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A10 Thunderbolt II: From History to Modern Times
The A10 Thunderbolt II has been around for over 28 years, protecting American troops on the front lines. The potential for this aircraft was first discovered in Operation Desert Storm, and still amazes people today. I will explain how the A10 Thunderbolt proved it's effectiveness in different wars, how it's still being used today, and why some people are beginning to question the role of the A10.
History of the A10
The first Thunderbolt, built in 1975, required low altitude flying capability, range and loiter capability, low speed maneuverability and weapons delivery accuracy (A-10/0A-10 1). The A-10 had many specific survivability features considered in the design of the aircraft (1). Some of these included a titanium armor plated shell surrounding the aircraft which allows the A-10 to take a lot of punishment from enemy fire and still stay in the air (1). Redundant flight control systems were also put in the design of the aircraft which allows the A10 to lose one system and still fly using the other (1). Foam was put in the fuel tanks to reduce the risk of igniting the fuel from possible enemy fire hitting the tanks (1). Interchangeable left and right side parts made for easy maintenance since many of the parts worked on either side of the aircraft (1). All of these factors allow the A10 to "loiter" around the battlefield for long periods of time making multiple passes to support friendly ground forces (1)...