Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II

103 Pages·2000·110.241 MB·English

by  Peter Smith

Fairchild-Republic A-IO
Thunderbolt II
PAEA TO THE WARTHO
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___----'(~\~'-"-1);;~~ .,..L:-- _
AVIATIO.NrS'~'
SERIES
~~
Fairchild-Republic
A-IO
Tliunilerbolt II
Peter C. Smith
'You are SLOW, A-J0, the F-I6C screams, (The A-1Osays nothinR, toobtlS),with tanks,
wrninReach victory intoarout')
You staRRersoI)ainfull), across thesk)',
While Jsoareffortlessly five miles hiRh,
'Ymtare OLD, A-IO, thejSF boasts,
Jturn, and Jtwist, and Idive, and Jzoom,
Jteara:;:ure sky with my transonic boom" I'm afledRlinR, et'er)'thinRdesirahieandwand,
(The A-J0 says nothinR; justRoeson Ican fly from adeck, Ican fly from the land
killinRwnl<s; thwaninRthedictator'sdreams.) (IfIcouldonlyfly from this drawinRhoard,
I'dquickl)' rel)lace )'Ol/,
'You are UGLY, A-JO, the F-J5E sneers, Yourda)' isdone, myda)' is tocome,
justwait, you'llsee it's tr!1C'),
StraiRht winRs, hiRhenRines, an anRldarGeek,
(The A-I sa)'s nothing, continues
My linesflow and blend, aerodynamicandsleek,
chewinRUl) talll<s, wilingthe et,i/hom!)
PartinRthe sunlit sky, with myroarandm)'flash,
While you crawldown in themud,
Yul)- the -10sa)'s nothinR; gets
with the trool)S, in the hash.'
on with thejoh; she is onlyaCOR.
(The A-J0says nothinR, justRoes on
cullinRtanks, caminRthe enemy teaLl) Without hraRRing, withoutfllSs,
withoutexpectingnutch thanks,
'Yot!are AWKWt'ARD, -10, KillinRTanks, KillinRTanks,
the AI)achewhool)s KillinRTanks, KILLI G T KS'
()l/[,
The Gis on thegnJlmd wal'e theirarms in relief,
M)' blades take mean)' I)lace,J'm claimy, I'm neat,
As T72s cnonl)le, carlsinRthe enem)' hiRhwief. 1)~CI
nd II)ackquitealJUnch, RtlllS andmissilescoml)lete,
(While it'strue thatjustonehitorinRsmedoum ina/Jile, (Still the A-I0says nothinR, hra thinks to herself,
)'etyoutakehitafterhitafterhit, andstill 'Justdoin' myjohhoy.I, I'm GLAD I'm aHawR")
The Crowood Press
kee/JfiRhtinRin style).'
PETERC. SMITH, 2000
Firstpuhlishedin 2000by Acknowledgements
TheCrmvollliPress Ltd
Ramshury,Marlhorough
WiltshireS 2HR
Iwould particularly like to thank the fol Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona; Frank A.
lowing for their unstinred aid, advice and Hudson; Douglas R. ThaI', enior Account
help incompilingthechequeredhistoryof Executive, Public Communications Divi Contents
the 'Warthog', and acknowledge my deep sion, Department of the Air Force, Wash
debt to their contributions to this contin ington, DC;John .Marsh, Directorl ura
©PererC.Smith2000
uingstory. tor, Grissom Air Museum, Peru, Indiana;
First and foremost, I am grateful to Dr Major Leslie S. Jackson, U AF, Rtd, Air
All rightsreserved. Noparto(thispuhlication may George M. Wat on, who gavegracious per Force HistorySupportOffice, BollingAFB, Introduction 7
hereproducedorrran!')lllittcd inanyformorhyany
mission to quote from his comprehensiv Washington, DC; FreidaJohnson, AFFTCI
mean....,electronicormechanical,Including history of the early day of the A-IO pro HO, Edwards Air Force Base, California; VARYING ORIGI S 8
photocopy.recording,oranyinformation:-,tllragc gramme, The A-10 Close Air SU}J}Jort Air Judy L. Bell, Department ofthe Air Force,
and rerril',·al~y~tCIll, withoutpcrmb~ioninwriting
(rom rhepublishers. craft,an excellent ourcefor further investi HQ Personnel enter, Randolph AFB, 2 ARMY NEEDS VERSUS AIR FORCE DOCTRINE
gation;alsotoMrGeorgeC.Leavy,whowas Texas; mygood friend KengoYamamotofor
AAF S 14
on the A-tO programme from the very his photographs; Jose Cruz, Director, Fire
British LibraryCataloguing-in-PublicationData
beginning,and iscurrentlySeniorManager and Aviation Management, U Depart
Acataloguerecord(orthishook isanlilahle(rom
on the A-IO Engineering Program at mentofAgriculture, Forest ervice, Wash 3 THE A-X PROGRAMME 21
rhe BririshLihrary.
