The A-10 Thunderbolt II
The A-10 Thunderbolt II stands as the first aircraft the US Air Force specifically designed for close air support. The aircraft’s official name derives from the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, a World War II fighter that demonstrated effectiveness in close air support, though pilots have affectionately nicknamed it the “Warthog.”
At low speeds and altitudes, the A-10 exhibits exceptional maneuverability to ensure accurate weapons delivery, and carries both systems and armor necessary for survival in this environment. The aircraft was created to engage all ground targets, but specifically tanks and other armored vehicles.
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona received the first production A-10A (S/N 73-1664) in October 1975.
The only two-seat A-10 Warthog
The Republic factory took back S/N 73-1664 in March 1979 for conversion into a prototype two-place A-10 variant. These modifications required approximately three months, after which the aircraft received the designation Night/Adverse Weather A-10. According to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, the A-10 N/AW was designed, as its name suggests, to operate at night and during weather conditions unsuitable for the A-10A.
The modification work involved rebuilding the forward airframe to accommodate a second cockpit with dual controls for the Electronic Warfare Officer. Technicians replaced the clamshell-type canopy with a side-opening type divided between cockpits by an “A-frame” structure. ACES-II type ejection seats designed to fire “thru-the-canopy” equipped the A-10 N/AW. A large cockpit fairing was added to house additional avionics components. The Head-Up Display system underwent an upgrade. Both a Forward Looking InfraRed system and a Low Light Level Television were added.
Supporting the night/adverse weather mission required additional components including a laser ranging device, terrain-following radar, an inertial navigation system, a radar altimeter, and an electronic moving map display. An external pod mounted on pylon six (the center fuselage station) housed the FLIR and laser ranger. Station four (center wing closest to the left main landing gear) supported another external pod containing the terrain-following radar. The LLLTV replaced the Pave Penny pod. The vertical stabilizers underwent rebuilding with a 20-inch extension added to the top. While retaining the GAU-8/A 30mm Gatling Gun, the aircraft featured a smaller ammunition drum with a 750-round capacity.
A-10 Warthog two-seat trainer aircraft?
The Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, began flight testing the A-10 N/AW on Oct. 23, 1979. The Air Force Preliminary Flight Evaluation, concluding on Dec. 4, 1979, included 28 missions totaling 48.6 flight hours. Night missions accounted for about one-third of the flights. Despite the A-10 N/AW test program’s success, advancements in night attack equipment (i.e., LANTIRN) led to the program’s cancellation. In the early 1980s, the A-10 N/AW received the redesignation YA-10B.
The USAF also investigated converting a limited number of A-10As into two-place trainer aircraft beyond the A-10 N/AW. These trainers would have received the designation A-10B, but officials canceled the program before modifying any aircraft.
Photo by U.S. Air Force
