The Warthog (A-10 Thunderbolt 2) is an American armored single-seat attack aircraft. The device was created in the mid-seventies of the last century. Despite the honorable age, the aircraft is considered one of the best representatives of its segment. The main purpose of the machine is the elimination of tanks and other armored vehicles of the enemy. Consider its characteristics and capabilities in more detail.
Historic moments
The Warthog first took to the air and was put into service in 1976. A combat test awaited the Thunderbolt in the Persian Gulf. This machine eliminated the maximum number of enemy vehicles, in comparison with other analogues. Prior to Operation Desert Storm, little hope was placed on the aircraft. However, after a successful debut, they began to look at the device differently.
The most modern and technological modification of the Warthog aircraft is the A-10C version, which was put into service in 2007. After2015, 283 aircraft remained in service. The average cost of an attack aircraft starts at $11.8 million.
Prerequisites for creation
In many ways, the creation of the Thunderbolt 2 aircraft is connected with the confrontation during the Vietnam War. The fact is that in the early 1960s, the Pentagon's strategy had a directed vector towards intensifying confrontation with the USSR. For this, attack aircraft of the F-100, F-101 and F-105 types were put on alert. They were re-equipped for the possibility of carrying nuclear charges, followed by strikes against strategic designated targets.
The Vietnam campaign forced US generals to rethink the situation. Due to the lack of specialized equipment, the Americans had to use the Troyan training aircraft in combat mode, which was converted for the corresponding tasks. The meeting with military fighters showed that this idea was inappropriate and completely failed. The development of a special US warthog aircraft, well protected by armor and equipped with powerful guns, has begun.
Confrontation in the Cold War
In the same period, the situation in Europe changed. At the end of the 60s, updated tanks of the T-62 type entered service with the army of the Soviet Union. In addition, the BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle was received for development.
This equipment theoretically surpassed all NATO analogues, could be produced in huge quantities. This formed a kind of myth (or reality) about the Soviet armed avalanche,capable of reaching the English Channel in a matter of hours. Another important point is the Shilka-type installation, which is distinguished by the effectiveness of suppressing enemy points and a high level of protection against enemy charges. Further development in this direction continued with the creation of the concept of an aircraft with subsonic flight characteristics.
Interesting facts
An extensive program to develop the Warthog aircraft, the photo of which is presented below, began to be actively conducted in 1967. The conditions of the competitive selection were sent to 21 flight companies. The American air force required a unit with a flight speed of at least 650 km / h, good maneuverability parameters, powerful weapons of various calibers and a significant bomb load. Also, the new attack aircraft was supposed to have takeoff and landing performance, allowing the operation of unpaved airfields.
When it became clear that the American army was losing the war in Vietnam, the development of the aircraft became more focused on a possible theater of operations in Europe. In 1970, the designers finally decided on the main armament of the Warthog military aircraft. It was a 30-mm GAU-8 high-speed gun designed according to the Gatling scheme (with an element of seven barrels).
Debriefing
The final stage in the development and creation of the American A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft began in 1970. As a result, two companies (Fairchild Republic andNorthrop). The first firm launched its prototype on a test flight in the spring of 1972, the machine from competitors was tested three weeks later.
Comparative testing of both devices began in October 1972. Aircraft were tested at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Both modifications turned out to be almost equivalent in terms of characteristics and capabilities. The YA-10 version was focused on maximum survivability and had an original layout. The A-9 variant is made in a classic design, slightly reminiscent of the Soviet SU-25 attack aircraft. As a result, the victory went to Fairchild Republic. The company received the first order for the production of an initial series of attack aircraft of ten units.
Serial production
The mass production of the Warthog attack aircraft began in 1975 and continued until 1984. The device was mercilessly criticized, and there were suggestions that it would be replaced by the F-16 model. All doubts were dispelled after the start of the famous Operation Desert Storm, when Saddam Hussein sent troops into Kuwait (1990).