orthropGrumman, Bethpage, ew York. ington, DC; Marie Puntillo, Departmentof
Thanks are also due to Rebecca Looney, the Army, Office of the Chief of Public 4 THE COMPETITIO
ISBN 1861263244
Curatorand Lynn V. McDonald, Volunteer, Affairs, Washington, DC; Peter Callejas
YA-9 Versus YA-lO 30
radle ofAviation'Museum, Garden City, and Ralph Strong, Archives Reference
Phorograph previouspage: An -10team in rrail
ew York;CommanderStephenJ. Riordan Team,SmithsonianNational AirandSpace
formarion carrying600USGallondropranksro
IV, USN (Retd)and DrEllen Bicknell,Avi- Museum, Washington, DC; StaffSergeant 5 POLITICS, POLITICS AND POLITICS
extend rheirfCrry range.Theseaircraftareo(the
I thTacticalFighter quadron,hasedarEidson ation Archives, Bethesda, Maryland; Kent Tracy Lynn Olcksak, Historian, I04th The A-7ATrials 41
c A. Mitchell, HagerstownAviation Heritage Fighter Wing, Massachusetts Air ational
AFB. NmionalArchi\Ts,College Park,1\11)
Museum, Hagerstown, Maryland, for per Guard, Barnes A GB, Westfield; Master
mission toquotefrom hisbookFairchildAir ergeantKelly R. Mazezka, COIC, Public 6 FAIRCHILD 47
craft 1926-/967; Brian icklas, ational Affairs, HQ ARP IPA, Denver, Colorado;
Air& SpaceMuseum, Washington, DC,for MajorRene Poche,926 FWIPA, ASJRB, 7 THE A-I0 IS BORN 53
guidance on the 277 cubic feet repository NewOrleans, Louisiana;JamesT. Parker II,
collection housing the Fairchild Industries Archival Research International, Wood 8 THE A-I0 DESCRIBED 61
Inc. Collection (1919- 0)'; Linda Dela bine, Maryland; D. Menard, Departmentof
Dedication
torre, DVIC/JCW , March AFB, Califor theAirForce,USAFMuseum,Wright-Pat
To the memory of Captain Richard nia; Kirsten Tedesco, Deputy Directorl terson AFB, Ohio; my good friend Peggy 9 THE TF34 TURBOFA 77
Dale Storr, Captain teven Richard Curator ofCollections, Pima Air & pace Olds, anta Barbara, California; Raymond
Phillis and Ist Lieutenant Patrick B. Museum, Tucson, Arizona; Gene Jillson, L. Puffer, Ph.D, Historian, Air Force Flight 10 THE GAU-8 AVE GER GATLI G 83
Johnson Controls, Inc., March ARB, Cali TestCenter, EdwardsAFB,California;Tom
Olson, the A-LO pilots who gave their
fornia; Marcie T. Green, Archivist, Newman,ofthe Archives ReferenceTeam,
lives fighting viI. 11 PACKING A PU CH
AFHRA/R A, Maxwell AFB, Alabama; National Air & Space Museum, Washing
Kevin Kelly, Tucson, Ari:ona; Gina McAl ton, DC; Diana Bachert, U AF Museum, A-lO Ordnance 90
lister, VPCorporate Communications, San Wright-Patterson AFB,Ohio.
Antonio, Texas; imon Watson, Aviation Inaddition, Iwould like tothank all the 12 ITIAL DEPLOYME T, PRODUCTIO A DTACTICS 98
Bookshop, London, for the special A-IO kind and ever-helpful staff of the Refer
nose-art photos, and others; Hugh V. Mor enceLibraryat BedfordCentral Libraryfor
13 FLYING THE MISSIO 107
gan, Beavercreek, Ohio; Master Sgt their unfailingassistance in trackingdown
Michael . Comlrack, Idaho Air ational obscure documents for me; Derrick N.
