 000 pounds 7 300 kg 285 mile 460 km mission radius and a unit cost of US 1 4 million 11 million today 17 The A X would be the first USAF aircraft designed exclusively for CAS 18 During this time a separate RFP was released for A X s 30 mm cannon with requirements for a high rate of fire 4 000 round per minute and a high muzzle velocity 19 Six companies submitted aircraft proposals with Northrop and Fairchild Republic in Germantown Maryland 20 selected to build prototypes the YA 9A and YA 10A respectively General Electric and Philco Ford were selected to build and test GAU 8 cannon prototypes 21 Two YA 10 prototypes were built in the Republic factory in Farmingdale New York and first flown on 10 May 1972 by pilot Howard Sam Nelson Production A 10s were built by Fairchild in Hagerstown Maryland After trials and a fly off against the YA 9 on 18 January 1973 the USAF announced the YA 10 s selection for production 22 General Electric was selected to build the GAU 8 cannon in June 1973 23 The YA 10 had an additional fly off in 1974 against the Ling Temco Vought A 7D Corsair II the principal USAF attack aircraft at the time to prove the need for a new attack aircraft The first production A 10 flew in October 1975 and deliveries commenced in March 1976 24 One experimental two seat A 10 Night Adverse Weather N AW version was built by Fairchild by converting the first Demonstration Testing and Evaluation DT amp E A 10A for consideration by the USAF 25 It included a second seat for a weapon systems officer responsible for electronic countermeasures ECM navigation and target acquisition The N AW version did not interest the USAF or export customers The two seat trainer version was ordered by the USAF in 1981 but funding was canceled by U S Congress and was not produced 26 The only two seat A 10 resides at Edwards Air Force Base s Flight Test Center Museum 27 Production edit On 10 February 1976 Deputy Secretary of Defense Bill Clements authorized full rate production while the first A 10 was accepted by the USAF Tactical Air Command on 30 March 1976 Production continued and reached a peak rate of 13 aircraft per month By 1984 715 airplanes including two prototypes and six development aircraft had been delivered 1 When full rate production was first authorized the A 10 s planned service life was 6 000 hours A small design reinforcement was quickly adopted when initial fatigue testing failed at 80 of testing the A 10 passed fatigue tests with the fix 8 000 flight hour service lives were becoming common at the time so fatigue testing of the A 10 continued with a new 8 000 hour target This new target quickly discovered serious cracks at Wing Station 23 WS23 where the outboard portions of the wings are joined to the fuselage The first production change was to address this problem by adding cold working at WS23 Soon after the USAF found that the real world A 10 fleet fatigue was harsher than estimated forcing a change to fatigue testing and introduce spectrum 3 equivalent flight hour testing 9 Spectrum 3 fatigue testing started in 1979 This round of testing quickly determined that more drastic reinforcement would be needed The second change in production starting with aircraft No 442 was to increase the thickness of the lower skin on the outer wing panels A tech order was issued to retrofit the thick skin to the whole fleet but the tech order was rescinded after roughly 242 planes leaving about 200 planes with the original thin skin Starting with aircraft No 530 cold working at WS0 was performed and this retrofit was performed on earlier aircraft A fourth even more drastic change was initiated with aircraft No 582 again to address the problems discovered with spectrum 3 testing This change increased the thickness of the lower skin on the center wing panel but it required modifications to the lower spar caps to accommodate the thicker skin The USAF found it economically unfeasible to retrofit earlier planes with this modification 9 Upgrades edit nbsp An A 10A of pre glass cockpit design The A 10 has received many upgrades since entering service In 1978 it received the Pave Penny laser receiver pod mounted on a pylon attached below the right side of the cockpit which receives reflected laser radiation from laser designators to allow the aircraft to deliver laser guided munitions 28 29 In 1980 the A 10 began receiving an inertial navigation system 30 In the early 1990s the A 10 began to receive the Low Altitude Safety and Targeting Enhancement LASTE upgrade which provided computerized weapon aiming equipment an autopilot and a ground collision warning system In 1999 aircraft began receiving Global Positioning System navigation systems and a multi function display 31 The LASTE system was upgraded with an Integrated Flight amp Fire Control Computer IFFCC 32 Proposed further upgrades included integrated combat search and rescue locator systems and improved early warning and anti jam self protection systems and the USAF recognized that the A 10 s engine power was sub optimal and had planned to replace them with more powerful engines since at least 2001 at an estimated cost of 2 billion 33 HOG UP and Wing Replacement Program edit In 1987 Grumman Aerospace took over support for the A 10 program In 1993 Grumman updated the damage tolerance assessment and Force Structural Maintenance Plan and Damage Threat Assessment Over the next few years problems with wing structure fatigue first noticed in production years earlier began to come to the fore Implementation of the maintenance plan was greatly delayed by the base realignment and closure commission BRAC which led to 80 of the original workforce being let go 34 During inspections in 1995 and 1996 cracks at the WS23 location were found on many A 10s while many were in line with updated predictions from 1993 two of these were classified as near critical size well beyond predictions In August 1998 Grumman produced a new plan to address these issues and increase life span to 16 000 hours This led to the HOG UP program which commenced in 1999 Additional aspects were added to HOG UP over time including new fuel bladders flight control system changes and engine nacelle inspections In 2001 the cracks were reclassified as critical which meant they were considered repairs and not upgrades which allowed bypassing normal acquisition channels for more rapid implementation 35 An independent review of the HOG UP program presented in September 2003 concluded that the data on which the wing upgrade relied could no longer be trusted Shortly thereafter fatigue testing on a test wing failed prematurely and also mounting problems with wings failing in service inspections at an increasing rate became apparent The USAF estimated that they would run out of wings by 2011 Of the plans explored replacing the wings with new ones was the least expensive at an initial cost of 741 million and a total cost of 1 72 billion over the program s life 9 nbsp Two A 10s in formation In 2005 a business case was produced with three options to extend the fleet s life The first two options involved expanding the service life extension program SLEP at a cost of 4 6 billion and 3 16 billion respectively The third option worth 1 72 billion was to build 242 new wings and avoid the need to expand the SLEP In 2006 option 3 was chosen and Boeing won the contract 36 The base contract is for 117 wings with options for 125 additional wings 37 In 2013 the USAF exercised a portion of the option to add 56 wings putting 173 wings on order with options remaining for 69 additional wings 38 39 In November 2011 two A 10s flew with the new wings fitted The new wings improved mission readiness decreased maintenance costs and allowed the A 10 to be operated up to 2035 if necessary 40 Re winging work was organized under the Thick skin Urgent Spares Kitting TUSK Program 38 In 2014 as part of plans to retire the A 10 the USAF considered halting the wing replacement program to save an additional 500 million 41 42 however by May 2015 the re winging program was too advanced to be financially efficient to cancel 43 Boeing stated in February 2016 that the A 10 could operate to 2040 with the new TUSK wings 38 Modernization A 10C edit nbsp A 10C cockpit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum 2012 From 2005 to June 2011 44 the entire fleet of 356 A 10s and OA 10s were modernized in the Precision Engagement program and redesignated A 10C 45 Upgrades included all weather combat capability 32 an improved fire control system FCS electronic countermeasures ECM smart bomb targeting a modern communications suite including a Link 16 radio and Satcom 32 and cockpit upgrades comprising two multifunction displays and HOTAS configuration mixing the F 16 s flight stick with the F 15 s throttle 46 47 The Government Accountability Office in 2007 estimated the cost of upgrading refurbishing and service life extension plans to total 2 25 billion through 2013 18 48 In July 2010 the USAF issued Raytheon a contract to integrate a Helmet Mounted Integrated Targeting HMIT system into the A 10C 48 49 The LASTE system was replaced with the integrated flight and fire control computer IFFCC included in the PE upgrade 32 Throughout its life multiple software upgrades have been made While this work was to be stopped under plans to retire the A 10 in February 2014 Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James ordered that the