Douglas A-1 Skyraider

     Notes: Originally designed in the wake of World War 2 as a dive bomber, the Skyraider did not see any service in that war; however, it saw considerable use during the Korean War.  The Skyraider was progressively upgraded between the late 1940s and early 1980s, despite questions about how relevant the Skyraider was in modern air power.  The Skyraider, however, came into its own in the Vietnam war, where it’s slow speed and long loitering capability, as well as its ability to haul heavy loads, made the aircraft of choice as a “Sandy.”  Sandies gave cover to helicopter extraction missions, able to provide accurate support due to its slow speed and the bravery of Sandy pilots in dragging their aircraft in low.  Their heavy armament, including four 20mm wing cannons, proved invaluable.  In addition to US Air Force service, is was used by the Navy, Marine corps, the VNAF, and RAF, Sweden (where they were only used as target tugs, with armament and hardpoints removed), and the French Air Force.  A variety of Southeast Asian and African countries also procured retiring Skyraiders. The A-1 continued to be used by the reunited Vietnam until the late 1980s.  Though it is controversial as to whether it is regarded to be a kill, four Skyraiders outmaneuvered and shot down a MiG-19 in 1967.  It often took two or more MiGs to being down a Skyraider, due to the Skyraider’s maneuverability and the low heat given off by its engine. Skyraiders were involved in several – ah, unusual exploits, including the rescue of a Special Forces trooper, with the Green Beret standing on the wing, and in 1965, the dropping of a toilet on Viet Cong (commemorating the pilot’s 6 million pounds of ordnance dropped).

AD-1

     The original production was designated AD-1; this designation was assigned before the joint service common designation redesignation, and for the fact that the Skyraider was originally a Naval aircraft.  242 were built. The AD-1 was powered by a 2500-horsepower Wright R-3350-24W Duplex Cyclone Radial, with 18 cylinders.  The engine was canted slightly downward, reducing the need for trim changes. It was a tail-dragger, and the main wheels rotated 90 degrees to lay flush with the airframe when flying.  Being originally a Naval aircraft, the winds folded up near the middle. Both the wings and tail carried ailerons and elevators, increasing maneuverability, and had effective flaps and an undercarriage suitable for rough-field operations.  Weapon carriage consisted of its internal armament of an M-3 20mm autocannon in each wing. A centerline hardpoint, a hard point under each wing, six pylons under each outer wing, for a total of 15 pylons – 1.63 tons on the centerline pylon, each inboard pylon could handle 1.36 tons, and each outer wing pylons could carry 225 kg each.  However, the outer wing in totality could not carry more than1.135 tons, and since the hardpoints were tightly spaced, clearance issues resulted; while the outer wing could handle 6 rockets, it could carry only 3 bombs on the outer wing.  Essentially, if loaded with more than 250 kg of weapons, the pilot may load only every other of these hardpoints, as the heavier ordnance was literally hooked to two hardpoints. (Most Sandies did in fact carry rockets underwing.  The centerline and inner wing pylons were wet; this was good, since the AD-1 was not capable of aerial refueling.  Occasionally, an AD-1 was “bombed up,” overloaded with ordnance; these configurations were not regarded as being a sane thing to do.  Along with bombs, napalm, and rockets, the AD-1 could carry torpedoes; this was only done once, against a dam in North Korea.  The AD-1 had no ejection seat, and clearing the big tail could be a problem in a bailout.  The pilot sits in an armored cockpit.

     The AD-1Q was a variant of the AD-1 that carried a second operator in the rear.  His cockpit could be charitably described as cozy; he entered through a door on the right side below the canopy.  (In an emergency, this could be difficult to get out of quickly.) He had limited view through the canopy, and his main window was on left side.  Under the right wing outboard was a jammer pod, and a chaff dispenser was carried under the left wing outboard.  The other hardpoints were not occupied and could carry normal ordnance, and the cannons remained. The AD-1Q had extra antennas for the ECM pod. In order to not lose the fuel tankage, a spine ran down the fuselage to the tail.

AD-2/AD-3/AD-4

     Some 156 AD-2s were built, though some were converted to the variants below. The upgrades included airframe strengthening, allowing for better maneuverability, an increase in internal fuel, and the replacement of the engine by a later version, the Wright 3350-26W, developing 3020 horsepower.  The AD-1 included doors for the main landing gear, something the AD-1 did not have.  The engine mounting was improved and made more solid, and the cockpit arrangement was made more intuitive.  This version entered service in 1948.

     An AD-2Q was also produced, similar to the AD-1Q, but with a jammer with more capability.

     The AD-3 was similar to the AD-2, had a further-strengthened airframe, lengthened main gear struts, and an updated propeller.  The tailwheel was no longer retractable, the rudder was redesigned, and the cockpit layout was further revised. The tail pitot tube was removed, replaced by a simple inlet.  125 of these were built or converted in 1949.

     The AD-3Q was an ECM platform version of the AD-3; it had an updated equipment configuration.  Only 23 were built or converted.

     The AD-3N was a night attack variant, with a second crewmember crammed into the rear canopy like on the AD-2Q.  A second door, with a window, was put in the RIO space.  Under one wing was an AN/APS-4 radar pod, while the other wing had a 1 million-candlepower searchlight. The fuselage dive brakes were deleted, though the belly dive brakes were retained.  On some AD-3Ns, the cannons were given flash suppressors to keep from blinding the crew in the dark. 15 were built or converted.

     The AD-3W was an AEW variant, with a large belly radome for an AN/APS-20A search and tracking radar.  In addition, the fuselage had a spine that held more equipment.  Again, two crewmembers were jammed in where only one should have gone.  The cannons were deleted, and the inboard wing pylons were retained for fuel tanks (the extra equipment gave the AD-3W a considerable hit on fuel tankage); the outer wing hardpoints were removed.  The AD-3W had the nickname “Guppy” during its service.  31 were built or converted.

     The AD-4 was built in larger numbers than any other Skyraider, with 372 built, though most were later converted or upgraded to later models. A more fuel-efficient Wright R-3350-26WA engine, providing 2700 horsepower, was fitted, though there was a loss of speed.  The windshield was made wider and made of armored glass. Firepower was increased by adding another 20mm autocannon in each wing.

     The AD-4B was, unbelievably, fitted out for tactical nuclear delivery, though they could also carry conventional stores.  165 of these were built, with another 37 being modified from standard AD-4s.  They could carry a Mk 7 or Mk 8 nuclear bomb on a reinforced centerline pylon.  Pilots of the AD-4B had no great faith that they would survive such a mission; they knew the Skyraider was too slow to avoid the blast and radiation effects of the bomb.  They did have a special bomb direction system, optimized for nuclear delivery; it was not useful for conventional ordnance.

     The AD-4N was the night attack variant, similar in concept to the AD-3N.  This version did not have the second cannon in each wing, remaining with two cannons.  After redesignation, this aircraft became the A-1D

     The AD-4Q was an ECM carrier, similar to the AD-3Q.

     AD-4W was an AEW version, with 168 built, and similar to the AD-3W.

     The AD-4L was a winterized version, specifically for fighting in Korea.  It featured deicing boots on the leading edges of the wings and control surfaces, and an engine preheater.  There were 63 conversions.  The AD-4NL was a winterized AD-4N, with 38 conversions.  Both are identical to the standard AD-4 or AD-4N for game purposes.

     Near the start of the Korean War, 100 AD-4Ns were converted back to a day attack role. They were stripped of all night attack equipment, and had their hardpoints restored.  They retained, however, their twin 20mm cannons, with flash suppressors.  The rear seat remained, though it was normally empty.

Korean War Skyraiders: AD-5/AD-6/AD-7

     In the Korean War, the Skyraider acquired the nickname “Able Dog,” from its designation of AD.  They had a legendary reputation, as being easy to fly, maneuverable, able to haul lots or ordinance, and capable of sustaining incredible damage and bringing its pilot home. Later, after the tri-service designation system, the AD-5 would be redesignated the A-1E.  The first AD-5s were rebuilt AD-4s.