Guard, Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho; Ru'sell Terry, rA, Maryland Air ational Guard, 14 FLUCTUATI G FORT E A D EW CO CEPTS
neddon, Curator, Armament Museum, I75th Wing, Baltimore, Maryland, for The YA-I0B, the OA-lO, LASTE 115
Eglin AFB, Florida; Michael P pecialc, information and photographsofthat unit;
Typefacesused:Goudy(Lac), Executive Director, ew England ir Chad lattery, for permission to use his 15 AIR RESERVE A D ATIO AL GUARD OPERATIO S 125
Chelienham (headin):s). Museum, Windsor Locks, Connecticut; photographs; PeterE. Davisfor permission
John Panoiski, Empire State Aerosciences to use his photographs; Donald L.
TypeseranddesignedhI' Museum, cota, New York; Martin Bow Sorensen; Roger Kline; Tony Thornbor 16 JUSTIFICATION AND VINDICATION
D& Puhli,hing man, orwich; William Dooner, Curator, ough for his photos; J. R. Ferguson, II Desert Shield and Desert Storm 131
Memhury BusinessP"rk, Lamhourtl Woodland, McClellan Aviation Museum, California; C I CLA BollingAFB, DC.
Hungerford, Rcrkshire. Archie DiFante, Archives Branch, Depart 17 A STEADYI G PRESENCE
ment ofthe Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Ala Peter C. Smith
PrintedandboundhI'Bookcra(r,Midsummer orton. bama; Sgt Kipp, Historian, 355 WG/HO, Rise!ey, Bedford, UK, 2000 Post-GulfOperations 147
18 POSSIBLE FUTURES 157
19 THE SAGA OFTHE FIRE~FlGHTING A~lOs 166
20 PRESERVATIONS AND SURVIVORS 173
Introduction
Appendix I Specifications 178
Appendix II 'Friendly Fire' 179
Notes 180 '\11 Armyfighting aground warneedsclose aircraftandaircrews, theprosandconshave JuIandCLl,while theSoviet11-2and 11-10
slipport from the air, whether in offence or been hotlydebated almostannually. Shturmovikand Luftwaffe Herschel Hs 129
Glossary 186 ddence. The level to which thi' require Prior to the developmentofthe A-I0, a 'aw the light ofday in the Second World
1l1l'ntshould be fulfilled byan independent host of aircraft had been utili:ed in the War.TheUSA'sfirstseriousattempttopro
Index 191 ,\II" force has been the subject of the most CA role. They were mainly fighter' made ducesuchan aircraftwas theThunderbolt
lllntroversialand long-lastingdiscussionsin over as dive-bomhers (RAF, USAF, and Ii. Itsstory is thereforespecial.
!he hriefhistoryofair warfare. It isan argu others), or original dive-bombers (Luft Subjected toall mannerofderisive nick
mcnt that has been runningalmostcontin waffe, US Marine Corps), but various name - 'Hog'or'Hawg','Pointy-nose',and
uouslysince aircraft were first converted to attempts had been made to produce a one 'Mach-snm', among mhers- the A-I has
war purposcs. From as early as 1917, when job aircraft specifically for the role. In the confoundedall itscriticsandoutlastedtheir
wldcspread useoflow-flyinggroundstrafing FirstWorld War, these included the British alternatives. Itlookslikcflyingon well into
hy the RFC resulted in heavy losses of Sopwith Salamander and German Junkers the twenty-firstcentury.
Designedtooperatefrommakeshiftrunwaysclosetotheaction,twoA-lOsareseenparkedonasimulated
Autobahn ontheirhomebase. USAF
7
---------------------------- --- --
VARYING ORIGINS
r
he orth American A-36, an Alison aircraft, following the lead ofthe French in Commando Wing on 20 December 1967.
