Thunderbolt Ii

A comprehensive account of the origins, design, and history of the A-10A Warthog: “Highly recommended.” —AMPS Indianapolis Includes photos The Fairchild-Republic A-10A Close Support aircraft has become a legend over its long front line life. Known as the Warthog due to her unusual appearance, this little aircraft has built up an awesome reputation in the specialized ground-attack role, where her accuracy and deadliness are widely recognized as the best of their kind. Hard lessons from World War II, which were reinforced by the bitter experience of the Vietnam War two decades later, showed it was both impracticable and cost-inefficient to use supersonic fighter jets in the close air support mission. A requirement was therefore drawn up for a plane capable of carrying a heavy and varied load of ordnance, which had good endurance and unprecedented maneuverability and could survive heavy ground fire—thus the A-10 was born. But by the time it came into service its role had changed to that of a tank-buster in the defense of Western Europe in the face of the overwhelming numbers of Soviet battle armor. With her straight wing, twin tails, and turbine engines mounted high on her rear fuselage, this single-seat aircraft certainly presented a unique appearance. But all these features served a vital role, as Peter C. Smith explains in this highly detailed study. Although the Warthog’s expected missions on the plains of Germany did not materialize, she did destroy hundreds of Soviet-built tanks during the Gulf wars. The A-10 has also flown almost continuous missions over the Balkans, against the Taliban in Afghanistan, and ISIS in Iraq and Syria. This beautifully illustrated and comprehensive volume brings the A-10’s incredible story right up to date.

The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, commonly nicknamed the "Warthog" due to its unusual and ungainly appearance, became the most effective close-air-support aircraft that has ever served for the US Air Force and Air National Guard. Designed around the GAU-8/A Avenger autocannon, the aircraft was a highly effective tank killer during Operation Desert Storm. The Warthog continues to serve, from its first appearance in 1976 through subsequent wars up to the present time, and well into the future. This concise, illustrated book covers the construction, development, and combat history of this unusual aircraft and features superb detail and combat photography. Part of the Legends of Warfare series.

This title explores the development and use of the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the first US Air Force aircraft specially designed for close air support of ground forces. Readers will follow the history of the aircraft, and learn its military and performance specifications, as well as its features and advantages in the field. Readers will learn about its weapon systems including general purpose bombs, cluster bomb units, laser guided bombs, joint direct attack munitions, missiles, rockets, illumination flares, and cannons. Features such as Night Vision Imaging Systems, titanium armor, self-sealing fuel cells, and hydraulic flight-control systems are detailed. The Warthog's two non-after burning turbofan engines are also covered, as are the achievements and future of this important aircraft. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. A&D Xtreme is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

A comprehensive account of the origins, design, and history of the A-10A Warthog: “Highly recommended.” —AMPS Indianapolis Includes photos The Fairchild-Republic A-10A Close Support aircraft has become a legend over its long front line life. Known as the Warthog due to her unusual appearance, this little aircraft has built up an awesome reputation in the specialized ground-attack role, where her accuracy and deadliness are widely recognized as the best of their kind. Hard lessons from World War II, which were reinforced by the bitter experience of the Vietnam War two decades later, showed it was both impracticable and cost-inefficient to use supersonic fighter jets in the close air support mission. A requirement was therefore drawn up for a plane capable of carrying a heavy and varied load of ordnance, which had good endurance and unprecedented maneuverability and could survive heavy ground fire—thus the A-10 was born. But by the time it came into service its role had changed to that of a tank-buster in the defense of Western Europe in the face of the overwhelming numbers of Soviet battle armor. With her straight wing, twin tails, and turbine engines mounted high on her rear fuselage, this single-seat aircraft certainly presented a unique appearance. But all these features served a vital role, as Peter C. Smith explains in this highly detailed study. Although the Warthog’s expected missions on the plains of Germany did not materialize, she did destroy hundreds of Soviet-built tanks during the Gulf wars. The A-10 has also flown almost continuous missions over the Balkans, against the Taliban in Afghanistan, and ISIS in Iraq and Syria. This beautifully illustrated and comprehensive volume brings the A-10’s incredible story right up to date.

The A-10 was never a favourite amongst the USAF's senior staff, and prior to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 they had attempted to transfer the aircraft to the US Army and Marine Corps. Reprieved from premature retirement, the A-10 would see combat in the Balkans during the mid-1990s and over Iraq in Operations Northern Watch and Southern Watch until Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003. Following the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States, the Bush administration responded with the instigation of Operation Enduring Freedom. A-10 aircraft first entered the fray during Operation Anaconda in March 2002. During Anaconda four A-10s flying from Pakistan provided 21 straight hours of FAC (A)/CAS coverage. The untold story of the A-10 in Enduring Freedom will be explored and presented as never before through first hand interviews and photography from those involved, along with official military achieves. This title is the first of three planned covering the combat experience of the USAF's A-10 Thunderbolt II units. Follow-on volumes will examine the role of the Warthog during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The untold story of A-10 units in Operation Enduring Freedom reaches its conclusion with this second of two volumes focusing on the type's combat missions in Afghanistan. Featuring numerous first-hand accounts and photography from those who experienced the conflict, along with imagery from official military archives, this book offers a unique and detailed insight into the record of the A-10 in one of the 21st Century's most significant conflicts. Initially, the A-10 Thunderbolt was not a favourite of the USAF, which, prior to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, was hoping to shunt this Cold War relic onto the US Army and Marine Corps. But since then the 'Warthog', with its formidable armament, ruggedness and flexibility, has continually proven itself in combat and evolved into the world's premiere close support aircraft. In 2002 the Thunderbolt was at the forefront of Operation Enduring Freedom, the US occupation of Afghanistan.

The A-10 was never a favourite amongst the USAF's senior staff, and prior to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 they had attempted to transfer the aircraft to the US Army and Marine Corps. Reprieved from premature retirement, the A-10 would see combat in the Balkans during the mid-1990s and over Iraq in Operations Northern Watch and Southern Watch until Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003. Following the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States, the Bush administration responded with the instigation of Operation Enduring Freedom. A-10 aircraft first entered the fray during Operation Anaconda in March 2002. During Anaconda four A-10s flying from Pakistan provided 21 straight hours of FAC (A)/CAS coverage. The untold story of the A-10 in Enduring Freedom will be explored and presented as never before through first hand interviews and photography from those involved, along with official military achieves. This title is the first of three planned covering the combat experience of the USAF's A-10 Thunderbolt II units. Follow-on volumes will examine the role of the Warthog during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Dubbed 'Warthog' - or just 'Hog' - by those who fly and maintain it, the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is the world's undisputed close air support attack jet. As tough as it is ugly, it has built a fearsome reputation as a tank buster and infantry killer in conflicts around the globe, and its GAU-8 Avenger 30mm cannon strikes fear into the hearts of all unlucky enough to be on the wrong side of it.he A-10 was clutched from the jaws of retirement by the 1991 Gulf War. At the time of the conflict, the United States Air Force was making plans to shed it's A-10 fleet, citing obsolescence and redundancy. As the ensuing conflict showed, nothing could have been further from the truth, and no other airframe could have provided the US and Coalition commanders with the sort of forward air control, close air support, combat search and rescue, and tank busting capabilities that the Hog did. Since then the A-10 has delivered capabilities to battlefield commanders in the Balkans (1990s), Afghanistan (2001 onwards) and the second Gulf War (2003 onwards), and Libya (2011). A-10s have flown around 11 per cent of Operation Inherent Resolve sorties (striking IS targets in Iraq) since combat operations began in August 2014.