     The AD-5 was a significant upgrade for the Skyraider, with a stretched fuselage to carry more fuel, a width increase to allow even more fuel, a second crewmember, or specialized equipment.  In some configurations, up to four crewmembers could be accommodated in the Skyraider, if so equipped.  The fuselage airbrakes were deleted as unnecessary with all the brakes and slats already present.  The outer wing pylons were moved so they just projected beyond the front of the wings; this helped maintain the center of gravity when carrying stores. The two seat configuration was used, with the second seat beside the pilot; this seat was often unoccupied, but often carried an observer with binoculars.

     The AD-5N was a night attack version, similar in concept to the AD-4N, though the radar operator was beside the pilot instead of being crammed in the back.  239 were built. After redesignation, this became the A-1G.

     The AD-5W was an AEW aircraft, similar to the AD-4W, and equipped with a tracking and scanning radar underneath the fuselage.  The AD-1W had two radar operators and one EW officer; the radar operators in the rear needed their cockpit area dark, to see the radar scopes better.  The Plexiglas of the canopy in the rear was replaced with aluminum sheets, and small windows were made in the sides of the rear section to supply what light was needed.  Equipment included a searchlight and a chaff pod. After redesignation, this became the EA-1E.

     The AD-5S was a one-off; it was an attempt to turn the Skyraider into an ASW platform.  It had radar and searchlight on the wings and a MAD tail stinger, was a four seater, and generally carried torpedoes and sonobuoys on its wings. The Navy decided to use the S-2 Tracker instead. It will not be covered here.

     The AD-5Q was an EW aircraft; like other AD-xQs, it carried chaff and ECM pods, and it also carried a four-man crew to operate the increase in ECM gear as well as chaff.  Under its wings, there were two ECM pods and two chaff pods; there was some additional internal electronic gear in a spine fairing. After redesignation, this became the EA-1F.

     Theoretically, the AD-5 was to an extent modular; literature suggests that it could be outfitted as an air ambulance with a capacity of four stretchers, a personnel transport able to carry eight passengers, a target tug, a photoreconnaissance aircraft, and a cargo aircraft with a capacity of 900 kg.  I have not seen any hard evidence that the AD-5 was ever used in any of these roles, though the conversion kits were produced and distributed.  At any rate, I have no hard information, or even something nebulous that I could fudge with, so they will not be included here.  On a few occasions, the AD-5 has been used as a buddy refueler, with the inner wing hardpoints used as a kit for this purpose; only a few mentions of this use appear anywhere.

     The AD-6, later redesignated the A-1H, was an even bigger upgrade, with its engine replaced by a Wright R-3350-26WD 2700-horsepower engine, which was easier to service. Hardpoints were modernized to be able to take any sort of ordinance in the US military.  It also inherited the AD-4B’s alternate mission as a nuclear delivery platform. The avionics were simplified and improved.  The airframe was reinforced, as were the landing gear.  The AD-6 had a long ventral airbrake atop the fuselage.  The AD-6/A-1H appeared to be optimized for air-to ground operations; the AD-6 had a rudimentary targeting computer.  No other variants were built.

     The AD-6/A-1H introduced a controversial feature – the rocket extraction device.  This was not an ejection seat; attached to the pilot’s harness, it simply yanked him out of the plane.  The pilot still had to pull his own rip cord. It is not sure what confidence the crews had in this system.

     The AD-7/A-1J simply was an AD-6 with longer, stronger wings, and stronger landing gear.  72 were built, with the last one built in 1957.

     The A-1E, A-1H, and A-1J later went on to glory as Sandies in the Vietnam War, with the last being retired from US service in 1972.

What Could Have Been: The Skyshark

     In Jun 1945 the military asked Douglas to produce a prototype of a turboprop-powered Skyraider.  It was to have more speed and better lifting capability, but be able to operate off Essex and Casablanca-class escort carriers, which were not big enough to operate jets.  They would also provide an alternative for general ground support to thirsty jets.  The result was the A2D Skyshark.  While the Skyraider was clearly the base of the aircraft, the Skyshark was also a clearly different airplane.

     The Skyshark was built around the new Allison XT-40-A2 5100-horsepower turboprop powering a two-layer contra-rotating propeller.  The wing root thickness was decreased to increase streamlining, but the height and area of the tail grew.

     The Skyshark program, however, was fraught with problems from the beginning.  The Allison engine was not available until 1950; in the meantime an underpowered GE TE-100 was used for flight tests.  In addition, the engine that Allison delivered at first were prototype engines; a production did not appear until 1953.  During one of the first test flights, the gearbox, which had troublesome, could not handle the power of the engine, seized it up, and caused the nose to shed all of its propeller blades. Which is too bad, because when it was working, the Allison engine was capable of delivering near-sonic speeds.

     By 1954, the A-4 Skyhawk was ready to fly; Douglas now had a much better design to sell to the Navy.  Meanwhile, the escort carriers were being mothballed.  Allison had still not delivered a reliable powerplant.  Time was up for the troubled Skyshark.  Of the 12 built, four were destroyed in testing, seven were scrapped, and one is now on display at the airport in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

     I am including the Skyshark in this entry as a “what-if.”

     Twilight 2000 Notes: By the Twilight War, very few of these aircraft were flying, but the few remaining -- perhaps 25 in all -- were recalled late in the war as ground support aircraft and Sandies. 

*The cockpit area of the Skyraider has additional armor and has an AV of 8.

A-4 Skyhawk

     Notes: Most versions of the A-4 have a hump behind the cockpit that houses avionics and ECM gear.  Although it is small, it can carry a large weapon load for its size, including nuclear weapons.  These aircraft were much used in the Twilight War, particularly in the Middle East and by the US, who recalled them from boneyards to replace aircraft losses and to use as close support aircraft.

     The A-4A was the first production model, with a low-thrust engine and two hardpoints.  The A-4B is the same aircraft with a slightly higher-powered engine.  The A-4Q is a refurbished A-4B sold to the Argentine Navy.  The A-4C has the addition of terrain-following radar and an autopilot as well as improvements to avionics.  The A-4P is a refurbished A-4C supplied to the Argentine Air Force.

     The A-4E introduced two new hardpoints to the wings.  The A-4F introduced the avionics hump to the rear of the cockpit, housing ECM and equipment for the guidance of command-guided munitions.  An A-4G is an A-4F built for the Australian Navy; it does not have the hump. The A-4K is the same aircraft after some years have gone by; it was refurbished, and then passed on the New Zealanders. The A-4H was built for the Israelis; it replaces the cannons with heavier ones.  The A-4M was built for the US Marines and was known as the Skyhawk II; it has a more powerful engine, double the cannon ammunition load, and a laser designator.  The A-4N was built for the Israelis; it has 30mm cannons, and more advanced avionics.  The A-4Y is an A-4M with a refit to bring it up to the same level as the A-4N. 

A-6 Intruder

     Notes: This is an older US Navy attack aircraft, partially replaced in US Navy service by the F/A-18.  The Intruder can be refueled in flight and can carry drop tanks.  Earlier versions of this aircraft were workhorses in Vietnam and the Gulf War.  A tanker version, the KA-6D, remains in service, and carries 9500 liters of fuel in 5 drop tanks for buddy refueling of carrier aircraft.

     The A-6A is the basic aircraft; it to include a digital integrated attack suite (the DIANE system).  The A-6B is generally similar, but has an updated RWR and is able to use antiradiation missiles.  The A-6C is also similar to the A-6B, but carries a FLIR and low-light TV system under the nose.  The A-6E has a comprehensive avionics and ECM suite.  The A-6E/TRAM has the TRAM system; this includes a steerable ball turret under the nose housing the FLIR, LLTV, and a laser designator.  This aircraft is one of the few in the inventory able to deliver Tomahawk cruise missiles, or anything else in the US Naval inventory.

     The A-6F includes better avionics, smokeless engines, higher load-carrying capability, and a new bomb delivery system with better accuracy.  In addition, the A-6F adds air-to-air capability.  The Navy chose to concentrate on the Super Hornet instead of building the A-6F.

