The Warthog
The A-10, also known as “The Warthog,” was created for the US Air Force (USAF) by Fairchild Republic Company, which is currently a part of Northrop Grumman Corporation Aerospace Systems Eastern Region, which has facilities in Bethpage, New York, and St. Augustine, Florida.
In the 1960s, the company was given a study contract to establish the requirements for a new, rugged, and survivable Close Air Support aircraft to safeguard combat troops on the ground, following in the footsteps of the iconic P-47 Thunderbolt.
This initial study was followed up by a prototype development contract for the A-X, and a final flyoff competition resulting in the selection of the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
The selection of the A-10 Thunderbolt II for this mission was based on the dramatic low altitude lethality, “get home safe” survivability, and mission-capable maintainability designed into the jet by the OEM team.
Additionally, the Warthog is equipped with AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for self-defense and has exceptional maneuverability at low altitudes and air speeds.
The A-10 would fare poorly against contemporary Russian-made fighters
But can the A-10 dogfight? How well would A-10 Warthog fare against contemporary Russian-made fighters?
Lynn Taylor, former USAF A-10 pilot, explains on Quora;
‘As someone who has flown the A-10, I’ll add my $0.02.
‘The A-10 would fare, in a word: poorly.
‘The Warthog is the best there is at what it does, which is close air support (and CAS-type) missions. Everything else is meant to be done by other airframes. The F-22, for example, exists to gain air superiority or, better yet, air supremacy.
‘I believe that is one critical piece that many folks (including many Air Force generals) forget… close air support is meant to take place in a semi-permissive environment where control of the skies is relatively uncontested. There will always be ground threats, but this question focuses on the air piece.
‘I never did dissimilar air combat training [DACT] against Russian aircraft, but I did mix it up with some Mud Hens once (F-15E Strike Eagles). In my four-ship cell, half of us died in the first pass. Fortunately, since we were Red Air, we were able to go to the respawn point and come back for some more fun.
‘By the time we got back in the fight, the Mud Hens decided to jump in the phone booth with us and mix it up old school in a knife fight. In a turning fight, we have a chance, and I managed to get one of them with Sidewinders, and was just lining up to send some 30mm up the tailpipes of a second when the fight got called off.’
Real World
Taylor concludes;
‘Real world? We probably never would have seen them coming. Our radar warning would have gone off to let us know a radar missile was about to say “howdy,” and we’d either die tense or get to try out that ACES II seat with the silk letdown.
‘Contemporary Russian fighters are on par with at least our best 4th-generation-plus fighters. So, I expect the results would be about the same.’
Photo by Staff Sgt. William Hopper/US Air National Guard, Senior Airman Duncan C. Bevan and Master Sgt. William Greer / U.S. Air Force
