Fairchild (1) A-10 Thunderbolt 2
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, universally nicknamed the 'Warthog', was designed around its enormous nose-mounted rotary cannon rather than the other way around, an unusual design philosophy for a modern combat aircraft. Its titanium-armoured cockpit 'bathtub' protects the pilot from ground fire that would down almost any other jet, letting it fly low and slow over a battlefield to support troops on the ground. Its twin engines, mounted high on the rear fuselage, are deliberately shielded from ground-fired heat-seeking missiles by the tail and wings. Despite repeated retirement attempts, it has remained in frontline US service for decades, valued specifically for close air support no other American jet performs as well.
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Did you know?
The A-10 Thunderbolt II was designed around its huge nose cannon, with a titanium 'bathtub' cockpit shielding the pilot.
Specifications
| Length | 16.3 m (53 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 17.5 m (58 ft) |
| Height | 4.5 m (15 ft) |
| Persons on board | 1 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 23.1 t |
| Range | 800 NM (1,482 km) |
| Maximum speed | 380 kt (704 km/h) |
| Stall speed | 120 kt (222 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 45,000 ft (13,716 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 41,000 ft (12,497 m) |
| Rate of climb | 6,000 ft/min (30.5 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 1,200 m (3,937 ft) |
| Landing distance | 610 m (2,001 ft) |
| Fuel capacity | 4,850 l |
| Engines | 2x General Electric TF34 |
| Units built | 716 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
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