JasonEricAnderson
Senior Member
I know there are some fellow A10 fans here. Having been urged on by a friend I'm going to see if I can work out a swappable pusher A10. It is an extremely unique looking modern war bird. So here is a brief history of why the full scale aircraft looks and acts the way it does.
Quick history:
The Fairchild Republic Thunderbolt II (Commonly known as the Warthog due to it's elegant beauty): Primarily designed as a close air support platform to operate at very low altitudes (under 1,000) and be highly maneuverable at low speeds. This design to be able to be low and slow would make an aircraft more vulnerable to ground fire than the higher speed, 'fast movers'. To protect against this it is designed to be exceptionally robust and able to take a beating. The pilot and key avionics sit inside a titanium armored 'bath tub' for protection. It is built with multiple redundant control systems. The twin engines are mounted high behind the wing to help avoid damage from FOD or small arms fire. They have a nine degree up angle to counteract the effect of them being above the aircraft's aerodynamic center. This arrangement forces the engine exhaust over the elevator and between it's twin vertical stabilizers to help minimize it's thermal signature to heat seeking missiles. There are numerous cases of Thunderbolts taking heavy damage, loss of hydraulics, severely damaged control surfaces and lost engines and still making it safely back to base.
Photos:
Firing the GAU-8/A Avenger cannon in the nose that can fire at either 2,100 or 4,200 rounds per minute. In some tests there was so much muzzle gas that if the weapon was fired in a long burst it would actually stall the engines.
Here is a 'bench test' of the Avenger firing.
Reference images I'm using:
First design session:
Second design session:
Quick history:
The Fairchild Republic Thunderbolt II (Commonly known as the Warthog due to it's elegant beauty): Primarily designed as a close air support platform to operate at very low altitudes (under 1,000) and be highly maneuverable at low speeds. This design to be able to be low and slow would make an aircraft more vulnerable to ground fire than the higher speed, 'fast movers'. To protect against this it is designed to be exceptionally robust and able to take a beating. The pilot and key avionics sit inside a titanium armored 'bath tub' for protection. It is built with multiple redundant control systems. The twin engines are mounted high behind the wing to help avoid damage from FOD or small arms fire. They have a nine degree up angle to counteract the effect of them being above the aircraft's aerodynamic center. This arrangement forces the engine exhaust over the elevator and between it's twin vertical stabilizers to help minimize it's thermal signature to heat seeking missiles. There are numerous cases of Thunderbolts taking heavy damage, loss of hydraulics, severely damaged control surfaces and lost engines and still making it safely back to base.
Photos:
Firing the GAU-8/A Avenger cannon in the nose that can fire at either 2,100 or 4,200 rounds per minute. In some tests there was so much muzzle gas that if the weapon was fired in a long burst it would actually stall the engines.
Here is a 'bench test' of the Avenger firing.
Reference images I'm using:
First design session:
Second design session:
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