A-10 Thunderbolt

The A-10 is a close support aircraft, specialized in anti-tank warfare. It is a true master of the battlefield, the large low-set wings allow excellent low-speed maneuverability, while titanium armor shields the cockpit and ammunition case from ground fire.

History

During the Vietnam War, the concept for the A-10 was conceived, as a close support aircraft for low intensity conflicts. The concept eventually grew into a dedicated anti armor platform.

In 1970 six companies submitted designs, and Northrop and Fairchild were selected for a competitive fly-off, which occured in late 1972.
Fairchild's YA-10 prototype first flew on April 5 1972, and was selected over Northrop's YA-9 on 10 January 1973. The first production A-10 flew in October 1975, 707 A-10A's were build until 1984.
One two-seat version was build, and several A-10A's were redesignated as OA-10 for the Forward Air Control role.

Features

The Air Force required an aircraft that could fly relatively safely at low altitudes, while still having excellent maneuverability at low speeds. The A-10's wide and staight wings make this possible.
It is designed to operate from short unpaved runways and to withstand prolonged exposure to flak from the ground. The pilot is protected by a 3.8 cm thick 'bathtub' titanium structure, and a bulletproof bubble canopy.

The engines of the A-10 are seperated by the fuselage so a hit to one engine will not damage the other. The aircraft has a redundant flight control system, which is separated by fuel tanks and a manual reversion mode for flight controls. The fuel tanks themselves are filled with foam.
A redundant primary structure ensures the aircraft can return to safer airspace after being hit, the aircraft is designed to fly with one engine and a wing torn off. During the first gulf war, several badly damaged A-10's were able to return to their bases.

Many parts of the aircraft are interchangable between the left and right sides, including the engines, enabling the aircraft to be serviced and operated from bases with limited facilities near battle areas.

Being slow and heavy the A-10 is able to loiter over a battlefield, hunting for targets, in a way that fast jets cannot. It can loiter for extended periods of time and operate under 1,000-foot ceilings with 1.5-mile (2.4 kilometers) visibility. The A-10 has a typical mission radius of around 800 miles.

Built into the nose is a huge 30mm 7-barrel rotary cannon capable of firing depleted uranium shells at 2,100 or 4,200 rpm. The Thunderbolt II can compliment this with a large load of AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles and/or laser-guided bombs.

Upgrades

Since 1987 the prime contractor for the A-10 has been Northrop Grumman, which carried out support and structural upgrade programmes. Over 350 A-10 aircraft are in service with the US Air Force, Air Combat Command, the US Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard.

In 1990, the aircraft was modified to incorporate the Low Altitude Safety and Targeting Enhancements (LASTE) System. Commencing in 1999, the A/OA-10 fleet was additionally upgraded with the installation of an Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (EGI).

A-10C

The Precision Engagement upgrade program for the A-10 includes enhanced precision target engagement capabilities, which will allow the deployment of precision weapons such as JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) and Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD), as well as enabling an extension of the aircraft's service life to 2028. In 2005 this $300 million program to upgrade the entire A-10 fleet to the C model started, and was awarded to Lockheed Martin.

Improvements for the C model include:

• Two 5x5-inches multi-function color displays
• A new stick grip and right throttle to provide true hands-on-throttle and-stick (HOTAS) fingertip control of aircraft systems
• Situational awareness datalinks
• Digital stores management system (DSMS)
• Integrated Flight and Fire Control Computer (IFFCC)
• Litening AT or Sniper XR targeting pod for precision-guided weapons
• Helmet-mounted sighting system

A-10Cs can carry up to six Joint Direct Attack Munitions and Wind Corrected Munitions Dispensers. The Digital Stores Management System (DSMS), is integrated with the Sniper and LITENING targeting pods to give the aircraft a 'smart' weapons capability for its close air support role.

The upgrades give A-10 pilots an "unbelievable" increase in situational awareness, along with a reduced workload, said Maj. Trey Rawls, a pilot with Eglin's 40th Flight Test Squadron who commanded the aircraft during its first flight.

Integration of the targeting pods and DSMS took place in Lockheed Martin's state-of-the-art A-10 Systems Integration Lab (SIL) in Owego, NY, where A-10 pilots validated and refined the mechanization of the upgrade before official release of the software to ground and flight test. "The pilot reviews saved significant ground and flight test time," said Il Grande, the Lockheed Martin A-10 program director.

Up to 125 A-10 aircraft are to be upgraded by 2009. A parallel program will give the A-10 new engine pylons. It is possible that the A-10 engine will also be upgraded if funding is made available.

Recent developments (news)

Lockheed Receives Contracts To Continue A-10 Modernization And Sustainment

Posted at: Sat Nov 7th, 2009

Owego, NY, November 5th, 2009 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has received three contracts totaling $7.7 million from the U.S. Air Force for the continued modernization and sustainment of the A-10 close air support fighter jet. 

Boeing Receives A-10 Modernization Contracts From US Air Force

Posted at: Thu Sep 24th, 2009

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 24, 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] announced today that it has received two separate contracts from the U.S. Air Force to support modernization of the service's fleet of 365 A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. The contracts, which hav...

A-10Cs to receive new sniper pods

Posted at: Tue Jul 7th, 2009

MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (ACCNS) -- This fall, Moody pilots operating in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan will be armed with new targeting pods designed to increase the already lethal capabilities. A number of the 23rd Fighter Group's ... » A-10 Thunderbolt RSS News Feed

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