latest upgrade designated Suite 8 continue in response to congressional pressure Suite 8 software includes IFF Mode 5 which modernizes the ability to identify the A 10 to friendly units 50 Additionally the Pave Penny pods and pylons were removed as their receive only capability has been replaced by the AN AAQ 28 V 4 LITENING AT targeting pods or Sniper XR targeting pod which both have laser designators and laser rangefinders 51 52 In 2012 Air Combat Command requested the testing of a 600 US gallon 2 300 L 500 imp gal external fuel tank which would extend the A 10 s loitering time by 45 60 minutes flight testing of such a tank had been conducted in 1997 but did not involve combat evaluation Over 30 flight tests were conducted by the 40th Flight Test Squadron to gather data on the aircraft s handling characteristics and performance across different load configurations It was reported that the tank slightly reduced stability in the yaw axis but there was no decrease in aircraft tracking performance 53 Design editOverview edit nbsp A 10 inboard profile drawing The A 10 has a cantilever low wing monoplane wing with a wide chord 33 It has superior maneuverability at low speeds and altitude due to its large wing area high wing aspect ratio and large ailerons The wing also allows short takeoffs and landings permitting operations from austere forward airfields near front lines The A 10 can loiter for extended periods and operate under 1 000 foot 300 m ceilings with 1 5 mile 2 4 km visibility It typically flies at a relatively low speed of 300 knots 350 mph 560 km h which makes it a better platform for the ground attack role than fast fighter bombers which often have difficulty targeting small slow moving targets 54 The leading edge of the wing has a honeycomb structure panel construction providing strength with minimal weight similar panels cover the flap shrouds elevators rudders and sections of the fins 55 The skin panels are integral with the stringers and are fabricated using computer controlled machining reducing production time and cost Combat experience has shown that this type of panel is more resistant to damage The skin is not load bearing so damaged skin sections can be easily replaced in the field with makeshift materials if necessary 56 The ailerons are at the far ends of the wings for greater rolling moment and have two distinguishing features The ailerons are larger than is typical almost 50 percent of the wingspan providing improved control even at slow speeds the aileron is also split making it a deceleron 57 58 nbsp Front view of an A 10 Note the 30 mm cannon and offset front landing gear The A 10 is designed to be refueled rearmed and serviced with minimal equipment 59 Its simple design enables maintenance at forward bases with limited facilities 60 61 An unusual feature is that many of the aircraft s parts are interchangeable between the left and right sides including the engines main landing gear and vertical stabilizers The sturdy landing gear low pressure tires and large straight wings allow operation from short rough strips even with a heavy aircraft ordnance load allowing the aircraft to operate from damaged airbases flying from taxiways or even straight roadway sections 62 The front landing gear is offset to the aircraft s right to allow placement of the 30 mm cannon with its firing barrel along the centerline of the aircraft 63 During ground taxi the offset front landing gear causes the A 10 to have dissimilar turning radii turning to the right on the ground takes less distance than turning left Note 1 The wheels of the main landing gear partially protrude from their nacelles when retracted making gear up belly landings easier to control and less damaging All landing gears retract forward if hydraulic power is lost a combination of gravity and aerodynamic drag can lower and lock the gear in place 58 Survivability edit The A 10 is battle hardened to an exceptional degree being able to survive direct hits from armor piercing and high explosive projectiles up to 23 mm It has double redundant hydraulic flight systems and a mechanical system as a backup if hydraulics are lost Flight without hydraulic power uses the manual reversion control system pitch and yaw control engages automatically roll control is pilot selected In manual reversion mode the A 10 is sufficiently controllable under favorable conditions to return to base though control forces are greater than normal It is designed to be able to fly with one engine half of the tail one elevator and half of a wing missing 64 As the A 10 operates close to enemy positions making it an easy target for man portable air defense system MANPADS surface to air missiles SAMs and enemy aircraft it carries both flares and chaff cartridges 65 nbsp This A 10 took heavy damage during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 including to the hydraulic system yet pilot Captain Kim Campbell safely flew it back to base on manual reversion mode The cockpit and parts of the flight control systems are protected by 1 200 lb 540 kg of titanium aircraft armor referred to as a bathtub 66 67 The armor has been tested to withstand strikes from 23 mm 0 91 in cannon fire and some indirect hits from 57 mm 2 2 in shell fragments 61 66 68 It is made up of titanium plates with thicknesses varying from 0 5 to 1 5 inches 13 to 38 mm determined by a study of likely trajectories and deflection angles The armor makes up almost six percent of the A 10 s empty weight Any interior surface of the tub directly exposed to the pilot is covered by a multi layer nylon spall shield to protect against shell fragmentation 69 70 The front windscreen and canopy are resistant to small arms fire 71 Its durability was demonstrated on 7 April 2003 when Captain Kim Campbell while flying over Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq suffered extensive flak damage that damaged one engine and crippled the hydraulic system requiring the stabilizer and flight controls to be operated via manual reversion mode Despite this Campbell s A 10 flew for nearly an hour and landed safely 72 73 The A 10 was intended to fly from forward air bases and semi prepared runways where foreign object damage to an aircraft s engines is normally a high risk The unusual location of the General Electric TF34 GE 100 turbofan engines decreases ingestion risk and also allows the engines to run while the aircraft is serviced and rearmed by ground crews reducing turn around time The wings are also mounted closer to the ground simplifying servicing and rearming operations citation needed The heavy engines require strong support four bolts connect the engine pylons to the airframe 74 The engines high 6 1 bypass ratio contributes to a relatively small infrared signature and their position directs exhaust over the tailplanes further shielding it from detection by infrared homing surface to air missiles citation needed To reduce the likelihood of damage to the fuel system all four fuel tanks are located near the aircraft s center and are separated from the fuselage projectiles would need to penetrate the aircraft s skin before reaching a fuel tank s outer skin 69 70 Compromised fuel transfer lines self seal if damage exceeds a tank s self sealing capabilities check valves prevent fuel from flowing into a compromised tank Most fuel system components are inside the tanks so that component failure will not lead to fuel loss The refueling system is also purged after use 75 Reticulated polyurethane foam lines both the inner and outer sides of the fuel tanks retaining debris and restricting fuel spillage in the event of damage The engines are shielded from the rest of the airframe by firewalls and fire extinguishing equipment If all four main tanks were lost two self sealing sump tanks contain fuel for 230 miles 370 km of flight 69 70 Weapons edit source source source source source source source source A 10C combat exercise at Nevada Test amp Training Ground against hard targets The A 10 s primary built in weapon is the 30 173 mm GAU 8 A Avenger autocannon One of the most powerful aircraft cannons ever flown the GAU 8 is a hydraulically driven seven barrel rotary cannon designed for the anti tank role with a high rate of fire The original design could be switched by the pilot to 2 100 or 4 200 depleted uranium armor piercing shells per minute 76 this was later changed to a fixed rate of 3 900 rounds per minute 77 The cannon takes about a half second to spin up to its maximum rate of fire firing 50 rounds during the first second and 65 or 70 rounds per second thereafter It is accurate enough to place 80 percent of its shots within a 40 foot 12 4 m diameter circle from 4 000 feet 1 220 m while in flight 78 The GAU 8 is optimized for a slant range of 4 000 feet 1 220 m with the A 10 in a 30 degree dive 79 nbsp Front view of the A 10 s GAU 8 installation The aircraft s fuselage was designed around the cannon The GAU 8 A is mounted slightly to the port side the barrel in the firing location is on the starboard side so it is aligned with the aircraft s centerline The gun s 5 foot 11 5 inch 1 816 m ammunition drum can hold up to 1 350 rounds of 30 mm ammunition 63 but generally holds 1 174 rounds 79 To protect the rounds from enemy fire armor plates of differing thicknesses between the aircraft skin and the drum are designed to detonate incoming shells 63 70 The A 10 commonly carries the AGM 