CHAPTER0 E lllJ.:med Mustang fighter firred with Vul Igeria with the Fennec, which had faced Thi Wing was soon redesignated at 56
In dive brakes, introduced in 1943, littleornogroundoppo ition and had thus pecial Operations Wing and, on 15
Ir,,\'\:d more valuable. This aircraft was been able tooperatealmostfreely. Initially, August 1967,redesignated I pecialOper
I.,thfa~tandaccurate,andservedvery 'at the same conditions might have applied ation Squadron, with Lieutenant Com
Varying Origins
I l.tltorily at icily, alerno and Anzio in against the Vietcong but, as the Soviet mander John affell, Jr, taking com
I1)4~-44,and in Burma and China in the nion increased its supply and, later, the mandon 2 December 1967.On 5January
.IItlC period. However, only 5 had been orth Vietnamese regular army forces 1966, I Air Commando began operations
11Idl; once they had been used up, the engaged, with ophisticated 12.7mm cali from Plciku Airlase.
l "A F was once more forced to rely on bre multi-barrel AAA and urface to Air Following early successes, a second
ow, the requirement was a ground liJ.:hter-bombers for CA . Missilesystems, the makeshift types rapidly kyraider squadron - 6 ir om
The -10 Thunderbolt \I - affectionately Influences
arrack aircraft with the armoured pro Aftcr the war a special tudy into racti became more and more vulnerable. The mando - was established at England Air
and universally nicknamed the 'Warthog'
almost since its inception - earned itselfa Three strands of history influenced the tection ofanorher econd World War 1 d air power wasset up, but the introduc increased firepower of the Communist Force Base as part of I Air Commando
formidable reputation as the tank-busting metamorphosis that led (0 the A-IO's aircra t, the Soviet 11-2 or hrurmovik. lI"n of the jet aircraft again led to argu forces led to the early termination of the Wing. From August 1967, the initial
aircraft /Jar excellence during the GulfWar. ultimate role as a destroyer of tanks A modern equivalent, combining the Itl,'nt and counter-argument. During the projected light armed reconnaissance air duties of the squadron's pilots were to fly
No hype is necessary; the faets speak for and armoured vehicles. They were the qualities of the AD and the 11-2, was Ilcxt major incident, the Korean War, craft (LARA) project, which had called for -IHand A-IJ Skyraiders from Davis
themselves. Although the A-IO represent following: thought to be thesolution. there was again an acute lack of aircraft a relatively unsophisticated aircraft able to Monthan airbase over to the US avy
2. Generic: the highly accurate North IIltahle for CAS duty. Again, there was operate with all three services (Air Force, facility at Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
ed just a small fraction of the combined
United Nations aerial armada that pound I. Immediate: the S rmy needed a spe American A-36A dive-bomber1, and I1\lIch birrerness: the Army wanted heavy, Marine Corps and Navy), as well as the The aircraft were refurbished, and then
ed Saddam Hussein's massive tank force, it cially designed close support aircraft. the Republic-linked original PA7D Illlirate and sustainable Marine-type air Vietnamese. Although such an aircraftdid flown back to England FB. Eventually,
was cre lited with the majority ofthe tank During the Vietnam War, its neglectof Thunderboltfighteraircraft,alsoofthe IIpport, while the Air Forcejet pilotssim- eventuallyappear, intheshapeoftheRock fourteen pilots,commandedbyLieutenant
'kills' bya wide margin. thiskindofairpowerhad led toapauci Second World War, were considered to I'I~ wanted (0 dog-fight with MiGs. They well OV-I0 Bronco, it was used more as a CommanderRepp, initiatedafull re-train
The A-I was nor, however, originally tyofsuitable machine',and it had been be suirable precedents. Borh adopted Illd not want to get involved in ground forward aircontrol (F C) aircraft. Anoth ing programme, which continued until
conceived a a dedicated rank-killing air forced toadopt thesemi-ohsolete avy dive-bombing with bombs and low Ittack, other than in operations of the er interim measure h<lll to he <lliopted. Fehrll<lrY 196 .Oncompletionofthisthey
craft. From its earliest inception, it had AD Skyraider pis(On-engined aircraft. level arrack with rockets to strike at 'illick 'in-bash-out' type, which were hoth The French had also used their own transferred, via the un'ival choo! at
been forced upon a reluctant Air Force by The kyraidercouldcarryan enormous German tanks. maccurate and meaningless. Douglas kyraiders in the CA role, and Clark FB, to Pleiku,Vietnam. Underthe
the needs ofthe Army on the ground and (Otal and range ofordnance and could 3. Historic: speciali:ed and (Orally dedi Again the argument raged, but the the Vietnamese ir Force was supplied command of Commander Wallace A.
