A-10 Thunderbolt II

A-10 Thunderbolt II (Ground-attack aircraft) – 345 in Air Force, ANG and AFRC

Manufacturer: Fairchild Republic

First flight: 10 May 1972

Introduction: March 1977

Produced: 1972-1984

Number built: 716

Unit cost: $ 11.8 million (average, 1994 dollars)

Crew: 1

Length: 16.26 m

Wingspan: 17.53 m

Height: 4.47 m

Wing area: 47.0 m²

Empty weight: 11,321 kg

Loaded weight: 13,782 kg

CAS mission: 21,361 kg

Anti-armor mission: 19,083 kg

Max. takeoff weight: 23,000 kg

Powerplant: 2× General Electric TF34-GE-100A turbofans, 4,112 kgf (40.32 kN) each

Internal fuel capacity: 4,990 kg

Never exceed speed: 833 km/h at 1,500 m with 18 Mark 82 bombs

Maximum speed: 706 km/h at sea level, clean

Cruise speed: 560 km/h

Stall speed: 220 km/h

Combat radius:

CAS mission: 460 km at 1.88 hour loiter at 1,500 m, 10 min combat;

Anti-armor mission: 467 km, 75 km sea-level penetration and exit, 30 min combat

Ferry range: 4,150 km with 90 km/h headwinds, 20 minutes reserve

Service ceiling: 13,700 m

Rate of climb: 30 m/s

Wing loading: 482 kg/m²

Thrust/weight: 0.36

Armament

Guns: 1× 30 mm GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling cannon with 1,174 rounds (Capacity 1,350)

Hardpoints: 11 (8× under-wing and 3× under-fuselage pylon stations) with a capacity of 7,260 kg and provisions to carry combinations of:

Rockets:

4× LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19×/7× Hydra 70 mm rockets, respectively);

4× LAU-5003 rocket pods (each with 19× CRV7 70 mm rockets);

6× LAU-10 rocket pods (each with 4× 127 mm Zuni rockets)

Missiles:

2× AIM-9 Sidewinders air-to-air missiles for self-defense;

6× AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles

Bombs:

Mark-80 series of unguided iron bombs; or

Mark-77 incendiary bombs; or

BLU-1, BLU-27/B Rockeye II, Mark-20, BL-755 and CBU-52/58/71/87/89/97 cluster bombs; or

Paveway series of Laser-guided bombs; or

Joint Direct Attack Munition (A-10C); or

Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (A-10C)

Other:

SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys and chaff dispenser pod; or

AN/ALQ-131 or AN/ALQ-184 ECM pods; or

Lockheed Martin Sniper XR or LITENING targeting pods (A-10C); or

2× 600 US gallon Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for increased range/loitering time

Avionics

AN/AAS-35(V) Pave Penny laser tracker pod (mounted beneath right side of cockpit) for use with Paveway LGBs (Currently the Pave Penny is no longer in use)

Head-up display (HUD) for improved technical flying and air-to-ground support

Variants

A-10A; OA-10A; A-10C; A-10PCAS;

YA-10A – pre-production variant. 12 were built;

YA-10B Night/Adverse Weather – two-seat experimental prototype, for work at night;

Civilian A-10 – military engines, avionics, and oxygen system replaced by civilian versions