     Two electronic warfare versions of the A-6 were produced: the EA-6A, made in extremely limited numbers primarily as an operational experiment, and the EA-6B, the US Navy’s primary electronic warfare aircraft.  (This version will be detailed in another entry.)  Work on the EA-6A started in 1962; it is basically a heavily-modified A-6A, distinguished by the canoe fairing on the tail.  The fairing carried electronic warfare equipment such as radar and radio detectors and radar and radio jammers.  In addition, the EA-6A could carry up to five electronic and/or infrared jamming pods (four under the wings, and under the fuselage).  Flare and chaff dispensing pods could be carried in place of the underwing jammers if the mission called for them.  The EA-6A retained a limited ground attack capability (though it was seldom used for it); it’s most common weapon was the Shrike ARM.  The radar of the EA-6A is not as powerful as that of the A-6A.  Only 27 EA-6As were built, and the survivors of the Vietnam War were retired in 1985, after having been relegated to a training role after the war.  Some were also converted into regular A-6As after the Vietnam War. 

     The KA-6D is a tanker version of the A-6, made by converting existing A-6s (mostly A-6As, though 12 of the 90 made were modified from A-6Es).  The KA-6D is basically an A-6A which has been stripped down, with the radar and most of the DIANE system removed. (It retains a visual bombing system, but this was seldom used in Vietnam, and has not been used since.)The KA-6D is fitted with an inertial navigation system, a powerful navigation computer, and long-range radios, to allow it to find the aircraft which depend upon it.  (The KA-6D also has a secondary role as an air/sea rescue control aircraft.)  Internal fuel tanks are re-arranged, and the wings are strengthened to allow it to carry its huge external fuel tanks.  The belly of the fuselage has a hose, reel, and basket-type refueling drogue.  A special pod could also be carried on the fuselage hard point, allowing it to refuel Air Force aircraft and other aircraft which cannot be refueled by probe-and-drogue method; this pod would be carried in place of one of the KA-6D’s external fuel tanks.  Another pod may be carried on the centerline; this one acts as a backup to the primary hose and drogue, or may allow the KA-6D to ferry fuel to other carriers or land bases. The KA-6D may carry up to five external fuel tanks, all of which may be used refuel other aircraft if necessary; each one of these fuel tanks carry 1900 liters.  The bombardier/navigator has greatly-reduced duties in the KA-6D; his primary is job is as a navigator and to conduct the refueling operations.  There is a tiny chance that the hose can get stuck in the unreeled position; if this happens, the aircraft cannot land on a carrier or on land due to the inability to extend the tailhook and the high probability of a catastrophic fire as the unreeled hose drags the ground.  Because of this, a device was installed which severs the hose from the aircraft at the fuselage.  Though the KA-6D is also called the Intruder, it is more common for US Navy and Marine pilots to refer to the KA-6D by the name of “Texaco.”

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Many A-6s returned to service to replace aircraft losses during the Twilight War.  The A-6F Intruder II aircraft was at first not going to be produced, but with the Twilight War emergency, it was produced in limited quantities (perhaps 50, plus about 25 conversions from A-6E aircraft) during 1998-99.  Four EA-6As served in the Twilight War, replacing EA-6B losses after being pulled from boneyards and refurbished; these aircraft had more modern equipment than the original EA-6As.

A-7 Corsair II

     Notes: The story of the A-7 Corsair II began in the early 1960s, when the US Navy realized that, while the A-4 Skyhawk was still hale, it was a small aircraft with limited capacity for external stores or updating, relatively fragile compared to more recent designs, and had limited fuel capacity.  The Navy put out a call for a better aircraft, and Vought was able in short order to (extensively) modify their F-8 Crusader fighter into a subsonic ground attack platform able to address most of the design shortcomings perceived by the Navy.  Deliveries began in 1967, with initial deliveries to the US Navy continuing until 1971.  The US Air Force, in an unusual move (the US Navy and Air Force, out of service rivalries if nothing else, generally refuse to operate the same aircraft), decided to have a version made to their requirements.  Then, seeing the Corsair II’s successes in Vietnam, was taken up by several NATO and some other countries.  The A-7 featured some innovative new technologies, such as the HUD and inertial navigation. The Turkish and Greeks still operate the A-7.  Claims to fame included some of the first use of smart bombs (against the Than Hoa bridge in this case) and as one of the favorite steeds of

The First Corsair IIs

     The airframe of the A-7A was essentially a shortened and stubby version of the F-8 Crusader’s; it quickly acquired the nickname of SLUF (Short Little Ugly Fucker, or “Fellow” in its family-friendly guise).  Most of the time, the “II” was omitted from the aircraft’s name, leaving the aircraft of simply “Corsair.”  The Corsair went from first flight to squadron service in little over a year, with full operational service in February in 1967. The Corsair was one of the first aircraft able to do all-weather attack, due to its radar bombing system, which was linked to a weather radar and it’s INS.  This also linked with a second weapons computer, which allowed it to use some smart bombs and missiles from sometimes long distances (the limiting factor was primarily of the munitions and not of the A-7’s bombing system).  Another innovative feature was the landing system and autopilot; the A-7 could navigate to and from the pilot and land on the carrier with hands off by the pilot. (In actual service, this rarely done, as the skies over North Vietnam could give the pilot too many unpleasant surprises, as could carrier landings.)  The early HUD showed information on the attitude and altitude of the Corsair, told the pilot if his aircraft was drifting off course, and gave the pilot an aiming circle appropriate to the munitions he was using, including for his gun and the pair of Sidewinders he carried (on either side of the aircraft behind and below the cockpit, for air-to-air combat). The INS could show had two scopes, one for attack and one for navigation.  The pilot, when using the autopilot, the pilot could set up to nine waypoints for the autopilot to follow, in addition to start and endpoints.  Finally, the A-7 was equipped with the latest version of TACAN navigation, normally used as a backup to the INS. The radio could use secured communications between aircraft which were possessed of the same sort of equipment.

     However, the A-7A had its problems and teeth-cutting. The Corsair had poor crosswind stability and its brakes were slow to stop the aircraft upon landing on a carrier (before pilots got used to this, landings could miss the number two wire more often than normal, and landings left the aircraft near the edge of the landing deck.  Some ended up hanging over the edge of the landing deck by the arrestor cable.  The autopilot/INS combination was effective, but took a lot of babysitting by the pilot.  The engine was a Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-6, an early version of the engine of the F-111 and early F-14s, omitting the afterburner and providing 11,350 pounds thrust, and this early engine version could be a little slow on the uptake. The A-7A struggled for altitude after launch due to the warm, humid conditions in Southeast Asia; fully-loaded A-7As could spend 20 minutes working up to their cruising speed of 580 miles per hour (933 KMH).  (Pilots did what was termed a low-altitude transition phase, which held the A-7A just above the waves to get a wing in ground effect from the water to help it speed up before it climbed to cruising altitude.)  The A-7A wings did not have precise control over the takeoff and landing flaps; they were always either fully-extended or completely retracted.  The result of the hot, humid conditions led the pilots to hold back on power when being launched in order to be able to throttle up when trying to accelerate.  The turbofan engine coupled with the INS and radar led to low fuel consumption compared to other attack aircraft. Wing hardpoints were plentiful, with eight under its wings and one on each side of the fuselage (Sidewinders or later, Sidearm ARMs only).  The two inner wing hardpoints are wet.

     The A-7B features dogtooth wings, something which increased maneuverability and lifting capacity by increasing wing area. The A-7B also had a full set of leading-edge slats, which further increased maneuverability, especially in combat maneuvering.  The wings had less of a sweep than the A-7A, giving the A-7B lesser wing loading, increasing lift and increasing the accuracy of landings and takeoffs.  Flap positions were changed so that the inner wing has flaps, while the outer edge had ailerons, even further increasing handling.  A spoiler was added to the top of the wing, further enhancing carrier landings, and the ability to slow down dramatically in combat maneuverability and being able to hit more targets during bombing or get the “one that got away.” The A-7B had a probe and drogue assembly, making aerial refueling possible.  Doppler radar was added, allowing the A-7 target to be moving and still hit its target (as long as if the target was not moving fast).  This system was not designed to be useful in air-to-air combat.  The A-7B was equipped with a later version of the A-7A’s engine developing 12,200 pounds thrust.