the Army's determination (0 see those loiter in the battle :one, but improved cated aircraft and weapons had been r"'lIlt was that, when the Vietnam \Var with this aircraft by the U A. It proved Ford, they had an establishment strength
needs satisfied. It role changed with the AAA from enemyforces, and the intro developedbytheJunkerscompany,and hccame a full shooting warfor the Ameri such a great succe" that the U AF it elf oftwenty-five pilots, with 135 airmen. In
circumstances, and it metamorphosed into duction of SAMs, meant that it was orhers, for the German Air Force from "m" the most reliable aircraft in support eventuallyadopted the -I kyraider. mid-March, thesquadron', twenty aircraft
thesupremearmourdesnoyerknowntoday. proving vulnerable (0 ground defences. the First World War. ome, particular ml-: troopson the ground was theslowand Theestabli hmentof1Fighter quadron were unloaded atCam Ranh Bay from the
ly, had been designed (0 combat the rcllable, but accurate and enduring Doug (Commando) FS(C) at Bien Hoa ailfield, escort carrier transport ship and the
threat posed by tens of thou ands of l.l~ AD Skyraider. The Navy and significantly escalated intervention in squadron commenced operations·
heavily armoured Soviet tanks during brine Corps had used the kyraider in outh-East Asia. Originally, three U The kyraider had enormous load-carry
the econdWorldWar, thesamethreat Korea a decade or more earlier, and there Skyraidersquadrons were planned, in order ingcapabilityandstayingpower,butbecam'
that hung like a nightmare over all wasstill no US ir Forceequivalent. to give the necessary 'tiffening' of the increasingly vulnerable to the Communist
N TO defence planning more than Several 'tudies into Counter Insur VNAF units. The first detachment, I grounddefen es, with theirAAAandSAM
thiny years later. J.:cncy (COl ) aircraft had come up with FS(C), commanded by Lieutenant Com power. Extra protection for both pilot and
various answers, but none was really satis mander John M. Porter (later relieved by powerplam became necessary, to give some
lilctory. In theend,followingthe leadofthe LieutenantCommanderWilliam R. Eichel degreeofimmunityinsuchadangerousrole.
Immediate Influences
Vietnamese irForce(VN F), the USAir berger), was based at Bien Hoa from 8July The (wiet Union had set a preced nt for
The rol' ofclosesupport had long been an Force was forced to adopt retired US avy 1963,aspartof34Tactical Group. Its A-IE this type offlying armoured box during the
area of acute controversy in the SAil' 'Spads', refit and refurbish them, and use Skyraiders arrived there on I May 1964. econd World War;developingstronganti
Force. Even in the I930s, when the them in theground-supportrole.TheArmy Redesignated 1AirCommando quad aircraftdefencesoftheirown, they hadseen
avy was specializing in the dive-bomber was calling out for an aircraft that could ron, Composite, thi unit became part of the need carlyon.
