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War thunder shop12/4/2023 AGM-65D missiles are also available for the late version of the A-10A only, while the premium version operates with AGM-65BMaverick missiles.From the 5th of May at 11:00 GMT until the 12th of May at 11:00 GMT Bundles and standalone packs with a discount! The late production version of the A-10A Thunderbolt II will be part of the US strike aircraft research line, while the early Premium A-10A is available for pre-order now! The difference between the aircraft is only in the armament - the early A-10A carries a maximum of two AIM-9L missiles, while the later one is capable of carrying four. Therefore, pilots stand a good chance of avoiding enemy fire in the first place but even if some rounds inevitably find their mark, the aircraft’s good protection and rigid design will ensure it takes a lot more than a few hits to bring it down. Apart from these systems the A-10’s cockpit is also protected by heavy titanium armor plating and bulletproof glass, thus further improving the aircraft’s resistance to ground fire, even from larger calibers. These come most notably in the shape of both flares and chaff as well as a radar warning receiver, notifying the pilot of a potential SPAA threat in the combat zone. Fortunately, the A-10A has several defensive features and countermeasures in place to protect itself from hostile fire. However, since the A-10A can’t rely on its speed to quickly enter and exit a combat zone and thus avoid enemy fire or detection altogether, it has to fall back on other means. At the same time, thanks to its lower speed and general design, the Thunderbolt II boasts extremely good maneuverability even when outfitted with large payloads. Being conceived as a dedicated close air support aircraft, the A-10A’s low top speed gives pilots more time to focus on a given target and execute a precision strike. While seeming rather lackluster in comparison to most other aircraft found at its rank, some of which even fly above Mach 2, it’s worth pointing out that the A-10A doesn’t have the need to be that fast. The Thunderbolt II is fitted with a pair of TF34-GE-100A turbofan jet engines, producing 8,900 lbf (4,037 kgf) of thrust each, thus allowing the aircraft to reach a top speed of around 457 mph (736 km/h). Armed to the teeth with a combination of a high-caliber, high rate of fire 30 mm cannon as well as a plethora of advanced and conventional suspended weapons, the A-10A Thunderbolt II guarantees one thing: top rank battles are about to get a lot more explosive in the upcoming update!īefore we get into details about the ‘brrrts’ and ‘bangs’ carried by the A-10A, it’s worth taking a closer look at the equally impressive aircraft itself. In War Thunder, the legendary A-10A Thunderbolt II will be a highly anticipated new strike aircraft arriving at the top rank of the American aviation tree as part of the next major update “Wind of Change”. The A-10 Thunderbolt II, despite its age, still forms the backbone of the USAF’s close air support force to this date, with over 700 units of the A-10 being produced in total. A-10s were also employed during the Balkan conflicts of the mid and late 1990s as well as during the Invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq in the early 2000s. During this conflict, the A-10 underwent its baptism by fire and successfully proved its design, racking up an impressive number of enemy targets destroyed. Although the A-10 was first assigned to a military unit in March 1976, its first combat use would be in 1991 as part of the Gulf War. After intensive testing of both prototypes, the YA-10A was declared the winning design and was ordered into production in January 1973.Īfter the USAF received its first production version of the A-10 in November 1975, the aircraft received its official name ‘Thunderbolt II’ in April 1978 in honour of the WWII-era P-47 fighter-bomber also built by Republic. Of six aircraft manufacturers who submitted design proposals, the two from Northrop and Fairchild Republic were chosen for further development, resulting in two prototypes: the YA-9A and YA-10A, respectively. In May 1970, the first requirements were issued, including the need to design the aircraft around a new 30mm rotary cannon. Furthermore, new aircraft such as the very successful F-4 Phantom II proved to be too expensive for strike mission operations.Īs a result, in September 1966 the USAF ordered the development and procurement of a dedicated new close air support aircraft, resulting in the A-X program being launched shortly afterwards. service at the time, was considered vastly outdated. By the start of the Vietnam War however, the A-1 Skyraider, being the most widely used strike aircraft in U.S. After WWII, American aircraft designers shifted focus toward developing tactical aircraft capable of delivering nuclear weapons while conventional strike aircraft fell out of favor with the new American military doctrine.
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