It turned out that the clumsy and slow aircraft is perfect for fire support of ground units and the elimination of enemy armored vehicles. Modifications of 144 A-10s took part in combat operations, which made more than eight thousand sorties, while losing seven units. Among the achievements of the Thunderbolts is the destruction of hundreds of Iraqi tanks, about two thousand copies of other equipment, about a thousand artillery installations. The famous ste alth aircraft and the scandalous F-16 could not achieve such indicators.
Further exploitation
The A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft during the confrontation in the Persian Gulf was represented by 60 vehicles, one of which was shot down, several more units received significant damage. The most modern modification was produced under the symbol A-10C. It was put into service in 2010, equipped with the latest electronic digital equipment with the ability to use high-precision charges and laser-guided weapons. In 2015, several aircraft were placed in the B altic States (Estonia).
The Thunderbolt 2 aircraft is in service exclusively with the US Army. Despite the fact that there were repeated talks about the possible deliveries of the car to other countries, it was not exported. The device aroused interest in the UK, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Belgium. The complexity of operating the aircraft in question lies in the fact that not every country can afford the maintenance of a highly specialized model; the operation of multi-purpose analogues is much cheaper. One hour of flight of the specified attack aircraft is at least 17 thousand dollars, the planned military program for the use of the unit is designed until 2028.
Description
Thunderbolt 2 A-10 is a low-wing aircraft, manufactured according to the standard aerodynamic scheme with twin vertical fins and a power unit of two motors.
The fuselage is made in the form of a half monocoque, the front part is equipped with a cockpit. The shape and configuration of the structureprovide the pilot with good visibility in different vectors. The protection is made in the form of a bath of powerful titanium armor, which protects the object from ammunition with a caliber of up to 37 millimeters. The catapult seat provides emergency evacuation of the pilot at any allowable speed and altitude.
Motorized nacelles of a pair of turbine propeller engines are fixed with the help of pylons in the center of the fuselage. Such placement of the power unit helps to reduce the likelihood of foreign matter getting into the engine compartment during takeoff and landing. In addition, this design simplifies the maintenance of the elements, increases their protection from fire from the ground. Exhaust gases from the engine enter the outlet through the plane of the stabilizer, limiting the visibility of the aircraft in the thermal range. Design features make it possible to place fuel tanks in the center of gravity zone, which eliminates the need for a fuel transfer system.
The Warthog aircraft, the photo of which is available below, is equipped with a three-dimensional rectangular wing, consisting of a center section and a pair of trapezoidal consoles. On the wing - flaps with three sections and ailerons. Design features allow active maneuvering at low speeds with a significant payload.
The stabilizer has a large rectangular area, at the ends there are two vertical keels with steering guides. Such a device contributes to the "survivability" of the device, even in the event of the loss of one of the keels or stabilizer consoles.
Other features
The American attack aircraft "Warthog" is equipped with retractable landing gear with three pillars and a front strut. In the inactive state, they protrude almost a third of the fuselage contours, which facilitates maneuvering during the draft of the aircraft. The design of the landing gear makes it possible to operate unpaved runways.
The power unit of the aircraft is formed from a pair of General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofan engines. Each of the motors has a thrust of 4100 kgf. Also, the aircraft is equipped with two autonomous hydraulic units that ensure the functioning of the wing mechanization, landing gear retraction, rotation of the main 30-mm gun in the nose. To eliminate a possible fire in the design of the attack aircraft, a special system with an inert gas (freon) is provided.
A10 Thunderbolt 2 aircraft: avionics
This part of the Warthog's equipment can be described as a relatively simple layout compared to other American counterparts. The radio electronics system includes the following devices:
- Near and far navigation block.
- Radio compass.
- Height gauge.
- Headshield sensor.
- Fit control system.
- Several radio stations.
- A device for warning radar pulses.
- Alert of detection of targets using a laser beam (fixes objects at a distance of up to 24 kilometers).
- Container with equipmentEW.