as its main air weapon, the U A F deli\'ervariedandsustainableordnanceand 6251 Tactical Fighter Wing on July The oviet approach to low-level air
shunned the concept. It continued (0 pre loiter over the barrie zone; only the Able 1965, before moving into3Tactical Fight attackand groundstrafingwas mostclearly
fer the low-level 'arrack' concept, which Dog firred the bill, but it was to become er Wingon 21 ovember 1965,and then, represented in the development and use of
was also favoured by the RAFat the time. mcreasingly vulnerable a time went on. hy March 1966, 14 Air Commando the Ilyushin 11-2 Slm!l11tovik aircraft, which
When the SA evenrually became The rmy was 0 desperate for such an air Wing. Its duties oon expanded, from the recei\'ed wide publicity in the west at the
embroiled in the econd World War, it craft, and the Air Forcewasso powerless to training of VNAF pilots to much more time.\ Itwas indeedaformidable weaponof
land forces came up again t the German ,upplyit,thattheArmy eriouslycon idered active participation in the war, flying psy airwarfare. Ithoughofstandardconstruc
rubs in onh Africa, and found them huying,trainingandutili:ingitsownaircraft chological warfare, photo-reconnaissance tion and lacking the outstanding perfor
selve' stopped dead by them on several to do the job. Thi naturally raised hackle missions and, eventually, full combat mance of its contemporary, the Petlyakov
ocorions. There wa much recrimination within the Air Force, whoconsidered CAS bombermissions. Pe-2 dive-bomber, which was faster than
at the time' The only available aircraft tobe'its'job,evenifithad norproduced the On 15 August 1967,theunitwasrede many fighters, it was an immensely strong
Therewasnothingnewaboutusingaircrafttotrytodestroytanks.Almostassoonas the US AFhad (0carryoutcloseairsup aircrafttocarryitout. Itwastimeforahasty ignated as I Air Commando Squadron, and rugged. Itcould takeconsiderable pun
theBritishhadinventedthemandusedthemontheWesternFrontagainstGerman port- the Curtiss PAOfighter armed with re-thinkon policy. Fighter, commanded by Lieutenant Com ishment and also operate efficiently at low
trenches.the Germanstriedusingairpowertostopthem.Thisaerialphoto.taken
underwing bombs - proved (0 be (Otally The orth American T-28D trainer was mander James R. Hildreth; it was reorga level. Its origins dated back to the unsatis
overCambraiin1917.showstwoBritishtanksintheroadthroughahamletafter
inefficient and inadequate in this role. converted for use as a light ground-arrack nized once more to become partof56 Air factory performance of the yeman R-IO
beingstrafedbymachine-gunfirefromGermanaircraft. Bundesarchiv,MiliUirarchiv
8 9
VARYING ORIGINS
VARYING ORIGINS
and Sukhoi Su-2, which led in [Urn to the thisformermediumbomb unitwasthrown 11-2 represented one-third of the entire Ill.! italsoactedasadive-bomberwhenall
demand for all. extremely specialized air into battle with little or no conversion Soviet warplane produ tion. IIll' 500 North American A-36 Apaches
craft to fulfil the ground-attack role; the training for either aircrew or ground-sup With improved armam'nt, power and Ih.ll had been builthad been used up.
result was the BSh-2, Bronirovann)1 Shtur port complement. It suffered horrendous tactics, and available in overwhelming rheUSA'smaincontribmiontothe land
movik (or'armoured assault'). losses, being reduced to a mere three air numbers, the Shturmovik dominated close \\oil' in Europe was made by the 9th Air
The BSh-2 was to combine the heaviest craft after just seven weeks ofoperations. air-support operations on the Eastern Iwee, initiallybasedon ailfields in the UK.
possiblearmour protection, with simplicity None the less, as time went on the air Front between 1943-45and earned itselfa Ihi' outfitworked in conjunction with the
and toughness of construction. Its enor craft proved invaluable, and tactics legendary reputation. [t is little wonder IInlish 2nd Tactical Air Force, which used
mous engine would haul it through thesky improved as numbers and expertise rose. then that, almost a quarter of a century Il.lwker Typhoons equipped with rocket
andcarryintoactionaheavyforward-firing The famous 'CircleofDeath'shallowdive later, US designers should look hard at Ill.! hombs ('BombPhoons') to fulfil one of
machine-gun armament of four ShKAS approach, which replaced the low-level what made this air raft so outstanding. their main objectives - direct (lnd'indirect
llll'e support by fighter-bombers of the
