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Published: 2016-08-05 13:41:30 +0000 UTC; Views: 4196; Favourites: 42; Downloads: 0
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Description
The Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II is a purpose designed tank-buster and ground attack aircraft. More commonly called the Warthog, it entered service in 1977 and has seen combat many times since 1991.The A-10 was built around the GAU-8 30mm cannon which takes up most of the forward space in the aircraft. The principle of the aircraft design is simple: to fly close to front-line troops, be highly manoeuvrable, resistant to damage, and provide high stopping power.
The Warthog is armed with 1 x 30mm machine cannon with 1,174 rounds and 11 pylons for missiles, bombs, rockets, or fuel tanks. 2 x AIM-9s are normally carried for self-defence, and AGM-65s are a standard load, but almost any ground-attack munition can be used.
This example is an A-10A of the 47th Fighter Squadron USAF 1995.
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Comments: 8
Skorpychan [2016-08-05 14:32:38 +0000 UTC]
I always liked the utilitarian look of ground attack aircraft.
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Claveworks In reply to Skorpychan [2016-08-06 11:33:49 +0000 UTC]
Yep, form follows function as they say - and starting with the gun and building the plane around it gives you a Warthog.
The whole thing is a classic example really: Straight wings for better turning at low speed, high up armoured cockpit to help the pilot see, engines set up out of way of ground fire, twin fins are also a smaller target, but most of all redundant systems - you can blow holes all over the place, but the spare hydraulic and electrical systems will keep it in the air...
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Skorpychan In reply to Claveworks [2016-08-06 16:38:49 +0000 UTC]
I'm more a fan of the Su-25, as that has an entirely different design ethic. Instead of a BFG down the centreline, the Soviets liked rocket pods. LOTS of rocket pods. You swoop in, you fire the lot, you drop some bombs, and you GTFO before they pull out the stingers. That leads to slightly swept wings for speed, engines buried in the wingroots for drag, and as simple and cheap a plane as possible.
A-10s go BRRRRRTTTT. Su-25s got FWOOSHFWOOSHFWOOSHFWOOSH.
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A10ThunderboltIl In reply to Skorpychan [2023-06-01 06:43:28 +0000 UTC]
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eltf177 [2016-08-05 14:18:28 +0000 UTC]
Not one of the prettiest aircraft, but certainly one of the most deadly...
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A10ThunderboltIl In reply to eltf177 [2023-06-01 06:45:05 +0000 UTC]
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