65 Maverick air to surface missile Targeted via electro optical TV guided or infrared systems the Maverick can hit targets much farther away than the cannon and thus incur less risk from anti aircraft systems During Desert Storm in the absence of dedicated forward looking infrared FLIR cameras for night vision the Maverick s infrared camera was used for night missions as a poor man s FLIR 80 Other weapons include cluster bombs and Hydra 70 rocket pods 81 The A 10 is equipped to carry GPS and laser guided bombs such as the GBU 39 Small Diameter Bomb Paveway series bombs Joint Direct Attack Munitions JDAM Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser and AGM 154 Joint Standoff Weapon glide bombs 82 A 10s usually fly with an ALQ 131 Electronic countermeasures ECM pod under one wing and two AIM 9 Sidewinder air to air missiles for self defense under the other wing 83 Colors and markings edit nbsp An A 10 from the 343rd Tactical Fighter Wing prepares to drop Mark 82 bombs at the Yukon Command Training Site in 1988 Aircraft camouflage is used to make the A 10 more difficult to see as it flies low to the ground at subsonic speeds Many types of paint schemes have been tried These have included a peanut scheme of sand yellow and field drab black and white colors for winter operations and a tan green and brown mixed pattern 84 The most common Cold War era scene was the European I woodland camouflage whose dark green medium green and dark gray was meant to blend in with the typical European forest terrain It reflected the assumption that the threat from hostile fighter aircraft outweighed that from ground fire After the 1991 Gulf War the threat from ground fire was deemed more pressing than the air to air threat leading to the Compass Ghost scheme with darker gray on top and a lighter gray on the underside of the aircraft 85 Many A 10s also had a false canopy painted in dark gray on the underside of the aircraft just behind the gun This form of automimicry is an attempt to confuse the enemy as to aircraft attitude and maneuver direction 86 87 Many A 10s feature nose art such as shark mouth or warthog head features Operational history editService entry edit nbsp Arkansas Air National Guard A 10C firing an AGM 65 air to surface missile on a firing range at Davis Monthan AFB The first unit to receive the A 10 was the 355th Tactical Training Wing based at Davis Monthan Air Force Base Arizona in March 1976 88 The first unit to achieve full combat readiness was the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base South Carolina in October 1977 89 A 10 deployments followed at bases both at home and abroad including England AFB Louisiana Eielson AFB Alaska Osan Air Base South Korea and RAF Bentwaters RAF Woodbridge England The 81st TFW of RAF Bentwaters RAF Woodbridge operated rotating detachments of A 10s at four bases in Germany known as Forward Operating Locations FOLs Leipheim Sembach Air Base Norvenich Air Base and RAF Ahlhorn 90 A 10s were initially an unwelcome addition to many in the USAF most pilots did not want to switch to it as fighter pilots traditionally favored speed and appearance 91 In 1987 many A 10s were shifted to the forward air control FAC role and redesignated OA 10 92 In the FAC role the OA 10 is typically equipped with up to six pods of 2 75 inch 70 mm Hydra rockets usually with smoke or white phosphorus warheads used for target marking OA 10s are physically unchanged and remain fully combat capable despite the redesignation 93 The 23rd TFW s A 10s were deployed to Bridgetown Barbados during Operation Urgent Fury the 1983 American Invasion of Grenada They provided air cover for the U S Marine Corps landings on the island of Carriacou in late October 1983 but did not fire weapons as no resistance was met 94 95 96 Gulf War and Balkans edit nbsp A 10A after Operation Desert Storm 1992 The A 10 was used in combat for the first time during the Gulf War in 1991 with 132 being deployed 97 A 10s shot down two Iraqi helicopters with the GAU 8 cannon The first of these was shot down by Captain Robert Swain over Kuwait on 6 February 1991 for the A 10 s first air to air victory 98 99 Four A 10s were shot down during the war by surface to air missiles and eleven A 10s were hit by anti air artillery rounds 100 Another two battle damaged A 10s and OA 10As returned to base and were written off Some sustained additional damage in crash landings 101 102 At the beginning of the war A 10s flew missions against the Iraqi Republican Guard but due to heavy attrition from 15 February they were restricted to within 20 nautical miles 37 km of the southern border 103 104 A 10s also flew missions hunting Iraqi Scud missiles The A 10 had a mission capable rate of 95 7 percent flew 8 100 sorties and launched 90 percent of the AGM 65 Maverick missiles fired in the conflict 105 Shortly after the Gulf War the USAF abandoned the idea of replacing the A 10 with a CAS version of the F 16 106 nbsp An A 10A during Operation Allied Force A 10s fired approximately 10 000 30 mm rounds in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994 95 Following the seizure of heavy weapons by Bosnian Serbs from a warehouse in Ilidza multiple sorties were launched to locate and destroy the captured equipment On 5 August 1994 two A 10s located and strafed an anti tank vehicle Afterward the Serbs agreed to return the remaining heavy weapons 107 In August 1995 NATO launched an offensive called Operation Deliberate Force A 10s flew CAS missions attacking Bosnian Serb artillery and positions In late September A 10s began flying patrols again 108 A 10s returned to the Balkan region as part of Operation Allied Force in Kosovo beginning in March 1999 108 In March 1999 A 10s escorted and supported search and rescue helicopters in finding a downed F 117 pilot 109 The A 10s were deployed to support search and rescue missions but gradually received more ground attack missions The A 10 s first successful attack in Operation Allied Force happened on 6 April 1999 A 10s remained in action until the end of combat in June 1999 110 Afghanistan Iraq Libya and recent deployments edit During the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan A 10s did not initially take part Beginning in March 2002 A 10 squadrons were deployed to Pakistan and Bagram Air Base Afghanistan for the campaign against Taliban and Al Qaeda known as Operation Anaconda Afterwards they remained in country fighting Taliban and Al Qaeda remnants 111 Operation Iraqi Freedom began on 20 March 2003 Sixty OA 10 A 10s took part in early combat 112 United States Air Forces Central Command issued Operation Iraqi Freedom By the Numbers a declassified report about the aerial campaign in the conflict on 30 April 2003 During the initial invasion of Iraq A 10s had a mission capable rate of 85 percent and fired 311 597 rounds of 30 mm ammunition The type also flew 32 missions to airdrop propaganda leaflets A single A 10 was shot down near Baghdad International Airport by Iraqi fire late in the campaign citation needed In September 2007 the A 10C with the Precision Engagement Upgrade reached initial operating capability 113 The A 10C first deployed to Iraq in 2007 with the 104th Fighter Squadron of the Maryland Air National Guard 114 The A 10C s digital avionics and communications systems greatly reduced the time to acquire and attack CAS targets 115 A 10s flew 32 percent of combat sorties in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom These sorties ranged from 27 800 to 34 500 annually between 2009 and 2012 In the first half of 2013 they flew 11 189 sorties in Afghanistan 116 From the start of 2006 to October 2013 A 10s conducted 19 percent of CAS missions in Iraq and Afghanistan more than the F 15E Strike Eagle and B 1B Lancer but less than the 33 percent flown by F 16s 117 nbsp An A 10 peels away from a KC 135 tanker over Afghanistan February 2011 with Pave Penny pod visible and featuring a false canopy painted in dark gray on the underside In March 2011 six A 10s were deployed as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn the coalition intervention in Libya They participated in attacks on Libyan ground forces there 118 119 The USAF 122nd Fighter Wing revealed it would deploy to the Middle East in October 2014 with 12 A 10s Although the deployment had been planned a year in advance in a support role the timing coincided with the ongoing Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIL militants 120 121 122 From mid November U S commanders began sending A 10s to hit IS targets in central and northwestern Iraq on an almost daily basis 123 124 In a two month period A 10s flew 11 percent of all USAF sorties since the start of operations in August 2014 125 On 15 November 2015 two days after the ISIL attacks in Paris A 10s and AC 130s destroyed a convoy of over 100 ISIL operated oil tanker trucks in Syria as part of an intensification of the U S led intervention against ISIL called Operation Tidal Wave II named after Operation Tidal Wave during World War II a failed attempt to raid German oil fields in an attempt to stop oil smuggling as a source of funds for the group 126 The A 10 was involved in the killing of 35 Afghan civilians from 2010 to 2015 more than any other U S military aircraft and also involved in killing ten U S troops in friendly fire over four incidents between 2001 and 2015 These incidents have been assessed as