     The A-7 was capable of using virtually all of the Navy’s air-to-ground munitions. The A-7A was not equipped with the Vulcan rotary cannon of later A-7s; instead, the A-7A (and A-7B) were equipped with Mk 12 20mm autocannons, one on each side of the intake.

     The A-7C was produced for the US Air Force as a stopgap between the Navy A-7s they had borrowed and the purpose-built A-7Ds that were on order.  The A-7Cs were flown by only two squadrons and made only one combat deployment.  The A-7C received the ready components of the A-7E, which was not yet in production or service.  The A-7C received many of the avionics and weapon upgrades bound for the A-7E, including the replacement of the two Mk 12 cannon by a single M-61 Vulcan firing from the outside of the front end of the air intake. It also the improved HUD of the A-7E, and both the bombing computer and air-to-air computers were improved.  The A-7C used the TF-30-P8 of the A-7B, due to delays in the engine designed for the A-7E.  The carrier that hosted these A-7Cs, the USS America, later did two peacetime deployments before swapping it’s A-7Cs for A-7Es.

     Used by both the Navy and Air Force, the two-seat TA-7C was a trainer for the A-7.  The TA-7C was about 86 centimeters longer than the standard A-7C to accommodate the IP, and there was a reduction in internal fuel carried.  Despite having an instruction role, the TA-7C retained full combat capability (though neither the Air Force or Navy used it in combat). Eight TA-7Cs were outfitted as Aggressor aircraft for training; these were designated EA-7L. The EA-7Ls were used to simulate Wild Weasels and electronic warfare aircraft, though they could carry several jamming pods that other A-7s could not, and otherwise retained full combat capability. 49 TA-7Cs and EA-7Ls were upgraded to the Allison engine; these retained the designations of TA-7C and EA-7L.

      The Navy replaced it’s A-7s in the early 1980s, largely with the F/A-18.

Later US Corsairs

     What’s interesting is that the Air Force originally had no intention of buying the Corsair or any other dedicated ground attack platform.  The Army, however, was (and still is) prohibited by law and regulation from owning and operating armed fixed-wing assets (and don’t get me started on that one).  The Army need close air support, and none of the aircraft in the Air Force’s inventory really fit that bill, being supersonic attack or fighter aircraft.  (The nickname of “fast movers” came about for a reason, and it was not a mark of respect for the Air Force aircraft’s abilities at the time. And don’t get me started on that one either.) The Air Force therefore went looking for something they could deploy quickly and easily and would get the Army off its back.  This brought the first true Air Force version, the A-7D.  However, the A-7D was not simply a repurposed Navy A-7; the Air Force added another improvements, and the A-7 became a true close air support platform.

     The Air Force felt that the Navy A-7s were underpowered, and insisted upon an engine with more power that allowed the A-7 to take more munitions and give a little more speed.  They selected the Allison TF41-A-1 turbofan, a license-built Rolls-Royce Spey engine.  This boosted the A-7D’s power to 14,500 pounds thrust.  The A-7D could then produce near-sonic speeds in level flight and easily break the sound barrier in a dive, yet fly relatively slow for close support missions if necessary due to enlarged flaps. The A-7D had a new, more informative HUD with better visibility, yet did not interfere so much with the pilot’s view of his surroundings.  New avionics included a new ECM and ECCM package, increased-capacity chaff and flare launchers, and a further improved bombing avionics package.  The A-7D had the M-61 Vulcan cannot as standard, instead of the somewhat ad hoc installation on the A-7C.  The troublesome brakes of the Navy A-7s were fixed by upgrading the landing gear hydraulic system. The A-7D added “dogfight slats” to the leading edge of the wings, improving low-speed and mid-speed maneuverability. The A-7D was ready for squadron service by 1970, but did not arrive in Southeast Asia until 1972.  Even though the A-7D also flew bombing missions against North Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, it quickly showed its mettle; in 12,928 sorties, only four A-7Ds were lost to ground fire or SAMs.  The A-7D was largely replaced in the active Air Force by the mid-1980s and the early 90s in the Air National Guard, mostly by A-10s and F-16s.

     The improved A-7D impressed the Navy, sufficient enough that it ordered its own navalized version of the A-7D.  This was the A-7E.  However, there were delays in the deliveries of the Allison engine to the Navy, so the A-7E saw duty at first with TF-30-P-6 engine for several months.  67 such lower-power A-7Es saw service, before they were upgraded to the Allison engine.  The A-7E almost totally replaced the A-4 Skyhawk by 1970, as well as the earlier A-7As and A-7Bs (which were moved to reserve units that were not participating in the Vietnam War).  Perhaps the A-7E’s greatest claim to fame was its participation in the mining of Haiphong Harbor.  By the late 1980s, the A-7E had been largely replaced by the F/A-18 in active Navy service, the A-7Es being retired to AMARC. Though the A-7E was largely a Navy/Marine version of the A-7A/A-7B, it featured several upgrades and the addition of new avionics.  The A-7E could integrate its fighting and navigation equipment with the AN/AAR-45 FLIR pod, and later other FLIR pods as they became available.  The ECM suite was improved and more effective than that of the A-7D.

     In the early 1980s, the TA-7D version of the A-7E, later redesignated the A-7K, came into service.  The A-7K’s fuselage was extended both front and rear, so it did not have to lose any avionics and so the fuel reduction was not as severe.  As with the TA-7C, the A-7K retained full combat capability.  The A-7K could be easily distinguished by its humpbacked appearance around the canopy and the training edge of the canopy; this occurred because the rear cockpit was raised to give the IP or WSO a better view.

Foreign-Use Corsairs

     The Greek A-7H was for the most part the same as the A-7D, with the exception of using some Greek-made avionics built under license.  The A-7Hs replaced the Greek F-104s, which were put into storage at AMARC for the Greeks.  The Greeks are still flying the A-7H, with avionics replacements and maintenance work, though in some cases there were actual improvements in the avionics.  It is rumored that the Greeks had Israeli help for those improvements, but neither country has confirmed this.  (The Israelis have done a lot of weapon and vehicle upgrades for several customers; however, on the other hand the Israelis are closer allies to Turkey than Greece.)  49 of Greece’s TA-7Cs were upgraded to the Allison engine. At the same time, the Greeks bought a number of TA-7Cs; there are rumors that some were used in border incidents against the Turkish.  A-7Hs have a secondary role of air defense and are modified to carry four Sidewinders.

     In the early 1980s, some A-7A airframes were taken out of AMARC and largely brought up for the most part to A-7E standards.  However, they used TF30-P-408 turbofans (equivalent in game terms to the TF30-P-8), and retained the dual 20mm autocannons of the A-7A.  The customer for these A-7s was Portugal, and they were designated A-7P.  For unknown reasons, the A-7Ps have heavily suffered from breakdowns and attrition, and Vought ended up providing 20 non-flyable A-7As for spares.

     In 1995, 18 A-7Es and TA-7Cs were provided to the Thai Air Force, where they became the first Thai combat jets.  Two non-flyable A-7Es were also provided as sources of spare parts.

The Strikefighter: the A-7F

     The A-7F (more properly called the YA-7F, as it had very limited production for testing) had its genesis in an Air Force request for prototypes of a Close Air Support/ Battlefield Air Interdictor (CAS/BAI) in 1985.  The Air Force thought that it’s A-10s might be too vulnerable in the skies of Europe, and that a strike aircraft that could also fulfill the role of a fighter might be a good escort for the A-10s.  The official name of the program was Corsair Plus, but its intended role led to the YA-7F being called the Strikefighter.  The fuselage has sections added in front of and behind the wings, extending the length by 122 centimeters.  The tail fin and rudder were enlarged to provide greater stability and more responsive turning. The wings were enlarged by adding leading edge root extensions.  The fuselage was canted upwards, allowing the seat to be mounted a bit reclined (like that of the F-16).  The flaps were larger, allowing better stability at low speed and when landing.  The cockpit had was a partial glass cockpit, with a HOTAS-type stick and throttle, and the HUD was switchable between air-to-ground and air-to-air modes, and provided more information.  This was combined to a precision bombing computer and air-to-air computer, and A-7F more and more conceptually similar to the F/A-18. The A-7F had integral night attack capability. The A-7F had a single Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 afterburning turbofan, capable of not only greater lifting power, but supersonic flight.

