Examined: The Weapons Systems Of The A-10 Warthog (2024)

If there was ever an aircraft in the history of military ground attack aircraft, nothing could strike more fear into the enemy than the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. Following the end of World War Two and the United States and the Soviet Union involved in a Cold War, the focus was on the delivery of nuclear weapons rather than close support ground attack aircraft.

Photo: Clemens Vasters | Wikimedia Commons.

During the Korean and Vietnam wars, the United States military relied on old propeller-driven Douglas A-1 Skyraiders for ground support. While the Skyraider could loiter over the battlefield for long periods, it was slow and vulnerable to enemy ground fire. During the Vietnam War (1955-1975), the United States Navy and Air Force lost 266 Douglas A-1s, mainly from small arms fire.

The USAF needed a close support ground attack aircraft

Knowing they needed a new plane for close-quarters ground support, the military began lobbying the Department of Defense. In the summer of 1961, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara instructed the United States Air Force (USAF) to submit a request for a multirole aircraft that could be used as a bomber and also close-quarters ground support. The result of the request was the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.

While the Phantom proved to be a successful bomber, it had a relatively low loiter time and handled poorly at slow speeds; it was also expensive to buy and operate. During the Vietnam War, the helicopter gunship emerged as the vehicle of choice for close-ground support. While helicopters like the Bell AH-1 Cobra were effective in this role by the 1970s, the threat of a ground attack across the North German Plain by Soviet armored forces had the military worried enough to want an aircraft explicitly designed to take out tanks. The ideal weapon for the new aircraft was a 30mm GAU-8/A Gatling gun that could fire 3,900 rounds a minute. Not only could the rotary cannon destroy tanks, but it could also decimate all ground attack forces.

Photo: USAF

Designated as the Y-10, the Fairchild Republic A-10 made its maiden flight on May 10th, 1972. After proving itself in trials, the USAF selected the Y-10 for production while asking General Electric to build its GAU-8 cannon. The first production Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II flew in October 1975 and began to enter service with the USAF in the spring of 1976.

The noise made by its rotary cannon earned it the nickname Warthog

After entry into service and its use as a close support ground attack aircraft in battle, the plane's aggressive looks and the noise made by its 30mm GAU-8 rotary cannon soon earned it the nickname Warthog. Over the years, the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II has been modified with new electronics and is capable of delivering the following weapons:

• One 30mm GAU-8/A seven-barrel Gatling gun
• Up to 16,000 pounds of mixed ordnance on eight under-wing and three under-fuselage pylon stations, including 500 pounds of Mk-82 and 2,000 pounds of Mk-84 series low/high drag bombs
• Incendiary cluster bombs
• Combined effects munitions
• Mine dispensing munitions
• AGM-65 Maverick missiles, laser/GPS-guided bombs
• Unguided and laser-guided 2.75-inch rockets
• Infrared countermeasure flares
• Electronic countermeasure chaff
• Jammer pods
• Illumination flares
• AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.

Photo: USAF

Though they have been in service for a long time and have no immediate replacement lined up, Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Brown expects the A-10s to remain in service with the USAF until 2028-2029.

Specifications and general characteristics