War has shown in Vietnam, that for the direct support of troops needed to maneuver the aircraft with good armor protection and subsonic speed. AT 1967 g. US Air Force began a program to create a new aircraft, attack aircraft. 10 May 1972 g. The first prototype flight occurred, a prototype with specified requirements of the first flown 15 February 1975 g. Serial planes A-10A "Thunderbolt» II (thunderbolt - thunderbolt) They began arriving in the US Air Force from March 1977 g. AT 1979 g. 4 May the spirit of the WHO climbed experienced double attack aircraft A-10B is designed for operations at night and in adverse weather conditions, but further development was discontinued.
Assault A-10A Thunderbolt 2 – video
The plane made by the normal pattern and represents a freely-metal-bearing nizkoplan rectangular wing large area; It has dvuhkilevoe tail, tricycle landing gear. Wing large area provides good maneuverability at low speed over the battlefield and at the same time makes it possible to carry a large quantity of arms.
The machine is equipped with two turbojet engines. housed in nacelles at the sides of the tail section, with a slight elevation relative to the wing. With this arrangement, during the flight of the armored wings protects the engine from the shells hit. The single closed cabin, located far ahead of the wing, found ejection seat, providing aircraft bailout for zero values of speed and altitude. Protection cab from ground fire includes bulletproof windshield and armored capsule from titanium, which protects against the 23-mm shells. Survivability of the aircraft also increased through the installation of body armor and fuel control systems for engines, self-locking fuel tanks. Besides, the control system has a dual redundancy and additional manual control.
The plane A-10A «Thunderbolt» II equipped with a navigation system TACAN, INS, system of instrument landing, ILS, sighting system, interacting with a laser detection system and maintenance "Pave Penny 'goals ventral container, active and passive EW, possible to install a ground proximity warning system.
A-10A built seven-armed gun GAU-8 / A (caliber 30 mm, ammunition 1174 armor-piercing shells, 2100-4200 rate rds. / min) and can carry on 11 to hardpoints 7260 kg different weapons: bombs of various types, six SD AGM-65 "Maverick", two outboard SUU-machine gun container 23 or containers with EW apparatus.
Combat use of A-10 Thunderbolt 2
The first combat use of attack aircraft A-10 occurred during the Gulf War 1991 of the year. All were involved in the operation 144 aircraft of this type, fulfilled some 8100 sorties with a loss 7 machines (on average, a loss of 1350 departures). To the surprise of many observers,, unprepossessing subsonic attack aircraft became one of the "heroes" of the war, along with the F-15 fighter and attack samolotom- "invisible" F-117. According to American data, "Thunderbolt" destroyed more 1000 Iraqi tanks (more, than any other American aircraft), 2000 other military equipment and 1200 artillery barrel; even if we take into account the, that the initial assessment of the damage suffered by the Iraqi army were overstated, A-10 still was among the most effective US aircraft of the war, surpassing the specialized anti-helicopter AH-64 "Apache". Alertness level A-10 was 95,7 %, which it was also a record for tactical aircraft the US Air Force during "Operation Desert Storm". In one departure "Thunderbolt" couple destroyed 23 Iraqi tanks and damaged 10; during the hunt for the launchers of tactical missiles "Scud» A-10 in one night destroyed 6 stationary, 3 time and 3 mobile launchers. During the fighting attack aircraft were shot down two Iraqi helicopters (Mi-8, and presumably MBB Bo 105).
It was first demonstrated in "Operation Desert Storm 'and survivability A-10. One of the "Thunderbolt" was severely damaged wing; According ground equipment, "No other aircraft would not have returned to the base with such damage". The only weak point of the A-10 was his "propensity" to incidents "friendly fire", Note and later in other military conflicts. This is due to the specifics of combat work-ground attack aircraft, most of the current near its troops. In the end of January, during the battle of Ras Al Khafji, A-10 destroyed missile "Meyverik" armored personnel carrier LAV-25 US Marine Corps, thus killing 7 Americans. A month later, the A-10 attacked a British armored personnel carriers, that led to the death 9 British.
With air bases on the territory of the "Thunderbolts" of Italy took part in the NATO operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1999 of the year. Loss was not, but reiterated the high survivability "Uorthoga", when 2 May this type of aircraft has made an emergency landing at Skopje airport (macedonia) one engine. The second engine was completely jettisoned and later was shown on Yugoslav television. The implications of the A-10 in the Balkans gave itself felt in the beginning 2001 of the year, when the scandal around projectiles with uranium core, used cannons GAU-8. It turned out, over the "Thunderbolts" of Kosovo issued a 30 thousand. these shells, and it has been suggested, These missiles could pose a threat to health stationed in Kosovo, NATO peacekeepers.
FROM 2001 , the A-10 take part in the international coalition operations in Afghanistan. For a time they were based on the Bagram airfield near Kabul. In "Operation Iraqi Freedom" in March-April 2003 he took part in a total of 60 A-10 attack aircraft. One plane was shot down 7 April near Baghdad International Airport. Another "Thunderbolt" has received serious damage (damaged one motor, failure of the hydraulic system, hundreds of bullet holes in the wing, empennage and fuselage of the aircraft), However, the pilot Captain Kim Campbell was able to successfully land the plane at the airbase. After the completion of the main phase of hostilities and the beginning of the guerrilla war, the A-10 continued to be used in Iraq.