inconclusive and statistically insignificant in terms of the plane s capability 127 On 19 January 2018 12 A 10s from the 303d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron were deployed to Kandahar Airfield Afghanistan to provide CAS marking the first time in more than three years A 10s had been deployed to Afghanistan 128 Future edit nbsp 23rd Fighter Group A 10s on alert The A 10 s future remains a subject of debate In 2007 the USAF expected it to remain in service until 2028 and possibly later 129 when it would likely be replaced by the Lockheed Martin F 35 Lightning II 39 Director of the Straus Military Reform Project of the Project On Government Oversight Winslow Wheeler a critic of this plan said that replacing the A 10 with the F 35 would be a giant leap backwards given the A 10 s performance and the F 35 s high costs 130 In 2012 the USAF considered the F 35B STOVL variant as a replacement CAS aircraft but concluded that it could not generate sufficient sorties 131 In August 2013 Congress and the USAF examined various proposals including the F 35 and the MQ 9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle filling the A 10 s role Proponents state that the A 10 s armor and cannon are superior to aircraft such as the F 35 for ground attack that guided munitions could be jammed and that ground commanders commonly request A 10 support 116 In the USAF s FY 2015 budget the service considered retiring the A 10 and other single mission aircraft prioritizing multi mission aircraft cutting a whole fleet and its infrastructure was seen as the only method for major savings The U S Army had expressed interest in obtaining some A 10s were the USAF to retire them 132 133 but later stated there was no chance of that happening 134 The USAF stated that retirement would save 3 7 billion from 2015 to 2019 Guided munitions allows more aircraft to perform CAS duties and reduces the need for specialized aircraft since 2001 multirole aircraft and bombers have performed 80 percent of operational CAS missions The USAF also said that the A 10 was increasingly vulnerable to modern anti aircraft weapons but the Army replied that it had proved invaluable due to its versatile weapons loads psychological impact and limited logistics needs 135 nbsp USAF crewmen perform maintenance on an A 10 s nose in the Persian Gulf region in 2003 In January 2015 USAF officials told lawmakers that it would take 15 years to fully develop a new attack aircraft to replace the A 10 136 that year General Herbert J Carlisle the head of Air Combat Command stated that a follow on weapon system for the A 10 may need development 137 It planned for F 16s and F 15Es to initially take up CAS sorties and later by the F 35A once sufficient numbers become operationally available over the next decade 138 In July 2015 Boeing held initial discussions on the prospects of selling retired or stored A 10s in near flyaway condition to international customers 43 However the USAF stated that it would not permit any to be sold 139 Plans to develop a replacement aircraft were announced by the US Air Combat Command in August 2015 140 141 In 2016 the USAF began studying future CAS aircraft to succeed the A 10 in low intensity permissive conflicts like counterterrorism and regional stability operations noting the F 35 to be too expensive to operate in day to day roles Various platforms were considered including low end AT 6 Wolverine and A 29 Super Tucano turboprops and the Textron AirLand Scorpion as more basic off the shelf options to more sophisticated clean sheet attack aircraft or AT X derivatives of the T X next generation trainer as wholly new attack platforms 138 142 143 In January 2016 the USAF was indefinitely freezing plans to retire the A 10 Beyond congressional opposition its use in anti ISIS operations deployments to Eastern Europe as a response to Russia s military intervention in Ukraine and reevaluation of F 35 numbers necessitated its retention 144 145 In February 2016 the USAF deferred the final retirement date until 2022 after F 35s replace it on a squadron by squadron basis 146 147 In October 2016 the USAF Materiel Command brought the depot maintenance line back to full capacity in preparation for re winging the fleet 148 In June 2017 it was announced that the A 10 is retained indefinitely 149 5 Due to opposition from Congress the USAF has failed to retire the A 10 for many years However the Air Force s plan to divest 21 A 10s gained congressional approval in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act NDAA 150 151 The retired A 10s at Fort Wayne will be replaced by an equal number of F 16s 151 The 2024 NDAA is expected to retire an additional 42 aircraft with Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Brown expecting all A 10s to be retired by 2028 or 2029 152 However Congress would pause further cuts unless the Air Force demonstrates how other aircraft can fulfill the Close Air Support missions currently undertaken by the A 10 153 According to Dan Grazier from Project on Government Oversight the Air Force is ill prepared for this transition because it requires no Close Air Support training for its F 35 pilots despite the F 35 being advertised as the main replacement for the A 10 154 The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine led to some observers pushing for A 10s to be loaned to Ukraine while critics noted the diplomatic and tactical complications involved 155 156 In an interview in December 2022 Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that in late March he asked the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for 100 surplus A 10s noting their value against Russian tank columns However Austin reportedly told Minister Reznikov that the plan was impossible and that the old fashioned and slow A 10 would be a squeaky target for Russian air defenses 157 After multiple rejections from Congress the USAF gained congressional permission to start retiring A 10s in 2023 150 151 Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Brown expects all A 10s to be retired by 2028 or 2029 152 However further cuts to the number of active duty A 10s will be paused by Congress until the USAF demonstrates its Close Air Support capabilities can be replaced by other aircraft 153 Other uses edit nbsp A 10 at RAF Fairford 2005 On 25 March 2010 an A 10 conducted the first flight of an aircraft with all engines powered by a biofuel blend comprising a 1 1 blend of JP 8 and Camelina based fuel 158 On 28 June 2012 the A 10 became the first aircraft to fly using a new fuel blend derived from alcohol known as ATJ Alcohol to Jet the fuel is cellulosic based and can be produced using wood paper grass or any cellulose based material which are fermented into alcohols before being hydro processed into aviation fuel ATJ is the third alternative fuel to be evaluated by the USAF as a replacement for the petroleum derived JP 8 fuel Previous types were synthetic paraffinic kerosene derived from coal and natural gas and a bio mass fuel derived from plant oils and animal fats known as Hydroprocessed Renewable Jet 159 In 2011 the National Science Foundation granted 11 million to modify an A 10 for weather research for CIRPAS at the U S Naval Postgraduate School 160 and in collaboration with scientists from the South Dakota School of Mines amp Technology SDSM amp T 161 replacing SDSM amp T s retired North American T 28 Trojan 162 In 2018 this plan was found to be too risky due to the costly modifications required thus the program was canceled 163 Variants edit nbsp A updated A 10C arrives at Davis Monthan AFB 29 November 2006 YA 10A Pre production variant 12 were built 164 A 10A Single seat close air support ground attack production version OA 10A A 10As used for airborne forward air control YA 10B Night Adverse Weather N AW Two seat experimental prototype for work at night and in bad weather The one YA 10B prototype was converted from an A 10A 165 166 A 10C A 10As updated under the incremental Precision Engagement PE program 45 A 10PCAS Proposed unmanned version developed by Raytheon and Aurora Flight Sciences as part of DARPA s Persistent Close Air Support program 167 The PCAS program eventually dropped the idea of using an optionally manned A 10 168 SPA 10 Proposed by the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology to replace its North American T 28 Trojan thunderstorm penetration aircraft The A 10 would have its military engines avionics and oxygen system replaced by civilian versions The engines and airframe would receive protection from hail and the GAU 8 Avenger would be replaced with ballast or scientific instruments 169 Project canceled after partial modification of a single A 10C 163 170 Operators edit nbsp An A 10 Thunderbolt II refueling nbsp Four A 10s of the 103rd Fighter Squadron Pennsylvania Air National Guard fly in formation during a refueling mission nbsp A 10C of the 163rd Fighter Squadron Fort Wayne Air National Guard nbsp USAF A 10A showing kill markings from Operation Desert Storm 1991 nbsp An A 10 firing its 30 mm GAU 8 Gatling gun during testing The A 10 has been flown exclusively by the United States Air Force and its Air Reserve components the Air Force Reserve Command AFRC and the Air National Guard ANG As of 2017 update 282 A 10C aircraft are reported as operational divided as follows 141 USAF 55 AFRC 86 ANG 171 nbsp United States United States Air