Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II

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The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single seat close air support jet aircraft which is powered by twin engines mounted on the fuselage just behind the wings. The engines are mounted in this position to protect them from anti-aircraft gun fire originating on the ground. The A-10 features a straight wing design which is incorporated on the aircraft for a variety of reasons. This is the first aircraft to be designed by the United States Air Force with a primary role of providing close air support to ground troops. The A-10 is commonly known as the Warthog or simply Tank Killer as it has a reputation for taking out tanks with minimal effort. The overall design and styling allows the A-10 to be highly maneuverable at very low speeds and it can also hover over a small area for long periods of time to provide constant support to ground troops. While it may be one of the slowest and least visually appealing aircraft in the military, it is also probably the toughest military aircraft in the world. The A-10 is known for its almost indestructible construction as many have been hit multiple times and still made it safely back to base. The basic design of the aircraft was based around the GAU-8 Avenger heavy rotary cannon, which is the aircraft’s primary weapon and it is still the heaviest rotary cannon to ever be mounted on an aircraft.

Design
The A-10 was designed with the goals of being highly maneuverable at low speeds, having the ability to take off from damaged or shortened runways, and being able to withstand extensive damage. It features very large, straight wings which provide it with a high wing aspect ratio. This allows it to be highly maneuverable at low speeds and perform short take offs and landings. This makes it possible for the A-10 to operate from damaged runways or areas improvised to be runways, such as a small section of a roadway. The overall design was created to allow the A-10 to be serviced and operated from minimally equipped air fields. For example, the skin material on the wings can be replaced, in a pinch, with a variety of materials usually found at any airfield. The belly of the A-10 features extensive armor plating to protect critical areas from ground attacks. Another feature that helps protect it in the event of being hit is the self sealing fuel tanks which will survive direct hits from small arms fire.

The A-10 incorporates triple redundancy among its flight systems which enables it to continue flying in the event of being hit in critical areas. It features two hydraulic systems along with a final mechanical back up system which allows pilots to fly after sustaining severe damage to flight systems. While it is obviously more difficult to pilot using mechanical controls it can provide a pilot with the ability to safely return to base instead of abandoning the aircraft. The A-10 also has the ability to maintain flight with only one tail, one engine, one elevator, and with half of a wing blow off. This has proven to be an important feature as there have been multiple cases of A-10s safely landing with extensive damage. Many of the parts are interchangeable from one side to the other so it is much easier to repair most areas that are damaged.

The A-10 uses twin GE TF34-GE-100 turbofan engines mounted high up on the aircraft, which provide a few advantages. The first advantage is that the high location of the engines allow it to take off from runways which are less than ideal and covered with small debris. Since the engines are up so high they will not be damaged from sucking up debris on the ground. The high placement of the engines also allows ground crews to service and rearm the aircraft, without having to shut down the engines. The engines are also somewhat shielded from ground fire in this position, providing them with increased protection.

Development
The A-10 was developed as a result of lessons learned in the Vietnam War, which identified the need for an aircraft which was able to fly at low speed over low altitudes and have the ability to withstand hits from small arms fire. The need for an aircraft dedicated to close air support was spearheaded by members of the USAF when they sent out a request for proposal to manufacturers in 1970. There was a separate request for proposal sent to defense contractors for the rotary cannon that was to be used as the primary armament in the A-10. The RFP for the aircraft specified that it needed to have a top speed of 460mph, takeoff distance of 4,000 feet, external payload of at least 16,000 pounds and cost less than $1.4 million per unit. The Fairchild Republic design was chosen in 1973 and the first production model made its maiden flight in October of 1975. Regular deliveries to the Air Force began in 1976, with a total of 715 being delivered up until the time when the last unit was delivered in 1984. The A-10 has had several systems added along the way but no subsequent units have been produced. It is scheduled to fly until at least 2028 when it will be evaluated for replacement or continuing operation.