Fairchild republic A-10

A-10 Thunderbolt II
A-10 Thunderbolt II
description
Task	of close air support (A-10), air reconnaissance (OA-10)
manufacturer	Fairchild republic
in the employment since	March 1976
unit cost prices	9.8 millions US Dollar
inventory	asset: 143 A-10, 70 OA-10; Reserve: 46 A-10, 6 OA-10; National guard: 84 A-10, 18 OA-10
crew	1 pilot
dimensions
Length	16.26 m
span	17.42 m
height	of 4.42 m
wing area	47.01 m ²
weights
Empty	9,761 kg
level of fuel in the tank	4,853 kg
loading	14,846 kg
of maximum when starting	22,680 kg
drive
Engines	two General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofan
thrust	ever 40.32 kN (4112 kp)
achievement
Maximum speed	706 km/h (sea level)
minimum speed	approx. 320 km/h
combat range	1,000 km
ferry range	4,091 km
service ceiling	of 45,000/13,636 m climbing rate
6,000	ft ft/min/1,828 m/min
armament
Cannons	a 30 mm GAU-8/A siebenläufiges Gatling cannon with 1.174 shot
bombs	7,257 kg at 11 external load station

the Fairchild republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, of pilot also Warthog („wart pig “) mentioned, is since 1975 the most important ground combat aircraft of the US Air Force. The simply developed, effective and durable twin-engine subsonic jet is intended to the employment against ground targets and armored vehicles. Besides exists a clearing-up variant OA-10, which is applicable as advanced fire control conditions also.

configuration and function

the A-10 is particularly agile, in order to be able to operate in the low-altitude flight. It can below 300 m (1,000 ft) at 2,4 km range of vision operate. The far combat radius and the landing abilities and short start permit employments of provisional bases in front proximity out. Night-vision devices make possible also missions with darkness.

For the improvement of the all-round visibility the cockpit has a bubble-shaped dome. The pilot is protected by 400 kg titanium - armoring, which covers also parts of the avionics. Important structural components are redundantly laid out, in order to make after bombardment a far flight possible: The Treibstofftanks are sketched sealing and in such a way that they do not explode with hits; the hydraulic flight control systems can be overridden by manual push pull cables. The engines are as far as possible from each other far away attached, in order to minimize the danger that both are destroyed at the same time. Maintenance is facilitated, as many parts can be on the left and on the right used, among them the engines, the main landing gear and the vertical stabilizers.

To the avionics - belong to equipment communications equipments, inertial navigation, fire control systems, goal assistance and night-vision devices. A Head UP display indicates flight and navigation data to the pilot. That RESTS - system (Low Altitude Safety and Targeting Enhancement system) serves for the control of bombs. Under the trunk „a Pave is penny “- Lasersucher installs, which makes a finding possible of laser-marked ground targets. Against attacks with infrared or the A-10 semiautomatic counter measures has radar-guided surface-to-air rockets. At present all A-10 with that is re-tooled global Positioning system (government inspection department).

The 30-mm-Geschütz GAU-8/A in Gatling building method in the trunk fires highly explosive as armor-piercing uranium ammunition with a cadence of 4.200 shot per minute. The recoil force of the weapon amounts to 44.5 kN.

one

of a A-10 after positive experiences with the Rockwell OV-10 with the development of a special airplane to the tank fight. The draft of the A-10 became generally accepted against the competitor Northrop A-9. First flight of the A-10 was to 10. May 1972. First production stages A-10A were supplied in October 1975 to the Davis Monthan air Force cousin to Arizona. First they were a unwillkommene addition of the US Air Force arsenal. The leadership level of US air Force preferred the prestigious hunters F-15 and F-16 and wanted the work of the close air support the helicopters of the US Army to rather leave. Into the 1980er years planned the tactical operations that A-10 should disturb the hostile armored divisions in case of a Soviet attack on West Germany.

in Germany made a A-10 inglorious headlines, as to 8. December 1988 a machine in rem-separate into a populated area fell. This misfortune demanded 6 dead ones and 50 hurt. After the number of cancer illnesses rose in the years after the crash superproportionally, it holds itself to today assumptions that the fallen machine was loaded with ammunition uranium-bearing against the statements of the Americans. Also in an appraisal of the working group International Telecommunication Union environmental research very high PCB (Polychlorierte Biphenyle) was found - contents in the entire crash area. PCB is used mainly in hydraulic systems by military machines. In addition PCB is poisonous for humans. Dermatologi diseases, in addition, Neoplasmen (cancer illnesses) can be the result. Another, unconfirmed, assumption reads that the bearing area ends were equipped with trim weights from depleted uranium 238, which are to have contaminated the soil approximately around the crash place.

during the operation desert storm 1991 over the Iraq reached the A-10 a reliability of 95,7%. They flew 8,100 employments and started 90 per cent of the AGM-65 Maverick fired in this war - rockets. The Thunderbolt of ii-airplanes destroyed over 1.000 tanks, 2,000 military vehicles and 1,200 artillery cannons. Five A-10 went had lost, far less than the military planners had expected.

The fired uranium ammunition solid in this war particularly by the A-10 is substantially responsible in opinion of many experts for the Gulf War syndrome, from which several thousand US veterans as well as parts of the civilian population concerned suffer.

1999 flew the airplanes of employments over the Kosovo, but the set up attack rules, which should prevent that it came to American losses in this war, prevented at the same time also that the airplanes could be effectively used. During the American invasion in Afghanistan 2001 the A-10 was not first used the operation Anaconda, however later on the Air Force base Bagram was stationed and participated in operations to the attack on Taliban positions, among them also in March 2002. By the less restrictive attack rules the airplanes proved better.

2003 flew the A-10 in the context of the third Gulf War a second time over the Iraq. Sixty A-10 were stationed at the gulf, one of it were lost toward end of the fighting by Iraqi soil fire in the proximity of the airport Bagdad .

In the US Air Force doubts, because the airplane flies only subsound , partly exist it are however until at least 2028 in the service to remain. Only then the A-10 should be completely by the supersonic Joint Strike Fighter replaced.

Warthog Stomp

the name “Warthog Stomp” designates an effective combat maneuver, which offers A-10 pilot in an aerial combat good chances. The pilot of an opposing airplane lets himself be pursued, describes afterwards an extremely close turn and fires then with the automatic cannon on the tail of the opponent. The extreme force of this attack explains the name “Stampfen of a wart pig”.

costs

during the second Gulf War the A10 a value of 1.5 million US$ had, and cost thus only 1/30 of a conventional fighter plane. In the first days of the war primarily A-10-Staffeln were shifted to Saudi Arabia, in order not to endanger with attacks the more expensive models, until the troop marching-up was final.

Web on the left of

Commons: A-10 Thunderbolt II - pictures, videos and/or audio files

• A-10 air Force factsheet (in English)
• to http://www.a-10.org/
• http://globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/a-10.htm

see also: List of the types of aircraft; Combat aircraft; Fighter-bomber