Force Air Force Materiel Command 514th Flight Test Squadron Hill AFB Utah 1993 present 23rd Wing 74th Fighter Squadron Moody AFB Georgia 1980 1992 1996 present 75th Fighter Squadron Moody AFB Georgia 1980 1991 1992 present 51st Fighter Wing 25th Fighter Squadron Osan AFB South Korea 1982 1989 1993 present 53rd Wing 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron Nellis AFB Nevada 1977 present 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron Eglin AFB Florida 1977 present 57th Wing 66th Weapons Squadron Nellis AFB Nevada 1977 1981 2003 present 96th Test Wing 40th Flight Test Squadron Eglin AFB Florida 1982 present 122nd Fighter Wing Indiana ANG 163rd Fighter Squadron Fort Wayne ANGS Indiana 2010 present 124th Fighter Wing Idaho ANG 190th Fighter Squadron Gowen Field ANGB Idaho 1996 present 127th Wing Michigan ANG 107th Fighter Squadron Selfridge ANGB Michigan 2008 present 175th Wing Maryland ANG 104th Fighter Squadron Warfield ANGB Maryland 1979 present 355th Fighter Wing 354th Fighter Squadron Davis Monthan AFB Arizona 1979 1982 1991 present 357th Fighter Squadron Davis Monthan AFB Arizona 1979 present 442nd Fighter Wing AFRC 303d Fighter Squadron Whiteman AFB Missouri 1982 present 476th Fighter Group AFRC 76th Fighter Squadron Moody AFB Georgia 1981 1992 2009 present 495th Fighter Group 358th Fighter Squadron Whiteman AFB Missouri 1979 2014 2015 present 924th Fighter Group AFRC 45th Fighter Squadron Davis Monthan AFB Arizona 1981 1994 2009 present 47th Fighter Squadron Davis Monthan AFB Arizona 1980 present Former squadrons edit 18th Tactical Fighter Squadron 1982 1991 23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron 1987 1991 OA 10 unit 55th Tactical Fighter Squadron 1994 1996 70th Fighter Squadron 1995 2000 78th Tactical Fighter Squadron 1979 1992 81st Fighter Squadron 1994 2013 91st Tactical Fighter Squadron 1978 1992 92nd Tactical Fighter Squadron 1978 1993 103rd Fighter Squadron Pennsylvania ANG 1988 2011 OA 10 unit 118th Fighter Squadron Connecticut ANG 1979 2008 131st Fighter Squadron Massachusetts ANG 1979 2007 138th Fighter Squadron New York ANG 1979 1989 172nd Fighter Squadron Michigan ANG 1991 2009 176th Tactical Fighter Squadron Wisconsin ANG 1981 1993 184th Fighter Squadron Arkansas ANG 2007 2014 353rd Tactical Fighter Squadron 1978 1992 355th Tactical Fighter Squadron 1978 1992 1993 2007 356th Tactical Fighter Squadron 1977 1992 a 509th Tactical Fighter Squadron 1979 1992 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron 1979 1994 511th Tactical Fighter Squadron 1980 1992 706th Fighter Squadron 1982 1992 1997 2007 Aircraft on display editGermany edit A 10A 77 0264 Spangdahlem AB Bitburg 172 South Korea edit A 10A 76 0515 Osan AB 173 United Kingdom edit A 10A 77 0259 American Air Museum at Imperial War Museum Duxford 174 80 0219 Bentwaters Cold War Museum 175 United States edit YA 10A 71 1370 Joint Base Langley Eustis Langley AFB Hampton Virginia 176 YA 10B 73 1664 Air Force Flight Test Center Museum Edwards AFB California 177 A 10A 73 1666 Hill Aerospace Museum Hill AFB Utah 178 nbsp A 10 at Hill Aerospace Museum 73 1667 Flying Tiger Heritage Park at the former England AFB Louisiana repainted as 73 3667 179 180 75 0263 Empire State Aerosciences Museum Glenville New York 181 75 0270 McChord Air Museum McChord AFB Washington 182 75 0293 Wings of Eagles Discovery Center Elmira New York 183 75 0288 Air Force Armament Museum Eglin AFB Florida 184 75 0289 Heritage Park Eielson AFB Alaska 185 75 0298 Pima Air amp Space Museum adjacent to Davis Monthan AFB Tucson Arizona 186 nbsp A 10A at Museum of Aviation Robins AFB nbsp YA 10B 73 1664 75 0305 Museum of Aviation Robins AFB Warner Robins Georgia 187 75 0308 Moody Heritage Park Moody AFB Valdosta Georgia 188 75 0309 Shaw AFB Sumter South Carolina Marked as AF Ser No 81 0964 assigned to the 55 FS from 1994 to 1996 The represented aircraft was credited with downing an Iraqi Mi 8 Hip helicopter on 15 February 1991 while assigned to the 511 TFS 189 190 76 0516 Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum at the former NAS Willow Grove Horsham Pennsylvania 191 76 0530 Whiteman AFB Missouri 192 76 0535 Cradle of Aviation Garden City New York 193 76 0540 Aerospace Museum of California McClellan Airport former McClellan AFB Sacramento California 194 77 0199 Stafford Air amp Space Museum Weatherford Oklahoma 77 0205 USAF Academy collection Colorado Springs Colorado 195 77 0228 Grissom Air Museum Grissom ARB former Grissom AFB Peru Indiana 196 77 0244 Wisconsin Air National Guard Museum Volk Field ANGB Wisconsin 197 77 0252 Cradle of Aviation Garden City New York nose section only 198 78 0681 National Museum of the United States Air Force Wright Patterson AFB Dayton Ohio 199 78 0687 Don F Pratt Memorial Museum Fort Campbell Kentucky 200 79 0097 Warbird Park former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base South Carolina 201 79 0100 Barnes Air National Guard Base Westfield Massachusetts 202 79 0103 Bradley Air National Guard Base Windsor Locks Connecticut 203 79 0116 Warrior Park Davis Monthan AFB Tucson Arizona 204 79 0173 New England Air Museum Windsor Locks Connecticut 205 79 0195 Russell Military Museum Zion Illinois 206 207 80 0168 Fort Wayne Air National Guard Base Fort Wayne Indiana 208 80 0247 American Airpower Museum Republic Airport Farmingdale New York 209 80 0708 Selfridge Military Air Museum Selfridge Air National Guard Base Harrison Township Michigan 210 81 0987 Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Goldsboro North Carolina 211 212 Specifications A 10C edit nbsp nbsp A 10 s 30 mm GAU 8 Avenger cannon Data from The Great Book of Modern Warplanes 213 Fairchild Republic A OA 10 214 USAF 113 General characteristicsCrew 1 Length 53 ft 4 in 16 26 m Wingspan 57 ft 6 in 17 53 m Height 14 ft 8 in 4 47 m Wing area 506 sq ft 47 0 m2 Airfoil NACA 6716 root NACA 6713 tip Empty weight 24 959 lb 11 321 kg Gross weight 30 384 lb 13 782 kg CAS mission 47 094 lb 21 361 kg Anti armor mission 42 071 lb 19 083 kg Max takeoff weight 46 000 lb 20 865 kg 215 Fuel capacity 11 000 lb 4 990 kg internal Powerplant 2 General Electric TF34 GE 100A turbofans 9 065 lbf 40 32 kN thrust each Performance Maximum speed 381 kn 439 mph 706 km h at sea level clean 214 Cruise speed 300 kn 340 mph 560 km h Stall speed 120 kn 138 mph 220 km h at 30 000 lb 14 000 kg 216 Never exceed speed 450 kn 518 mph 833 km h at 5 000 ft 1 500 m with 18 Mark 82 bombs 217 214 Combat range 250 nmi 288 mi 463 km CAS mission 250 nmi 290 mi 460 km 1 88 hour loiter at 5 000 ft 1 500 m 10 min combat Anti armor mission 252 nmi 290 mi 467 km with sea level penetration and exit 30 min combat Ferry range 2 240 nmi 2 580 mi 4 150 km with 50 knots 58 mph 26 m s headwinds 20 minutes reserve Service ceiling 45 000 ft 13 700 m Rate of climb 6 000 ft min 30 m s Wing loading 99 lb sq ft 482 kg m2 Thrust weight 0 47 Armament Guns 1 30 mm 1 18 in GAU 8 A Avenger rotary cannon with 1 174 rounds Hardpoints 11 8 under wing and 3 under fuselage pylon stations with a capacity of 16 000 lb 7 260 kg with provisions to carry combinations of Rockets 4 LAU 61 LAU 68 rocket pods each with 19 7 Hydra 70 mm APKWS 219 rockets respectively 6 LAU 131 rocket pods each with 7 Hydra 70 rockets 220 221 Missiles 2 AIM 9 Sidewinder air to air missiles for self defense 6 AGM 65 Maverick air to ground missiles Bombs Mark 80 series of unguided iron bombs or Mk 77 incendiary bombs or BLU 1 BLU 27 B CBU 20 Rockeye II BL755 222 and CBU 52 58 71 87 89 97 cluster bombs or Paveway series of Laser guided bombs or Joint Direct Attack Munition JDAM A 10C 113 or Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser Other SUU 42A A Flares infrared decoys and chaff dispenser pod or 2 600 US gal 2 300 L Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for increased range loiter time Avionics Targeting pods AN AAQ 28 V 4 LITENING or AN AAQ 33 V 1 2 Sniper Countermeasures AN ALQ 131 223 or AN ALQ 184 V 11 12 224 ECM podsNotable appearances in media editMain article Aircraft in fiction A 10 Thunderbolt IINicknames editThe A 10 Thunderbolt II received its popular nickname Warthog from the pilots and crews of the USAF attack squadrons who flew and maintained it The A 10 is the last of Republic s jet attack aircraft to serve with the USAF The Republic F 84 Thunderjet was nicknamed the Hog F 84F Thunderstreak nicknamed Superhog and the Republic F 105 Thunderchief tagged Ultra Hog 225 The saying Go Ugly Early has been associated with the aircraft in reference to calling in the A 10 early to support troops in ground combat 226 See also edit nbsp Aviation portal nbsp United States portal Craig D Button USAF pilot who crashed mysteriously in an A 10 190th Fighter Squadron Blues and Royals friendly fire incident 1988 Remscheid A 10 crash Aircraft of comparable role configuration and era Ilyushin Il 102 Soviet Union Russia Northrop YA 9 United States of America Sukhoi Su 25 Soviet Union Russia Georgia Nanchang Q 5 People s Republic of China Related lists List of attack aircraft List of active United States military aircraftReferences editNotes edit First unit to become operational with the A 10 With the inner wheel on a turn stopped the minimum radius of the turn is dictated by the distance between the inner wheel and the nose wheel Since the distance is less between the right main wheel and the nose gear than the same measurement on the left the aircraft can