     The YA-7F was not ordered into production; with the Air Force having lots of F-16s and the Navy having growing amounts of F/A-18s, it was considered redundant.  In the end, though it was considered a pre-production aircraft, only two were built.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The A-7F was produced mainly for the US Air National Guard units in some states, and few of them were built at that (perhaps 150 of them).  Some of them ranged as far as Nome, Alaska, and even one strike over the Bering Straits into Eastern Siberia.

Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II

     The A-10 is heavily armored and carries a massive amount of ordinance to a long range.  It is an ugly aircraft, and was quickly nicknamed the Warthog by its crews, and acquired a great reputation for tank-busting and general ground support during the Persian Gulf War of 1991 and the Twilight War.  The A-10 may be refueled in air, and has an ejection seat.  The A-10 is flown only by the US, though South Korea, Turkey and Iraq have expressed interest in it.

The Genesis: The A-X Program

     As early as 1966, warfighters such as John P McConnell (then the CoS of the USAF) saw the effectiveness of the A-1 Skyraider in Vietnam, particularly in Close Air Support (CAS) missions, and realized that such aircraft, in that role, performed their duties with effectiveness that far outsized what were supposedly the capabilities of the aircraft.  McConnell, however, felt that the Air Force could do better in the CAS mission, particularly with a new aircraft designed for the role.  (It also helped that McConnell was not a “Member” of the Fighter or Bomber Mafias, and was, for part of his pre-Air Force Army career, a groundpounder.)  He also gained some inspiration from the exploits of the Soviet Il-2 Sturmovik, US P-47 Thunderbolt (once it was taken out of the fighter role and put into the then-new CAS role), the British Hawker Typhoon, and the use of older and supposedly obsolete aircraft for CAS missions in the Korean War.  He also looked at what he felt as the mistaken notion that a fast-mover could be effectely used for the CAS mission. He worked up some ideas on the subject with a small team, and in 1969 took those ideas to the Secretary of the Air Force.  He asked the then-controversial Pierre Sprey, a civilian think-tank member, to put together a joint military/civilian team to start the A-X program, which eventually led to the A-10 Thunderbolt II (and it’s competitor, the YA-9A).

     The A-X was to be unlike any other Air Force aircraft of its time period, with a low maximum speed, low stall speed, excellent maneuverability (primarily using large, straight wings with low wing loading), and the ability to lift heavy weapon loads, along with a general toughness and ability to take ground fire and keep operating, simplified operation, and easy maintenance and quick regeneration time.  The initial contracts were issued to six companies, with Fairchild-Republic (who had produced the P-47 in World War II, and was producing the excellent strategic strike aircraft, the F-105, at the time), and Northrop having the final competitions and flyoffs.  As about the same time, the GE/Philco-Ford GAU-8 Gatling Gun had been designed for just such a role, and was looking for a plane to be mounted in.  Carrying the gun was added to the requirements for the A-X.  In the end, only Fairchild-Republic’s prototype (the YA-10) could carry and fire the GAU-8 without significant aerodynamic and recoil problems, and it was chosen as the A-10 in 1975, with first deliveries starting in 1976.

     Though designed specifically for the skies of a World War III Europe, it proved itself in several other later conflicts, including the former Yugoslavian Republics, Panama, Desert Storm, and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq; in fact, it is still serving with distinction in Afghanistan, and the arrival of A-10s on station can bring a smile to an infantryman’s face,  The A-10 has survived dozens of attempts to kill it (something that started almost immediately upon adoption) and update it (both by the pilots in some cases and the command structure), and has proven its worth each time.  Simply put, there is no aircraft in the Air Force inventory that can do the job that the A-10 does.  Even most Air Force pilots don’t want to fly the A-10 – it’s not “sexy.”

     However, the A-10’s days are numbered; some have literally been flown to death, and even the newer ones are reaching the end of repeatedly extended lifetimes.  There is a new program to replace the A-10 with perhaps two or three other dedicated CAS aircraft, and in addition replace some of it’s missions with modified F-16s or F/A-18s or even the F-35, all of which are woefully inadequate for the CAS role.  The Harrier is perhaps a better fit, but it too is being replaced by the F-35 (and the F-35 is woefully inadequate for even the Harrier’s mission).

     Just a personal note: I don’t think the Air Force should ever had the A-10.  They didn’t want it, and don’t really want to fly CAS missions anyway (the pilots feel CAS is better suited to attack helicopters, and that “mud moving” itself is not sexy – it’s an ego thing).  The Department of Defense and the US Air Force need to get their heads out of their collective asses and let the Army fly the A-10, and produce new-build A-10s. (The prohibition of the US Army flying fixed-wing armed aircraft itself is an ego thing gone too far, despite the excuses the Air Force keeps spinning out.)

The Standard Version: The A-10A

     After some minor upgrades needed after its testing phase as the YA-10, The A-10, dubbed the “Warthog” by both its crews and disdainful fighter jocks (because it is, well, an ugly aircraft, and as tough as its new namesake), entered service in 1976 as the A-10A.  However, it has not simply remained static in its 40 years of service, instead receiving gradual upgrades which addressed everything to airframe strength and to increase service life length to avionics improvements and upgrades to widen the types of weapons it could deliver and increase the accuracy of its cannon and weapons delivery.

     The A-10 is a cruciform, straight, wide-winged aircraft; it’s shape led the Iraqi troops and insurgents to give the A-10A the name of “Cross of Death.”  It is designed for low-speed flying, in recognition of the fact that fast-movers typically cannot pick out small targets on a battlefield,.  Most control surfaces are larger than normal to enhance control, and the wings and tail surfaces are wider than normal to further increase stability and in the case of the wings, allow for more and heavier weapon carriage while decreasing wing loading.  The A-10A is designed to be operated and serviced from anything from rough airfields to straight sections of roads.  In most cases, the A-10A can be completely refueled and rearmed in 30 minutes. Perhaps the best-known feature of the A-10A (other than its gun) is it’s incredible capability to sustain damage and keep fighting, or at least bring its pilot home.  The pilot is surrounded by a “bathtub” of titanium armor lined with Kevlar, and most of the flight control system is also protected by a combination of titanium and Kevlar sheets.  Depending upon the angle of impact, these protected surfaces can take impacts from 23mm to 57mm rounds.  Much of the aircraft can also take impacts from 20mm rounds, and even some SHORAD and AAM strikes. Even the canopy is resistant to strikes of up to 12.7mm rounds. The cockpit armor itself weighs an astounding 540 kilograms. The hydraulic systems are double-redundant, and if those are lost, there is a mechanical backup to the hydraulic system.  (Controls with mechanical input will be noticeably heavier, but will still control the plane.)  The entire fuel system is self-sealing, and is protected by a titanium/Kevlar shell. The engines are shielded from the rest of the aircraft by firewalls and have automatic fire detection, suppression, and explosion resistance systems. The ammunition drum for the gun is surrounded by varying degrees of armor and is designed to predetonate most explosive rounds without penetrating the ammunition drum. The A-10A can, in fact, keep flying with the loss of an engine, half the tail, one elevator, and half a wing missing.  Supposedly, deadstick (ie, no power) landings in an A-10A are impossible to do safely; however, this was disproven repeatedly in Operation Iraqi Freedom. (It does remain difficult, however.)