Armaments
The American Warthog aircraft is armed with a powerful 30mm GAU-81A cannon. It is mounted in the bow, made according to the Gatling scheme, equipped with seven rotating barrels. Ammunition cases are made of aluminum alloy, the total weight of the installation is 1.83 tons.
The tool has a hydraulic drive, linkless charge supply, drum magazine. The charges are made with plastic leading belts, which allows to significantly increase the resources of the barrels and set different rates of fire for the gun (from 2100 to 4200 volleys per minute). In reality, the pilot is limited to short bursts lasting a few seconds. With prolonged firing, overheating of the trunks is observed. Spent cartridge cases are not thrown out, but collected in a drum.
Notes
The GAU-81A cannon, mounted on the American warthog aircraft, is capable of operating with two types of projectiles: high-explosive fragmentation (HEB) and sub-caliber ammunition (PKB) with uranium filling. As a rule, in the ammunition load of one machine, there are three design bureaus for one OFB. Target hitting accuracy - at a distance of 1.22 kilometers, 80 percent of the shells hit the outline of a six-meter circle.
The attack aircraft is equipped with 11 external suspension points. They are free-fall bombs or guided analogues. The last category includes television-guided Maverick missiles. Their principle of operation can be brieflydescribed as "fire and forget". The target detection distance is 12 kilometers in theory and no more than six in practice.
Self Defense
For protection, the military aircraft in question uses air-to-air rocket charges, as well as additional blocks with 20 mm Vulcan cannons. Attack aircraft are rightfully included in the elite group of their category. Along with a high parameter of survivability, maneuverability and relatively low cost, there is a significant effectiveness of airborne weapons and defense capability.
In confirmation of the "survivability" of the A-10 is evidenced by the fact that during the conduct of hostilities in Iraq and Yugoslavia, attack aircraft were able to return to base even with a damaged engine, a missing stabilizer or a failed hydraulic system, including serious wing deformations.
Nuances
If we talk about the armament of the US attack aircraft "Warthog", then the total weight of the shot of the 30-mm A-10 gun overlaps the similar parameter of the GSh-2-30 provided for on the Su-25. In addition, the use of sub-caliber charges greatly increases the effectiveness of firing at armored targets.
After the start of testing the aircraft, it turned out that the powder gases are being introduced into the power plants of the attack aircraft, causing a decrease in their thrust. The average drop in power was about one percent for every thousand shots. This problem was partially solved by equipping the engines with a special system aimed at burning the surviving particles of gunpowder.
"Warthogs" were successfully and actively used during operations in Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia. Now the machine in question is the main support unit for ground units in the US Army. The plane got its nickname ("Warthog") in honor of the legendary predecessor of the World War II Warthog P-47 Thunderbolt.
Parameters in numbers
The main characteristics of the attack aircraft in question:
- Length/height of machine – 16, 26/4, 47 m.
- Wingspan - 17.53 m.
- Empty/takeoff/maximum weight – 11, 6/14, 86/22, 2 t.
- The mass of fuel is 4.85 tons.
- Wing area - 47 sq. m.
- Speed at maximum altitude - 834 km/h.
- Type of power plant - General Electric TF34.
- Practical range - 3, 94 thousand kilometers.
- The crew is one pilot.
In conclusion
In 2003, a Thunderbolt attack aircraft was fired from the ground in the area adjacent to Baghdad. The device received more than 150 holes, but managed to get to the base with inoperative hydraulic systems. The pilot did not even get injured.
It should be emphasized the high efficiency of the aircraft armament. A thirty-millimeter cannon is able to destroy and disable almost all types of existing modern armored vehicles. Guided missile weapons prove their effective use, although the 10A Thunderbolt 2 is an aircraft that is prone tounjustified fire on their own positions. This is more typical for the general specifics of an attack aircraft, and not for the disadvantages of a particular aircraft.
The Warthog model is sometimes compared to the Soviet equivalent of the SU-25. They were developed around the same period, and the machines were given almost identical tasks. In terms of maximum load, Thunderbolt is superior to Drying, but the domestic attack aircraft gives a higher speed indicator.