turn more tightly to the right Citations edit a b Spick 2000 pp 17 52 Jenkins 1998 p 42 Fairchild Republic A 10A Thunderbolt II National Museum of the US Air Force archived from the original on 15 December 2018 Nijboer Donald 2016 Fighting Cock pits Minneapolis Minnesota Zenith Press p 192 ISBN 978 0 7603 4956 4 This would be the first air force fighter designed exclusively for close air support a b Keller Jared 8 June 2017 Fighter Pilot Turned Congresswoman Throws Wrench in Quiet Plans To Cut A 10 Squadrons Task amp Purpose Archived from the original on 21 September 2017 Air Force R amp D Chief Lt General Arnold Bunch testified that the service is committed to maintaining a minimum of six A 10 combat squadrons flying and contributing to the fight through 2030 with additional A 10 force structure is contingent on future budget levels and force structure requirements Piehler G Kurt ed 2013 Encyclopedia of Military Science associate editor M Houston Johnson Thousand Oaks Calif Sage Publications ISBN 978 1412969338 Knaack 1978 p 151 Hobson Chris 2001 Vietnam Air Losses USAF USN USMC Fixed Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia 1961 1973 Specialty Press ISBN 978 1 85780 115 6 a b c d e f Jacques amp Strouble 2010 Burton James G The Pentagon Wars Reformers Challenge the Old Guard Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press 1993 ISBN 1 55750 081 9 Coram 2004 page needed Price Bem 18 September 1966 Capital still buzzing whether TFX a colossal blunder Eugene Register Guard Oregon Associated Press p 5A Knaack 1978 pp 265 76 NATO A Pledge for Peace and Progress Canadian War Museum Archived from the original on 3 October 2016 Retrieved 2 July 2016 a b Jacques amp Strouble 2010 p 24 a b Jenkins 1998 p 12 Jenkins 1998 pp 16 17 a b GAO 07 415 Tactical Aircraft DOD Needs a Joint and Integrated Investment Strategy Archived 14 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine U S Government Accountability Office April 2007 Retrieved 5 March 2010 Jenkins 1998 p 19 New A 10 Jet Is Rated Over A 7 For Support of Combat Troops 20 June 1974 via NYTimes com Jenkins 1998 pp 18 20 Spick 2000 p 18 Jenkins 1998 p 21 A 10A Thunderbolt II Fact Sheet Republic Night Adverse Weather A 10 Archived 14 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the United States Air Force Retrieved 18 July 2010 Spick 2000 pp 52 55 Aircraft inventory Flight Test Historical Foundation Archived from the original on 17 May 2014 Retrieved 16 May 2014 Spick 2000 p 48 Jenkins 1998 p 652 Spick 2000 p 49 Donald and March 2004 p 46 a b c d Jensen David All New Warthog Archived 4 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine Avionics Magazine 1 December 2005 a b Fairchild A 10 Thunderbolt II Military Aircraft Forecast Forecast International 2002 Archived from the original on 6 October 2016 Garland amp Colombi 2010 pp 192 93 Garland amp Colombi 2010 pp 193 94 Jacques David 23 October 2008 Sustaining Systems Engineering The A 10 Example Based on A 10 Systems Engineering Case Study PDF Archived from the original PDF on 1 May 2017 Boeing Awarded 2 Billion A 10 Wing Contract Boeing 29 June 2007 Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine a b c Drew James 4 February 2016 USAF to continue A 10 Warthog wing production FlightGlobal Reed Business Archived from the original on 8 April 2018 Retrieved 8 April 2018 The same day the air force released a draft statement of work regarding construction of slightly updated versions of the A 10 enhanced wing assembly currently built by Boeing and Korean Aerospace Industries Boeing s contract includes 173 wings with options for 69 more but the Air Force confirms that ordering period ends in September Boeing has said those wings based on 3D models of the original thick skin wing design of the 1970s could keep the aircraft flying past 2040 a b Tirpak John A Making the Best of the Fighter Force Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Air Force magazine Vol 90 no 3 March 2007 US Air Force to Build 56 Additional A 10 Wings to Keep the Type Operating Through 2035 Archived 11 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine Deagel com 4 September 2013 Air Force Budget Proposal Preserves Cherished Modernization Programs Archived 23 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine Nationaldefensemagazine org 4 March 2014 A 10 Been There Considered That Archived 24 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Airforcemag com 24 April 2014 a b Boeing discussing international A 10 Warthog sales Archived 22 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine Flightglobal com 20 May 2015 A 10 Precision Engagement program holds its final roll out ceremony Archived 20 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine Hilltop Times via Ogden Publishing Corporation 14 January 2008 a b Schanz Marc V Not Fade Away Archived 10 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine Air Force Magazine June 2008 Next generation A 10C arrives at Davis Monthan Air Force Retrieved 20 March 2023 A 10C Capabilities Briefing Archived 20 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine U S Air Force via media jrn com Retrieved 22 December 2016 a b A Higher Tech Hog The A 10C PE Program Archived 24 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine Defense Industry Daily 21 July 2010 Defence amp Security Intelligence amp Analysis IHS Jane s 360 janes com Retrieved 1 April 2015 Majumdar Dave Air Force Reluctantly Upgrades A 10s After Congress Complains Archived 27 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine War is Boring blog Liveoak Brian AFSO21 Event for Osan s A 10 Phase Dock PDF The Exceptional Release Winter 2014 28 Archived PDF from the original on 6 October 2016 Retrieved 7 July 2016 A 10 Thunderbolt II 10th Air Force Retrieved 29 March 2024 40th FTS expands A 10 fuel limitations in combat Archived 1 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine Eglin AF mil 26 August 2013 Donald and March 2004 p 8 Air International May 1974 p 224 Drendel 1981 p 12 Stephens World Air Power Journal Spring 1994 p 64 a b Taylor 1982 pp 363 364 Spick 2000 pp 64 65 Fairchild Republic A 10A Thunderbolt II Air Force National Museum Archived from the original on 8 December 2015 Retrieved 29 November 2015 a b Donald and March 2004 p 18 Jenkins 1998 p 58 a b c Spick 2000 p 44 Henderson Breck W A 10 Warthogs damaged heavily in Gulf War bug survived to fly again Aviation Week and Space Technology 5 August 1991 A 10C Thunderbolt II U S Air Force 22 September 2015 Retrieved 14 May 2021 a b Jenkins 1998 pp 47 49 Spick 2000 p 32 Pietrucha Mike 26 May 2016 It s Not About the Airplane Envisioning the A X2 War on the Rocks Texas National Security Review Retrieved 20 July 2021 a b c Stephens World Air Power Journal Spring 1994 p 42 a b c d Air International June 1979 p 270 Spick 2000 pp 30 33 Haag Jason Wounded Warthog an A 10 Thunderbolt II pilot safely landed her Warthog after it sustained significant damage from enemy fire Archived 9 July 2012 at archive today Combat Edge April 2004 Capt Kim Campbell stripes com Retrieved 21 August 2011 Bell 1986 p 64 Wilson 1976 p 714 Stephens 1995 p 18 TCTO 1A 10 1089 Flight manual TO 1A 10A 1 20 February 2003 Change 8 pp vi 1 150A Sweetman 1987 p 46 a b Jenkins 1998 pp 64 73 Stephens World Air Power Journal Spring 1994 pp 53 54 Stephens World Air Power Journal Spring 1994 pp 54 56 Tlumacz Google translate google pl Stephens World Air Power Journal Spring 1994 p 53 Neubeck 1999 p 92 Stephens World Air Power Journal Spring 1994 p 47 Neubeck 1999 pp 72 73 76 77 Shaw 1985 p 382 Spick 2000 p 21 Spick 2000 p 51 Jenkins 1998 pp 42 56 59 Campbell 2003 pp 117 175 83 Jenkins 1998 p 63 Stephens World Air Power Journal Spring 1994 pp 50 56 Haulman Daniel L Crisis in Grenada Operation Urgent Fury PDF Air Force Historical Support Division US Air Force Archived PDF from the original on 6 October 2016 Retrieved 1 October 2016 Cooper Tom Sanjay Badri Maharaj Grenada 1983 Operation Urgent Fury acig info Archived from the original on 14 May 2016 Retrieved 25 September 2016 Factsheets Operation Urgent Fury af mil Archived from the original on 15 March 2016 Retrieved 25 September 2016 Operation Desert Storm Evaluation of the Air Campaign www govinfo gov Retrieved 24 March 2022 Coyne James P June 1992 Total Storm Air Force magazine Archived from the original on 20 November 2011 Retrieved 21 January 2016 Frantz Douglas 8 February 1991 Pilot Chalks Up First Warthog Air Kill Archived 11 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine Los Angeles Times Retrieved 21 January 2016 NSIAD 97 134 Operation Desert Storm Evaluation of the Air Campaign U S Government Accountability Office 1997 p 94 Fixed wing Combat Aircraft Attrition list of Gulf War fixed wing aircraft losses Gulf War Airpower Survey Vol 5 1993 Retrieved 24 October 2014 Archived 16 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine Friedman Norman Desert Victory World Air Power Journal NSIAD 97 134 Operation Desert Storm Evaluation of the Air Campaign PDF U S Government Accountability Office 1997 p 36 Gulf War Air Power Survey Volume V PDF United States Air Force 1993 p 218 A 10 OA 10 fact sheet Archived 30 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine U S Air Force October 2007 Retrieved 5 March 2010 A 16 Close Air Support Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine F 16 net Retrieved 5 March 2010 