     The core weapon, the GAU-8/A seven-barreled Gatling Gun, generally fires APDU ammunition; current initiatives are experimenting with APDS-T ammunition based on a tungsten penetrator to reduce the use of toxic and pyrophoric DU ammunition on the battlefield.  Other possible rounds include APHE rounds, similar to HEAT ammunition but with an armor piercing hardened ballistic cap nose backed with a HEAT-type filler, and AP ammunition, essentially solid hardened steel shot.  The gun can be fired using two motors, at 4200 RPM, or using one motor, at 2100 RPM. Normal ammunition load carried on missions is 1174 rounds, though an overload of up to 1350 rounds will fit in the ammunition drum. (The extra rounds are counted against the Load limit.) The spent cases are not simply thrown out of the aircraft, like many combat aircraft; instead, they are returned automatically to the ammunition drum. The ammunition is linkless, instead of using a belt; this lightens the combat weight of the A-10 considerably. The forward and center of the A-10 are literally built around the GAU-8A and its ammunition drum, with fuel carriage being primarily in or near the center of the aircraft, protected as stated above. (This pattern of fuel carriage is to further increase the A-10’s survivability.)  The main wheels protrude about one third out from their sponsons when retracted, making belly landings easier and less damaging to the aircraft.  The landing gear all open to the rear, and this helps aerodynamic forces to pull on and lock the landing gear if hydraulics are out, assuming the manual overrides are working.

     The engines, a pair of 9065-pound-thrust GE TF34-GE-100 turbofans, are not designed for speed, but for lifting power.  If compared to a tracked or wheeled vehicle, one would say that the A-10’s engines are built more for torque than speed.  They are mounted on pylons above and to the sides of the aircraft, shielded from IR detection by the tail surfaces and the pylons themselves.  They are also housed in a thicker-than-normal skin, which further masks the IR profile of the engines.  This placement also helps keep the damage from an engine hit from damaging the other engine and the fuselage.  The high mounting also makes the engines almost immune to FOD damage, contributing in no small way to the A-10s ability to use rough takeoff fields. Crews can also service most of the aircraft while the engines are running, without fear of being sucked into the intakes. The engines are known for their quietness and smokeless operation; in Desert Storm, the Iraqis gave the A-10A the name of “Silent Death,” as the GAU-8/A is also relatively quiet when firing, and rounds from the GAU-8/A would often impact the Iraqi armor and positions before the engines or gun could be heard.

     Various camouflage patterns were used experimentally on the A-10A, including the standard Air Superiority Gray, the Peanut scheme with a sand base and spots of yellow and OD, black and white colors for winter operations, a tan, green, and mixed brown pattern, the European I woodland camouflage scheme (primarily for A-10s operating in Europe during the Cold War).  Most of these patters have a light gray finish on the underside.  The current camouflage pattern is called Compass Ghost, originating in the early 1990s. It is a two-tone dark-gray pattern on top and a light gray two-tone pattern underneath.  Most A-10s have a false dark gray cockpit painted just behind the gun to further confuse ground gunners and enemy aircraft.  Most also sport some kind of shark-mouth or warthog-mouth nose art.

     The new A-10s were flown realistically, hard, and moistly at very low altitude when in an attack profile.  In addition, the GAU-8 Gatling Gun’s recoil, though designed into the A-10A, was still difficult on the airframe (many of the tales of the A-10s include an apocryphal one where the A-10 is stopped in its flight by the recoil of continuous firing of its gun).  In addition, many ground crews and pilots were signing off on the carriage on the wing pylons of weapons and fuel tanks that were too heavy or otherwise unsuited to the particular pylon or hardpoint.  Therefore, as early as 1979, A-10As were given structural strengthening on the wings and forward section of the aircraft, including the thickening those sections and improving their ability to take stress.  Hardpoints and pylons were not strengthened, but many “days off” were given to A-10 crews, which they spent in classes receiving intensive instruction about what ordnance could be put where.  A side effect of the airframe strengthening was the increase in (initial) service life from 6000 to 8000 hours. (Service life, in particular, was something repeatedly upgraded in the career of the Warthog, and as at least part of the Warthog fleet may fly until at least 2040, there will probably be more SLEPs.)

     Before this, in 1978, the first avionics upgrade was begun, though it was several years before it was completed.  The A-10 received a Pave Penny laser receiving pod, which allowed the A-10 to sense the energy from laser designators and pass the information to any laser-guided munitions it may be carrying for targeting.  The pod was given a hard mounting projecting below the aircraft on an extension on the right side of the nose almost directly under the cockpit.  This gave the Pave Penny a good view of the battlefield.  Starting in 1980, the A-10 received an inertial guidance system as part of this upgrade, as well as radios with greater compatibility with those carried by FALO teams (now called TACPs) and some Army and Marine FISTs.

     Avionics upgrades continued in the 1990s with the addition of the Low-Altitude Safety and Targeting Enhancement system (LASTE), which gave the Warthog better computerized ordnance and cannon-aiming, an autopilot, and a ground-collision warning system (which could, and reportedly often was, disabled by the pilot).  In 1999, the LASTE system itself was upgraded, giving the Warthog improved aiming and delivery assistance with the Integrated Flight & Fire Control Computers system.  The upgrade also gave the Warthog some of the elements of a fly-by-wire system, with flight computers helping the A-10’s autopilot, fine control, and help in keeping the pilot from flying the aircraft beyond its limits.  It also included “wake up” alarms, where the aircraft was able to detect that a pilot may be groggy or unconscious due to hard maneuvering or injury and basically sound loud audio and voice alarms to try to get the pilot back to full consciousness, something which was common on fighter and most strike aircraft.

     In 2001, the Warthog was given integrated combat search and rescue beacon and radio locations systems, allowing the aircraft to function as a true CSAR platform in the modern sense.  Also in 2001, it was officially recognized that the A-10A needed more engine power; though nothing has yet been done about this problem, some A-10As may yet receive more powerful engines, and the new A-10C does have more powerful engines.

     Perhaps the greatest overlooked element of the A-10’s design was the lack of any night vision equipment.  In Desert Storm, A-10 drivers found a field-expedient solution: They would go ahead and carry night-vision-capable weapons, uplink the night vision cameras and sensors of the weapons to the cockpit and get an ad hoc night vision capability of sorts that way.  The problem with this approach is that they only had night vision capability as long as they had night-vision-capable ordnance, and the screen in the cockpit used so see through the ordnance was slaved to a single piece of ordnance, which retained the night vision picture seen through the bomb or missile would be retained down to the target, at which point the picture in the cockpit would wink out until the pilot could slave the screen to another piece of ordnance.  And when all the night-vision-capable ordnance was expended, the A-10’s night vision capability was gone.  After Desert Storm, this deficit was officially recognized, and A-10As started to carry a night vision pod (several are used) on one of the outermost stations, and in some cases the cockpit was rearranged to accommodate a new night-vision-dedicated screen.  Those A-10As that were not so modified were generally flown at night with the pilot wearing NODs.

The OA-10A: The FAC with a Punch

     The OA-10A is a minor variant of the A-10A Warthog; it’s primary role is as a FAC (Forward Air Control) aircraft, supervising and controlling air strikes (and to a lesser extent, naval gunfire) and communicating with ground units to ascertain their air support needs.  The OA-10A is for the most part the same as the A-10A, including upgrades at different times as was done to the A-10A fleet.  In fact, the OA-10A can do the same missions as the A-10A, and can function as a full attack aircraft.  The difference between the OA-10A and A-10A is the addition of advanced long-distance observation equipment, along with the associated viewers in the cockpit.  The OA-10A is also optimized for the delivery of smoke rockets (primarily WP), though the same rocket pods may be equipped with other types of rockets, and there is a bonus for firing 2.75-inch rockets.  The OA-10As also have additional radios for communication with ground units, air units, AWACS-type aircraft, and naval units.  The additional equipment that makes an A-10A an OA-10A can be easily removed, turning the OA-10A back into an A-10A, though the OA-10A can function as an A-10A without modification.  The OA-10A retains all wing hardpoints and the centerline hardpoint as well as the GAU-8/A cannon and a full load of ammunition.

     Many OA-10A and A-10A pilots saw how the increased avionics could be used for other purposes, and asked, “Why don’t we modify all Warthogs to this standard?”  However, like most other things, the answer was the budget crunch, and only about 10% of A-10As were modified to the OA-10A standard.

