The lack of modern conventional attack capability prompted calls for a specialized attack aircraft. Air Force and Navy lost 266 A-1s in action in Vietnam, largely from small-arms fire. 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. military entered the Vietnam War, its main ground-attack aircraft was the Korean War-era Douglas A-1 Skyraider. The development of conventionally armed attack aircraft in the United States stagnated after World War II, 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. It was slow, vulnerable to ground fire, and relatively lightly armed. 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.ĭevelopment Background By the time of the Vietnam War, the 1940s-vintage propeller-driven Skyraider was the USAF's only dedicated close air support aircraft. 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. 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 the Balkans, Afghanistan, the Iraq War, and against the Islamic State in the Middle East. It served in the 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 and/or unpaved runways permits operation from airstrips close to the front lines, and its simple design enables maintenance with minimal facilities. 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. The Thunderbolt II's airframe was designed around the high-power 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary autocannon. 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 after the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, but is commonly referred to as the " Warthog" or simply " 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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