In the early days of the invasion of coalition forces in Iraq, A-10 were involved in at least two cases of "friendly fire". The first of these "Thunderbolt" because of an error Marine forward air attack unit of Marines during the battle of Nasiriyah, which led to the deaths of at least 1 American. In fact, the death toll could be more than, because all were killed in the battle 18 Marines, and only for 8 of them (as of 2004 year) the cause of death was uniquely named enemy fire. Another incident was much better known. 28 March pair A-10 attacked and brought down four armored British troops, thus lost 1 British troops. AT 2007 a video of the attack was unknown way got into the disposal of the British newspaper «The Sun», And it was called the name of one of the pilots, involved in the incident.
modifications
YA-10A – first 2 prototype.
A-10A – single-seater air support of ground forces. The only modification, mass-produce.
OA-10A – "O" - means Observation. Single airplane air control. By design and avionics differs from A-10A outboard modules with additional electronics and electronic countermeasures, It intended exclusively for interacting with ground forces and used for combat purposes only in exceptional cases.
Night/Adverse Weather A-10 (YA-10B) – Double prototype for night and all-weather operation. constructed 1 a car. Not commercially produced.
A-10C – updated model A-10. Equipped with the latest digital equipment, can carry precision weapons with laser guidance system. The first A-10C entered service in 2006 year. TO 2011 it is planned to be converted into the modification of all the A-10, remaining in service. The program cost is estimated at 420 million dollars.
A-10PCAS – version of unmanned attack aircraft. Developed by Raytheon and Aurora Flight Sciences for the DARPA project.
Performance characteristics of the A-10 Thunderbolt 2
– First flight: 10 May 1972 of the year
– Getting Started: A-10A 1977 year, A-10С 2007 year
– years of production: 1975 — 1984
– units produced: 715
Cost A-10 Thunderbolt 2
– $11,8 million (1994 year)
Crew A-10 Thunderbolt 2
– 1 pilot
Dimensions A-10 Thunderbolt 2
– Length: 16,26 m
– Wingspan: 17,53 m
– Height: 4,47 m
– wing area: 47,01 m²
– airfoil: NACA 6716 - the root of the wing, NACA 6713 - ending
– wing elongation: 6,54
– Wing loading: 449,88 kg / m (maximum)
– The base chassis: 5,40 m
– track chassis: 5,25 m
Ves A-10 Tanderbolt 2
– empty weight: 9176 kg
– Curb weight: 10 515 kg
– Normal takeoff weight: 13 628 kg (from 6 × 227 kg bombs)
– Maximum takeoff weight: 21 148 kg
– Mass fuel in internal tanks: 4830 kg
– Volume of fuel tanks: 6200 l
Engines A-10 Tanderbolt 2
– 2 × ТРДД General Electric TF34-GE-100
– pull: 2 × 40,32 kN (4112 kgf)
– thrust-to-weight ratio: 0,6 (during normal takeoff weight)
Speed A-10 Thunderbolt 2
– The maximum permissible speed: 834 kmh
– full speed: 722 km / h at sea level
– Cruising speed: 555 km / h at sea level
– Skoropodъёmnost: 30,5 m / s
– The length of the run: 1152 m (maximum combat load)
– path length: 623 m
Flight distance A-10 Thunderbolt 2
– Combat radius of close air support: 463 km
– Combat radius accompaniment: 484 km
– Combat radius aerial reconnaissance: 803 km
– practical range: 740 km (maximum combat load)
– Ferry range: 4647 km
Ceiling A-10 Thunderbolt 2
– 13 380 m
Arming A-10 Thunderbolt 2
Small-pushechnoe: 1 × 30mm seven-barrel gun GAU-8 / A with 1350 cartridges 30 × 173 mm
point of suspension: 11 nodes suspension arms (8 under the wing, 3 under the fuselage) may be involved in the relegation only 10:
– (weapons under the fuselage can be suspended either on a central pylon, either a pair of side)
– central ventral to the load 2268 kg
– 2 lateral and ventral 2 internal wing load with 1587 kg each
– 4 middle wing with the load 1134 kg each
– 2 outer wing with the load 453 kg each
combat load: 7257 kg
Guided missiles:
– missiles "air-to-air": 2 × AIM-9
– missiles "air-to-surface": 6 × AGM-65
rockets:
– 4 × unit LAU-61 / LAU-68 (19 × / 7× 70 mm rockets Hydra 70)
– 6 × LAU-blocks 10 (× 4 127 mm rockets Zuni)
bomb svobodnopadayuschie:
– explosive: 24 × 227 kg Mk 82 or 6 × 908 kg Mk 84
– fiery: 8 × 340 kg-1 or BLU 340 kg BLU-27 / B napalm
– cassette: 20 × Mk-20 Rockeye II, 20 × 350 кг CBU-52, 20 × 370 кг CBU-71, 10 × CBU-38 или 16 × CBU-70
controlled bomb: 4 × GBU-8 or GBU-10, or 6 × GBU-12
Suspended guns: 2 × SUU-23 с 20 mm cannon GAU-4 / A
External fuel tanks: 3 × 2271 l: steam under the wing, one under the fuselage.
Photo A-10 Tanderbolt 2
30-seven-barrel gun mm GAU-8 / A 10 attack aircraft A-«Thunderbolt» II