The A-10B N/AW: What Could Have Been

     The A-10B N/AW (or YA-10B) was an experimental version of the A-10 that addresses the A-10's greatest shortcoming -- the lack of night attack capability.  The A-10B was a two seat all-weather CAS aircraft, able to deliver accurate ground support strikes at night and to an extent, in bad weather.  It had a number of upgrades to accomplish this, as well as a two-seat configuration with a WSO in the rear to operate most of the new avionics.  The A-10B began testing in 1979, but the Air Force brass, in love with fast, sexy fighters, let the program drag, and eventually get killed in 1990.  In particular, the A-10B’s funds were cut and then reassigned to the then-new F-15E Strike Eagle, another fast mover that was not well suited to CAS missions.  In addition to those in the Air Force who were looking for a more capable A-10, several countries, such as South Korea, Thailand, Burma, and Spain were very interested in the A-10B, and export sales could have been quite large.  However, over 20 years later, the A-10C now has most of the improvements that the A-10B would have provided, though without the valuable WSO.

     The A-10B had a complete suite of improvements which gave the A-10B its N/AW (Night/All Weather) capability, as well as upgrades the A-10A pilots had been asking for.  This included advanced inertial navigation, a fighter-type HUD, terrain-following radar, and an improved radio suite, amongst other upgrades, such as most of the same upgrades as the OA-10A.  The terrain-following radar was in particular wanted by the A-10 pilots, as it made treetop-level attacks much easier to fly.  The A-10B was also equipped to take on the same role as the OA-10A, having avionics to allow it to fly FAC missions with no modifications.

The Modernized A-10: The A-10C

     The A-10, despite it’s ruggedness and simplicity to fly and maintain, is beginning to show its age.  This has led to many calls to replace the A-10 with another, newer CAS aircraft with newer technology and avionics, and able to carry a wider variety of ordnance and to function as a general bomb truck if necessary.  Some lawmakers and USAF brass have even called for the A-10 to be replaced by the new F-35, though it is so well-known that the F-35 cannot perform the CAS mission that the Air Force is unwilling to conduct a flyoff between the A-10 and F-35. However, there have been just many calls to modernize the A-10, giving it new avionics, particularly advanced night vision and a GPS receiver, and of course the ability to carry a wider selection of ordinance in the USAF inventory, especially the newer generation of missiles and bombs.  The cannon also received calls to be modernized, to be able to fire APDS-T ammunition instead of its standard APDSDU rounds.  The result of these calls was the “new” A-10C, which began service in 2008 (with some combat trials starting in 2007).  The A-10C is “new” because they are all heavily-overhauled and upgraded A-10As, with the overhauling including re-strengthening of the fuselage and wings, essentially bringing them to a zero-hours state.

     To a large extent, the A-10C’s avionics include features that on the A-10A are simply “tacked on” or otherwise attached in an ad hoc or “temporary-permanent” manner, now internalized or an integrated part of the modernized A-10.  This includes GPS, night vision, a helmet-sight interface, fire control upgrades, an all-glass cockpit, an improved fire control system able to delver the newer generation of USAF ordnance such as JDAMs and JASSMs (amongst others) as well as ARMs, a moving map display, HOTAS stick and throttle, situational awareness data link, ECM and IRCM, and an upgraded electrical system.  Most of these improvements have been added to earlier A-10s in a graduated process, but the A-10C will have them all, as well as improved radios allowing them to communicate with more types of ground-based radios, other aircraft, and AWACS-type aircraft as well as receive intelligence information from UAVs.  The A-10C will also have Link-16 and SATCOM communications, even though most Warthog pilots and armament specialists deem them unnecessary. The nose side-mounted Pave Penny receive-only laser pod is removed, replaced by LITENING AT pods embedded in the wing that function as laser designators as well as laser rangefinders.

     Other A-10C upgrades include more powerful 10,000-pound-thrust engines in more protected pods in the same position on the aircraft, and a possible Y-type tail that cures the yawing problem that often occurs when the A-10 is carrying centerline auxiliary fuel tanks.  (This new tail is still being considered.) The more powerful engines do not actually do much to improve the A-10’s speed, but increase the modernized A-10’s lifting capability.  The RCS is also reduced. Partially due to the new tail and engine housings, but mostly due to the partial use of RAM in strategic places.  (Detecting the A-10C with radar or radio, or guiding weapons with this method, is at -3.)  Some exhaust cooling is also employed (detection and guidance of IR weapons towards the A-10C is at -2, in addition to the IR Suppression effects).

A Civilian A-10?

     After the innumerable tornadoes, microbursts, and supercell thunderstorms and other severe weather conditions which hit Oklahoma in the late 1990s and 2000s, the Fox station in Oklahoma City began looking for a storm-chasing aircraft they could fly themselves instead of having to hire one or use more fragile helicopters.  The aircraft had to be relatively light, tough, able to handle rough weather, have easy maintenance, have good loiter characteristics, and lots of room for scientific instruments, radar, and radios, as well as some avionics.  After looking into several aircraft, they decided to think out of the box and buy a demilitarized A-10A. It is based on an A-10A initial version, and has had the gun, the centerline hardpoint, and RWR, IFF, Flare and Chaff  removed, and radios of a different, civilian-available sort installed (they are still secure).  The aircraft, dubbed “WA-10 Stormchaser Warthog” has had several types of radar added in, various night vision and magnified vision devices, and scientific instruments such as barometric measuring, wind speed measuring, cloud density, movement and detection of funnel clouds, supercells, cloud rotation, and microbursts, as well as detection and measurement of intensity of rain, snow, freezing rain, and hail (as well as the approximate size of the hailstones.  Lightning can be detected, categorized, and judged for frequency and intensity. It can detect, with its radars, conditions which may lead to severe weather. It is able to perform many of these functions simultaneously, and the aircraft includes several day/night TV-type cameras as well as a camera facing the pilot inside of the aircraft, allowing him to appear on camera.  It has several computers to assist flight functions and the scientific instruments and radars.  A fly-by-wire system has been added, as a ground-collision warning system, along with a GPS system and a mapping system. A secondary function of the Stormchaser Warthog is the tracking of fleeing vehicles and criminals, though the latter can be difficult.  One the hardpoints often carries a baggage pod for the pilot in case he cannot land at his home base; the others usually carry additional scientific instruments and/or generators for additional power.  The place where the cannon was now contains a probe-firing mechanism, with a magazine of 32 Weather Probes. The Stormchaser Warthog is robust enough to penetrate a hurricane, though this has not yet been done in practice.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The A-10 N/AW was very rare in the Twilight War, perhaps 50 being modified from existing A-10 aircraft, and being deployed to the American Southwest.  Perhaps 5% of A-10As are modified into OA-10s.  Most A-10As will have received the 1990 upgrades, with perhaps 10% still having the 1978 upgrades only, and 3% being original A-10As and OA-10As.  The A-10C and WA-10 do not exist in the Twilight 2.2 timeline.

*The cockpit is surrounded by a titanium shield and a high-strength Perspex canopy and has an AV of 13.

Cessna A-37 Dragonfly

     Notes: This attack aircraft was developed from a trainer, the T-37 Tweet, in the late 1960s.  It is not used by the US, but is used by Chile, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, South Korea, Peru, El Salvador, Thailand, Uruguay, and Vietnam.  It did have limited service with US forces in the Vietnam War. The entry here will handle the A-37 but not the T-37 variant. The Dragonfly was also known in some circles as the “Super Tweet.”   The A-37 platform was meant from the first to be useful in COIN, aircraft, light gunship, and trainer.

