It was slow, vulnerable to ground fire, and relatively lightly armed. īy the time of the Vietnam War, the 1940s-vintage propeller-driven Skyraider was the USAF's only dedicated close air support aircraft. With a variety of upgrades and wing replacements, the A-10's service life can be extended to 2040 the service has no planned retirement date as of June 2017. 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.
X plane 10 aircraft upgrade#
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 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. The A-10 also participated in other conflicts such as in Grenada, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and against the Islamic State in the Middle East. The A-10 served in the First Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm), the American–led intervention against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, where the aircraft distinguished itself. Its ability to take off and land from relatively short runways permits operation from airstrips close to the front lines, and its simple design enables maintenance with minimal facilities. Its 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.
The A-10 was intended to improve on the performance and firepower of the Douglas A-1 Skyraider. 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. 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.
In service since 1976, it is named for the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, a World War II-era fighter-bomber effective at attacking ground targets, but commonly referred to as the " Warthog" or " Hog". 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).
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