A10 warthog half wing5/5/2023 The first of them was General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark, an interdiction variant of the multirole combat aircraft emerged from the Tactical Fighter Experimental programme, and the second one was a fighter-bomber version of the already well-known McDonnel Douglas F-4 Phantom II.Īlthough both aircraft were well capable of their basic role of fighter-bomber, they did not match the requirements of the CAS missions. Initially it seemed that two aircraft, being under development at that time, would be able to take over the role of ground attack aeroplanes. Initial experiences from the Vietnam War made it clear that the US armed forces needed a new CAS aircraft, able to survive in a modern combat environment and featuring significantly increased firepower capability. Approximately 260 Skyriders were lost in combat, most of them being shot down as a result of small arms fire. It had a good payload but the whole concept of a radial-engine powered and relatively slow aircraft was merely too obsolete for the 1960s. At that time, the USAF and US Navy were still operating Douglas A-1 Skyrider – a propeller-driven aeroplane developed at the end of the World War II. Over the next fifty years the aeroplane, officially named A-10 Thunderbolt II but commonly nicknamed ´Warthog´ or just ´Hog´, became one of the most-known jet aircraft of the world and true Western icon of the Cold War years that was incorporated by mainstream culture.īeginnings of the most-recognized CAS aeroplane in the world should be sought in the Vietnam War. On 10 th May 1972, a prototype of new American close air support (CAS) aircraft, designated YA-10, performed its maiden flight.
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