Sudetic Chuck U S Hits Bosnian Serb Target in Air Raid Archived 7 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times 6 August 1994 a b Donald and March 2004 pp 42 43 Pilot Gets 2nd Chance to Thank Rescuer Air Force Times 27 April 2009 Haave Col Christopher and Lt Col Phil M Haun A 10s over Kosovo Air University Press Maxwell Air Force Base Alabama December 2003 Retrieved 21 August 2011 Donald and March 2004 p 44 Donald and March 2004 pp 44 45 a b c Fact Sheet A 10 Thunderbolt II USAF 22 September 2015 Archived from the original on 11 November 2016 Maier Staff Sgt Markus Upgraded A 10s prove worth in Iraq U S Air Force 7 November 2007 Retrieved 5 March 2010 Doscher Staff Sgt Thomas J A 10C revolutionizes close air support Archived 16 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine U S Air Force 21 February 2008 Retrieved 5 March 2010 a b Fight to Keep A 10 Warthog in Air Force Inventory Reaches End Game Archived 7 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine Nationaldefensemagazine org September 2013 Air Force lawmakers clash over future of A 10 again Archived 30 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Militarytimes com 29 April 2014 New air missions attack Kadhafi troops Pentagon Archived 17 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine Agence France Presse 29 March 2011 Schmitt Eric U S Gives Its Air Power Expansive Role in Libya Archived 19 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times 29 March 2011 p A13 122nd Fighter Wing deploying 300 airmen to Mideast Archived 24 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine Journalgazette net 17 September 2014 Pentagon to deploy 12 A 10s to Middle East The Hill 22 September 2014 Archived from the original on 7 April 2015 Retrieved 1 April 2015 House Dem A 10 jets crucial to ISIS fight The Hill 23 September 2014 Archived from the original on 10 April 2015 Retrieved 1 April 2015 A 10s Hitting ISIS Targets in Iraq Archived 18 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine Military com 17 December 2014 A 10 attacking Islamic State targets in Iraq Archived 19 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine Militarytimes com 19 December 2014 A 10 Performing 11 Percent of Anti ISIS Sorties Defensenews com 19 January 2015 US A 10 Attack Planes Hit ISIS Oil Convoy to Crimp Terror Funding Archived 20 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine Military com 16 November 2015 Vanden Brook Tom 5 February 2015 A 10 warplane tops list for friendly fire deaths Air Force Times Retrieved 12 October 2022 Air Force deploys A 10s to Afghanistan to ramp up Taliban fight Fox News 23 January 2018 Archived from the original on 23 January 2018 Retrieved 23 January 2018 Trimble Steven US Air Force may extend Fairchild A 10 life beyond 2028 Archived 20 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine Flight International 29 August 2007 Retrieved 5 March 2010 Goozner Merill 382 511 billion in 2023 Billion for a Slightly Better Fighter Plane F 35 has plenty of support in Congress Archived 12 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Fiscal Times 11 February 2011 F 35B cannot generate enough sorties to replace A 10 Archived 19 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine Flight Global 16 May 2012 USAF Weighs Scrapping KC 10 A 10 Fleets Defense News 15 September 2013 USAF General A 10 Fleet Likely Done if Sequestration Continues Defense News 17 September 2013 Army Not Interested in Taking A 10 Warthogs from Air Force Archived 26 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine DoD Buzz 25 January 2015 A 10 Close Air Support Wonder Weapon or Boneyard Bound Breaking defense 19 December 2013 archived from the original on 22 December 2013 Pentagon Unveils Program to Help Build 6th Generation Fighter Archived 30 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine DoD Buzz 28 January 2015 Air Force considering A 10 replacement for future close air support Archived 13 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Flight global 13 February 2015 a b One week study re affirms A 10 retirement decision USAF Archived 18 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine Flightglobal 6 March 2015 USAF rules out international A 10 sales Archived 26 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine Flightglobal com 24 July 2015 Drew James A 10 replacement USAF strategy calls for future CAS platform FlightGlobal August 2015 Archive Strategy 2015 Securing the High Ground PDF Air Combat Command US Air Force Archived from the original PDF on 11 October 2015 Retrieved 1 October 2016 USAF studying future attack aircraft options Archived 10 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Flightglobal com 9 March 2016 Osborn Kris The Air Force Will Build a New A 10 like Close Air Support Aircraft Business Insider Archived from the original on 13 July 2016 Retrieved 12 July 2016 Report A 10 retirement indefinitely delayed Air Force Times 13 January 2016 Brad Lendon 21 January 2016 ISIS may have saved the A 10 CNN Archived from the original on 8 March 2016 DOD reveals arsenal plane and microdrones in budget speech Archived 3 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine Flightglobal com 2 February 2016 Bennett Jay 19 September 2016 The A 10 Retirement Could Be Delayed Yet Again Popular Mechanics Archived from the original on 16 January 2017 Retrieved 15 January 2017 Bennett Jay 25 October 2016 Air Force Fires Up the A 10 Depot Line to Keep Warthogs Flying Indefinitely popularmechanics com Hearst Communications Inc Archived from the original on 26 October 2016 Retrieved 25 October 2016 Haynes Deborah 9 June 2017 A 10 Warthog a badass plane with a big gun saved from scrapheap The Australian Archived from the original on 12 September 2017 a b Losey Stephen Eckstein Megan 16 June 2022 A 10 retirements more Air Force F 35s in Senate defense policy bill Defense News Retrieved 8 September 2023 a b c Losey Stephen 9 March 2023 US Air Force wants to retire all A 10s by 2029 Defense News Retrieved 8 September 2023 a b Novelly Thomas 20 June 2023 A 10s Were Saved from Retirement for Years Congress May Not Swoop to the Rescue This Time Military com Retrieved 8 September 2023 a b Schogol Jeff 29 June 2023 The A 10 is retiring and the Air Force has no close air support replacement Task amp Purpose Retrieved 8 September 2023 Grazier Dan 1 February 2023 Documents Show Air Force Leaders Shirking Their Close Air Support Responsibilities Project On Government Oversight Retrieved 8 September 2023 Pratt Everett 3 March 2022 Transfer three A 10 aircraft squadrons to Ukraine now Defense News Retrieved 8 March 2022 Demerly Tom 3 March 2022 Sorry A 10 Fans Stopping the Russian Army Convoy in Ukraine Isn t as Easy as BRRRRRRT The Aviationist Retrieved 8 March 2022 Karen DeYoung Dan Lamothe Isabelle Khurshudyan 23 December 2022 Inside the monumental stop start effort to arm Ukraine www washingtonpost com Retrieved 6 January 2023 Graham Ian Air Force scientists test develop bio jet fuels af mil 30 March 2010 Retrieved 18 July 2010 46th tests alcohol based fuel in A 10 Archived 5 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Eglin AF mil 2 July 2012 NSF to Turn Tank Killer Into Storm Chaser Archived 11 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine Science 11 November 2011 Dept of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences Research Facilities A10 Storm Penetrating Aircraft Archived 21 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine South Dakota School of Mines amp Technology Retrieved 20 February 2017 T 28 Instrumented Research Aircraft Archived 1 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine South Dakota School of Mines amp Technology Retrieved 22 July 2012 a b Rogoway Tyler The Storm Chasing A 10 Thunderhog Program Is Officially Dead Jet To Be Returned To USAF The Drive Retrieved 13 October 2018 Donald and March 2004 pp 9 10 Jenkins 1998 pp 92 93 Donald and March 2004 pp 12 16 Unmanned version of A 10 on way Archived 23 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine SpaceDaily com 20 February 2012 Darpa Refocuses Precision Close Air Support Effort On Manned Aircraft Archived 23 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Aviation Week 10 September 2013 Next generation Storm penetrating Aircraft PDF South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Archived from the original PDF on 12 November 2013 Retrieved 14 December 2013 Rogoway Tyler 24 September 2018 The Tragic Tale Of The A 10 Thunderhog Storm Chasing Jet That Almost Was The Drive Retrieved 24 February 2023 International Institute for Strategic Studies 2018 The Military Balance Routledge pp 54 57 ISBN 978 1857439557 A 10 Thunderbolt II 77 0264 Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 1 July 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 76 0505 Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 1 July 2015 Welcome to the American Air Museum Home Page Imperial War Museum Archived from the original on 27 August 2011 Retrieved 1 April 2015 Bentwaters Cold War Museum bcwm org uk Archived from the original on 23 October 2016 Retrieved 25 September 2016 A 10 Thunderbolt II 71 1370 Archived 2 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 5 April 2013 A 10 Thunderbolt II 73 1664 Archived 2 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine Air Force Flight Test Center Museum