     The history of the Dragonfly in combat began in mid-1967, when 25 were sent to Vietnam under the Combat Dragon program.  For this role, they were outfitted with multi-use pylons capable of carrying bombs, (iron and cluster), rocket packs, napalm canisters, and as many as two SUU-11/A Minigun pods; this is in addition to an internal GAU-2B/A Minigun. An unusual type of MER used allowed the Dragonfly to carry a small external fuel tank and up to three 250-pound bombs on the same rack; however, if anything had to be ejected, everything on the pylon had to be ejected. Missions were to include Sandy flights, helicopter escort, CAS, FAC, and night interdiction. The second seat on FAS and CAS missions was normally occupied by an observer or a dedicated weapons officer; in practice, in all missions other than FAC, the second pilot/weapons officer seat was empty, allowing an increase of 200 kilograms in ordinance carriage. However, full controls were retained at both positions. The initial aircraft for this role was an A-37A, a heavily-modified Tweet initially designated YAT-37D Super Tweet, then AT-37D Super Tweet, with twin GE J85-J2/5 non-afterburning turbojets with 2400 pounds thrust each. Four hardpoints of surprising ability were carried under each wing and on the wingtips; however, the wingtip pylons were designed only for 1893-liter fuel tanks each.

     Thousands of sorties were flown by the A-37A in the first year; in this year, numerous deficiencies were noted, enough that the pilots called the A-37A more often by the “Super Tweet” appellation, even though it was already designated the Dragonfly. Most complaints among pilots was range and endurance; speed was not as much as an issue to to the nature of its missions.  Another complaint were the non-boosted controls, particularly in high-G or high-load situations.  The A-37A was not armored, and the flight controls were non-redundant.

     In 1967, the first A-37Bs arrived in country; most went to the AFRVN, who by this time were flying most of the A-37As in country.  They were all new-build aircraft, though based on the design of the T-37C.  The A-37B included higher external stores limits, four wet hardpoints per wing, higher G-limits for the airframe (from 5G to 6G); flight surfaces were made redundant, self-sealing fuel tanks replaced the internal fuel tanks.  The cockpit seats were armored and ballistic nylon curtains were added to the front of the cockpit behind the instruments and to the sides of the cockpit and the rear.  The flight surfaces allowed for more maneuverability. Aerial refueling capability was added, and updated avionics were installed (including de-icing and a suite of indicators and controls designed for the FAC mission).  Higher-thrust 2850-pounds-thrust GE J85-GE-17A replaced the A-37A’s engines.  These engines could be turned on and off in the air, as pilots found that a one-engine cruise configuration was effective.  A midair refueling probe helped the situation. Like its predecessors, the A-37B was not pressurized, though it did have oxygen and masks.

     These aircraft went to boneyards after use or went into civilian ownership. Eventually, all were replaced by the A-10 Warthog.

     When Vietnam fell, 92 A-37Bs and As were recovered from the AFRVN before the NVA could capture them.  These aircraft were at first redesignated OA-37D and were assigned to former TAC units that were now AFNG or AFRES units.  They flew in combat as Operation Just Cause, primarily in CAS missions.  Some 95 were captured and used by the Vietnamese as late as the early-1980s, used for missions over Cambodia and against Chinese forces.  The A-37B and OA-37B are still used today in Central and South America.

     In flight and firing tests, the A-37B proved themselves able to carry GPU-2/A pods with M-197 20mm cannons or AMD pods with 30mm ADEN guns could be carried on the centerline and used effectively; however, no combat use of these pods are in evidence. Minigun pods, on the other hand, were used quite often to increase machinegun firepower.

Experimental Dragonflies

     The A-37E, also called the A-37E/STOL, had more powerful engines, thrust reversers, and larger flaps to decrease takeoff run and landing run.  It has a centerline gun pod for easier aiming (in a time where such an installation was important for radar gunsights and even a minigun in a small aircraft). It had weather radar, mild ECM, and flare and chaff dispensers.  The fuselage was longer and the A-37E had greater lifting capability. This version was never built.

     The A-37F has reduced lifting capacity compared to the A-37E, but because it has rotatable wingtip VTOL pods which could also be used for VIFF flying.  This would have made the A-37F a STOVL aircraft, with a very short landing run or takeoff run (when not operating as a VTOL aircraft). It had a more advanced gunsight and a bombing radar gunsight. As the wingtips could no longer be used for fuel tanks, two fuselage hardpoints were added; in addition, space in the fuselage formerly used for the engines could be used for fuel. This version too was never built.

     The Tebuan was a proposed Canadian variant of the CL-41 Tutor, itself a version of the T-37 Tweet.  It was a fully weaponized version, with an extended nose containing the radar of an F-104B, and capable of using heat-seeking missiles (primarily Falcons or Sidewinders) in addition to the normal armament.  It had a pair of GE J85-J4 turbojets with 2950 pounds thrust each.  It never made it past a few mockups.

Textron AT-6 Wolverine

     Notes: The AT-6 Wolverine is pumped-up version of the AT-6 Texan, which itself is an attack-capable variant of the T-6 Texan trainer. (The T-6A is used by the US Air Force for basic flight training, and the US Navy and Marines’ T-6b does the same thing for their pilots.)  The Wolverine is Textron’s entry into the US Air Force’s OA-X program (a program meant to partially replace the A-10 in the ground support and Sandy role.  Like the other entries into the OA-X program, none can match the A-10, and that’s the opinion of dozens of air combat experts, not just me.)  On the whole, the OA-X program is proceeding slowly, and may never actually produce a new ground support aircraft, let alone use the AT-6 Wolverine.  The Wolverine is also known as the AT-6 LAAR (Light Attack and Armed Reconnaissance aircraft). The Wolverine, however, does have a leg up on other OA-X entrants, because it’s base airframe is already used by the Air Force; and the OA-X program may produce as many as three aircraft of differing capabilities. In addition to current and past operational tests, the AT-6 (along with the other entrants) proved its NATO interoperability during Exercise Ample Strike in 2015.  The Wolverine is designed for use in “Permissive” environments – one where the US basically has air superiority and there is little to no AAA or MANPADS activity.

     The Wolverine has greatly-strengthened wings and fuselage, allowing for a multiplicity of hardpoints, both wet and dry. It has proven itself capable of utilizing most smaller ground-attack-type weapons in the USAF inventory.  The Wolverine uses most of the cockpit displays and architecture as the A-10C Warthog; however, these instruments are split up between the pilot and WSO, and the entire A-10C suite could not be fitted into the Wolverine.  The Wolverine also uses the HOTAS system of the F-16, allowing the pilot less movement to fire ordnance,

     The Wolverine has been tested successfully with a variety of laser-guided, and JDAMs up to 500 pounds. It is also capable of using most of the rocket pods in the NATO inventory, including the APKWS and other laser-guided rockets. It can also carry Hellfire and Brimstone ASM.  As part of the ongoing tests, the Wolverine has been armed with Small-Diameter Bombs, and more weapons capabilities are being tested. One or two hardpoints are usually taken by FN-Herstal HM-400 .50-caliber gun pods, or 20mm autocannon pods.  The Wolverine carries communications equipment allowing it to communicate with troops on the ground as well as other aircraft and helicopters, via secure radios. 

     The engine has been replaced with a 1600-horsepower turboprop engine; this high horsepower is primarily to increase lifting capability and maneuverability, as the top speed is not great compared to most modern military aircraft.  The aircraft is able to operate in light inclement weather.  Construction of the skin of the Wolverine is of carbon composites.  The large bubble canopy gives the crew an ample view of what’s around them, and the canopy is bulged to allow the crew to see partially below the aircraft.

     Promising tests have been conducted with Wolverines taking off and landing on aircraft carriers.  Officially though, the US Navy and Marines have no interest in the Wolverine, though they appear to be watching the Air Force’s tests closely.

F-15E Strike Eagle

     Notes: This version of the F-15 air superiority fighter was adopted by the USAF in 1984, and gave a stellar performance in the 1991 Gulf War.  The Strike Eagle features new engines, navigation/attack pods under the intakes, and new skin for less radar observability.  The Strike Eagle also has standard fit conformal FAST (Fuel and Sensor Tactical) pods fitted beside each intake that can carry up to 1000 kg of fuel and/or sensors, designators, or ECM/IRCM devices.  The crewmembers have ejection seats, and the aircraft is capable of in-flight refueling.  In addition to the US Air Force, the Strike Eagle is used by Israel and Saudi Arabia.  The Strike Eagle retains its air-to-air capability, and is capable of delivering nuclear weapons.