Bomber Jet – A10 Thunderbolt II

Description

The Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft designed to provide close air support (CAS) of ground forces by attacking tanks, armored vehicles, and other ground targets. As a secondary mission, it provides airborne forward air control, guiding other aircraft against ground targets. It is the first US Air Force aircraft designed exclusively for CAS. The official nickname comes from the P-47 Thunderbolt of World War II, a plane that was particularly effective at the CAS mission. However, the A-10 is more commonly known as Warthog or simply Hog. In the USAF inventory, the same airframe is also designated OA-10 when used primarily in a forward air control role.

The A-10 saw combat for the first time during the Gulf War in 1991, destroying more than 1,000 Iraqi tanks, 2,000 military vehicles, and 1,200 artillery pieces. A-10s also shot down two Iraqi helicopters with the GAU-8 gun.
Five A-10s were shot down during the war (a number of those by ZSU-23-4 Shilka anti-aircraft systems), far fewer than military planners expected. A-10s had a mission capable rate of 95.7%, flew 8,100 sorties, and launched 90% of the AGM-65 Maverick missiles fired in the conflict.

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The ‘Warthog’ is exceptionally hardy, to the point that it could be considered an airborne tank. Its strong airframe can survive direct hits from armor-piercing and high-explosive projectiles up to 23mm.
The cockpit and parts of the flight-control system are protected by 900 lb (408 kg) of titanium armor, referred to as a “titanium bathtub.” The tub has been tested to withstand multiple strikes from 20mm cannon fire. The thickness of the titanium varies from 0.5 inches to 1.5 inches determined by a study of likely trajectories and deflection angles. This protection comes at a cost, though; the armor plating itself weighs almost 6% of the entire aircraft’s empty weight.

"Real World" Armaments

Although the A-10 can carry a considerable weight of disposable stores, its primary built-in weapon is the 30 mm GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling gun. One of the most powerful aircraft cannons ever flown, it fires large depleted uranium armor-piercing shells at a rate of about 3,900 rounds per minute (50 rounds per second during the first second, 70 rounds per second thereafter). The massive shells and high muzzle velocity allow the Thunderbolt II to destroy heavily armored main battle tanks with as few as six direct hits. The gun is also accurate, being capable of placing 80% of its shots within a 20-foot wide circle from a distance of 1 mile while the aircraft is in flight.

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Another commonly used weapon is the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missile, with electro-optical targeting. The Maverick allows targets to be engaged at much greater ranges than the cannon, a safer proposition in the face of modern anti-aircraft systems. During Desert Storm, in the absence of night vision goggles, the Maverick’s camera was used for night missions. Other weapons include cluster bombs and rocket pods. It is also capable of carrying Hellfire missiles. Although the A-10 is equipped to deliver laser-guided bombs, their use is relatively uncommon; at the low altitudes and speeds of typical A-10 operations, standard unguided bombs provide adequate accuracy at far lower cost. In any event, the guided weapons would provide little benefit, as there would be nearly no time for the weapons to steer onto a target. A-10s usually fly with an ECM pod under one wing and two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles under the other for self-defense.

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BF2 Version

Information

The BF2 version of the A10 Thunderbolt features in both Midnight Sun and Operation Road Rage, with 1 and 2 available on the maps respectively. Unlike the jets featured in BF2 vanilla and Euro Force, the A10 has no air to air missiles but instead has a payload of 4 dumb bombs.

In the lead-up to Armoured Fury’s release, many BF2 players got very excited at the prospect of the A10 featuring in the game, with its cannons ability to annihilate enemy armour in few hits as well as a possible second seat for LGM capabilities.
Unfortunatly, the A10 doesn’t live up to its name in BF2.

The plane itself is relatively slow and pretty weak (it has no afterburner). For a “bomber jet”, the F15/Su30/Su34 are far better bomber jets for their LGM’s and payload of smart bombs which easily eradicate armour. And thats not to mention the cannon which is pretty weak against ground targets, unless you get a long strafing run - requiring a very slow run in making you an easy target for any AA or enemy jets.
Not only that, but in real life they feature 2 air-to-air missiles for defense - the BF2 version doesn’t.
Although it obviously has to be toned down for fair gameplay, a lot of players and fans disregard the A10 (or the MEC/PLA equilivants), finding it weak, ineffective and far from what was expected in comparison to the vanilla jets.

However, because it has no air-to-air missiles, this makes air combat soley based on cannon fire - which many players regard as more skillful. Despite this, most players prefer to avoid air-to-air and concentrate on bombing - dropping 4 dumb bombs on the enemy targets each time.