Retrieved 1 July 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 73 1666 Archived 23 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine Hill Aerospace Museum Retrieved 5 April 2013 A 10 Thunderbolt II 73 1667 Archived 23 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 1 July 2015 Wrongly described as 73 0667 on A 10 Thunderbolt II 77 0667 Archived 7 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine England AFB Heritage Park Retrieved 17 May 2017 A 10 Thunderbolt II 75 0263 Archived 29 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine Empire State Aerosciences Museum Retrieved 5 April 2013 A 10 Thunderbolt II 75 0270 Archived 24 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine McChord Air Museum Retrieved 5 April 2013 A 10 Thunderbolt II 75 0293 Archived 2 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine Wings of Eagles Discovery Center Retrieved 5 April 2013 A 10 Thunderbolt II 75 0288 Archived 12 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine Air Force Armament Museum Retrieved 5 April 2013 A 10 Thunderbolt II 75 0289 Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 1 July 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 75 0298 Archived 2 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine Pima Air amp Space Museum Retrieved 1 July 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 75 0305 Archived 5 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine Museum of Aviation Retrieved 5 April 2013 A 10 Thunderbolt II 75 0308 Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 1 July 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 75 0309 Archived 4 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 1 July 2015 The last strike A 10 Thunderbolt II preserved in Shaw s Air Park af mil Archived from the original on 8 December 2015 Retrieved 29 November 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 76 0516 Archived 2 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine Wings of Freedom Museum Retrieved 1 July 2015 Team Whiteman recovers A 10 aircraft Archived 2 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine Whiteman AFB Retrieved 21 July 2011 A 10 Thunderbolt II 76 0535 Archived 25 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine Cradle of Aviation Retrieved 5 April 2013 A 10 Thunderbolt II 76 0540 Archived 7 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine Aerospace Museum of California Retrieved 5 April 2013 A 10 Thunderbolt II 77 0205 Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 1 July 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 77 0228 Archived 13 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine Grissom Air Museum Retrieved 5 April 2013 A 10 Thunderbolt II 77 0244 Archived 23 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 1 July 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 77 0252 Archived 25 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine Cradle of Aviation Retrieved 5 April 2013 A 10 Thunderbolt II 78 0681 Archived 26 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the USAF Retrieved 29 August 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 78 0687 Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 1 July 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 79 0079 Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 1 July 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 79 0100 Archived 2 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 1 July 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 79 0103 Archived 2 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 1 July 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 79 0116 Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine aerialvisuals ca Retrieved 1 July 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II Archived 1 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine New England Air Museum Retrieved 5 April 2013 RMM Exhibits www russellmilitarymuseum com Aircraft Photo of 79 0195 AF79 195 Fairchild A 10A Thunderbolt II USA Air Force AirHistory net 42903 AirHistory net Aerial Visuals Airframe Dossier Fairchild Republic A 10A Thunderbolt II s N 80 0168 USAF A 10 Thunderbolt II 80 0247 Archived 4 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine American Airpower Museum Retrieved 1 July 2015 A 10 Thunderbolt II 80 0708 Archived 2 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine Selfridge Military Air Museum Retrieved 1 July 2015 The AMARC Experience Fairchild Republic A 10A Thunderbolt II 81 0987 www amarcexperience com Retrieved 24 April 2023 Leatherberry Earl 22 October 2011 A 10A Thunderbolt II U S Air Force 81 987 Seymour Johnson Air Force Base North Carolina retrieved 24 April 2023 Spick 2000 pp 21 44 48 a b c Jenkins 1998 p 54 Lockheed Martin HEBCO Inc 2 April 2012 Flight manual TO 1A 10C 1 Secretary of the Air Force pp 5 12 The maximum gross weight for towing taxiing takeoff and landing is 46 000 pounds Aalbers Willem Palerider 11 May 2001 History of the Fairchild Republic A 10 Thunderbolt II Part Two Simhq com archived from the original on 4 July 2008 retrieved 5 March 2010 Flight manual TO 1A 10A 1 20 February 2003 Change 8 pp 5 24 Fairchild A 10 Thunderbolt II Ground Attack Aircraft Military Today com www military today com Retrieved 22 April 2023 U S Air Force Deploys APKWS Laser Guided Rockets on F 16s baesystems com BAE 8 June 2016 Archived from the original on 11 June 2016 Retrieved 8 June 2016 Flight manual TO 1A 10A 1 15 March 1988 Change 8 pp 5 28 5 50 Flight manual TO 1A 10C 1 2 April 2012 Change 10 pp 5 33 5 49 Flight Manual TO 1A 10A 1 20 February 2003 Change 8 pp 5 30 John Pike AN ALQ 131 Self Protection Jammer Pod fas org Retrieved 21 April 2023 Lockheed Martin 2012 T O 1A 10C 1 Flight Manual USAF Series a 10C 2012 kupdf net HEBCO INC p Change 9 5 44 3 Retrieved 2 May 2023 Jenkins 1998 pp 4 backcover Jenkins 1998 pp 64 65 Bibliography edit Bell Dana 1986 A 10 Warthog in Detail amp Scale Blue Ridge Summit Pennsylvania TAB Books ISBN 0 8168 5030 5 Campbell Douglas N The Warthog and the Close Air Support Debate Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press 2003 ISBN 1 55750 232 3 Coram Robert 2004 2002 Boyd The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War Los Angeles Back Bay Books ISBN 0 316 79688 3 Donald David and Daniel J March eds A 10 Fighting Warthog Modern Battlefield Warplanes Norwalk Connecticut AIRtime 2004 ISBN 1 880588 76 5 Drendel Lou A 10 Warthog in Action Carrollton Texas Squadron Signal Publications 1981 ISBN 0 89747 122 9 The Fairchild A 10A More Thunder for the USAF Air International Vol 6 No 5 May 1974 pp 219 25 263 Bromley UK Pilot Press ISSN 0306 5634 The Fairchild Can Opener Shturmovik of the Eighties Air International Vol 16 No 6 June 1979 pp 267 72 287 Bromley UK Pilot Press ISSN 0306 5634 Fitzsimmons Bernard ed A 10 Thunderbolt II Modern Fighting Aircraft Series New York Arco Publishing Inc 1984 ISBN 0 668 06070 0 Jenkins Dennis R Fairchild Republic A OA 10 Warthog North Branch Minnesota Specialty Press 1998 ISBN 1 58007 013 2 Jacques David Strouble Dennis 2010 A 10 Thunderbolt II Warthog Systems Engineering Case Study PDF Technical report Air Force Institute of Technology Archived PDF from the original on 10 September 2015 Garland Charles Colombi John 2010 System Engineering Case Studies In Kamrani Ali Azimi Maryam eds Systems Engineering Tools and Methods CRC Press ISBN 9781439809273 Knaack Marcelle 1978 Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems Volume 1 Post World War II Fighters 1945 1973 Office of Air Force History ISBN 978 0 912799 59 9 Melampy Jake Modern Hog Guide The A 10 Exposed Trenton Ohio Reid Air Publications 2007 ISBN 0 9795064 2 5 Neubeck Ken A 10 Warthog Mini in action Carrollton Texas Squadron Signal Publications 1995 ISBN 0 89747 335 3 Neubeck Ken A 10 Warthog Walk Around Carrollton Texas Squadron Signal Publications 1999 ISBN 0 89747 400 7 Shaw Robert Fighter Combat Tactics and Maneuvering Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press 1985 ISBN 0 87021 059 9 Spick Mike The Great Book of Modern Warplanes London Salamander Books 2000 ISBN 1 84065 156 3 Stephens Rick A 10 Thunderbolt II World Air Power Journal 1995 ISBN 1 874023 54 9 Stephens Rick Fairchild A 10 Fighting Warthog World Air Power Journal Volume 16 Spring 1994 pp 32 83 Aerospace Publishing London ISBN 1 874023 36 0 ISSN 0959 7050 Sweetman Bill The Great Book of Modern Warplanes New York Portland House 1987 ISBN 0 517 63367 1 Taylor John W R Jane s All the World s Aircraft 1982 83 London Jane s Yearbooks 1982 ISBN 0 7106 0748 2 Wilson Michael 20 March 1976 Fairchild A 10 Flight International pp 707 17 archived from the original on 28 April 2015 Winchester Jim ed Fairchild A 10 Thunderbolt II Military Aircraft of the Cold War The Aviation Factfile Rochester Kent UK The Grange plc 2006 ISBN 1 84013 929 3 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to A 10 Thunderbolt II Republic A 10A page A 10 Construction and Night Adverse Weather A 10 pages on National Museum of the United States Air Force site TO 1A 10A 1 Flight Manual USAF Series A 10A Aircraft Serno 75 00258 and Subsequent 1988 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fairchild Republic A 10 Thunderbolt II amp oldid 1222321998, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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