7.62mmguns, mounted in the wings, along attack, was introduced laterin the warand
trInies in the field. A decision had been
with unguided rocket-projectiles, such as quickly proved a most successful way of Generic Influences
m,lde to concentrate long-range fighter
theRS-82and thelaterRBS-82andROFS decimating German Panzercolumns. The
132, exclusively for ground-attack work. striking power of the 11-2 was much Its name is a red herring. The Republic I Hnherprotectionon the North American
High performance, rear-gun protectionand increased by the VYa high-velocity 20mm divisionoftheFairchildCorporationled to I' 51 Mustangand[Urnthemoreruggedand
all otherconsiderations went by the board cannon, which could open up most Ger unimaginativeAirForceofficersgivingthe Irl1ngPA70into(lgroundstrafeI'anddive-
in a focus on this principal mission. man tanks with ease. The reintroduction aircraftthehistorical,butnotveryoriginal, II(Hnher.Thefirstdive-bombingmissionwas
Ilyushin took up the challenge and ofthe rear gunner also gave a better mea nameof'Thunderbolt Il', ina kind oftrib wndueted byPA70son 15 March 1944,by
cameupwithatwin-seatdesignwithasin sure of defence from German fight rs ute to the Second World War long-range 1he 366th Fighter Group, (lgainst St Valery
gle engine, the AM-38 in-line, rated at attacking from behind, while the fitting fighter, the Republic PA7 Thunderbolt. .1IIfield. (After unreservedly rejecting the
1,600hp. The outer portions of the air during 1942 of the more powerful 1,750 TheoriginalThunderboltwasaheavy,sin \\'h111e dive-bomber concept earlier in the AlthoughtheGermansfoundthatthe3.7cmFlak18Bard Kannanewasthebesttank
craft, nose, tail, rear fuselage and wings hI' AM-38F was another step forward, gle-engined fighter aircraft designed to \\011', the realization that this was in fact the killingweaponfortheirCASStukas,theAlliespre'ferredthebombortheunguided
wtlyioearnlel,.wbarahmsiilcoeaultrlheyedocbfoosrxteatnohdfaatthrdeen1mc1a-e2steawdlactshovneisrvttriutuaacll s esreavsfaeuctlyutiantbgieoyinnontohdfemt1hIae-n2myU3raaislrucbMr-atfoytupnefa.tcaWtionristi,ehsatnhtdeo eWpsrecisothsretditBsoigneritenoagtssBetr-rv1ei7ncgetFhoirnatrneds1s9pe4so4wt-eo4r5,Bietarswlinaas. lIt'hry'e,1oUwfSabyAomtAobFascamhniidegvhteththehaRevAemcEoasuTtsahecedcuarenrdastwfeaedcreeswlivains T6rco0aa1crcbkrtyeiHcitnaE.glFwAiaraeiirrrdchFreiaonarftcds,eaio.nlvrtootAhePsisstasocnhfadosetoe.igfTfhahateHnfsrdaoewmdwkeeuelianrvpdTeoeyrpnrawhsmoiwnoagnesrsrfeaiigvcephkotsepp.ruu-tnhblaceohrms,btbAeaecgnraaduoiansfrsedtht3temhineRaysArsoFeec'nsdka2etbantlderhgdaedtthsae
ofthe machine, the pilot'sarea, theengine with Stalin's force and power behind it, makeshift ground-attack aircraft armed '1lllplytocall it'vertical bombirig' instead!) theyprovidedabighit,butwerehighlyinaccurateweaponsiffired atarange
compartment, the fuel tanks and the radi production numbers soared. Relatively with both bombsand rockets for European In April 1944, two Tactical Air Com greaterthan1.000ft.EnormousclaimsweremadefortheminbreakingupGerman
ators. (At Stalin's insistence, the design simple in construction, Shturmoviks, like ground-support operations following the mands were established to support the US tankandAPcolumnsintheaftermathoftheNormandyfighting, butcareful analysis
was altered from a two-seater to a single T-34 tanks, were turned out in enormous ormandy landings. Assuch, it wasa sub 1'1 and 3rd Armies respectively, once they afterwardsprovedthatmostofthedamagewasactuallyinflictedbycannonfiring
seater, to economize on space.) The 'box' numbers as the war wenton. By 1945, the stitute for the true 'attack'-type aircraft, "<ldgotashore inNormandy. Atfirst, theP afterwards.Nonetheless,theirreputation.deservedornot.continuedintothepost
47Dscarried relatively ineffectual paylmcls warera. ImperialWarMuseum,London
was built of 7mm armour plate; this was
lit 2501b(115kg) bombs, butloadingquick
increased to a maximum of 12mm thick
ly escalated. Soon, combinations of 5001h
ness behind the pilot, which was now the
(230kg) bombsand 231b(I0.5kg) fragmen
most vulner(lblearea, given that there was
Llrion bombs were being carried on racks ground-attack role, and the wings were However, its claims to success failed to
no reargunner.
under the fuselage, and 1,0001b (454kg) also strengthened to carry the bomb loads stand up to detailed and expert scrutiny
By the time the 11-2 entered service, the
hombs were found perfectly feasible for the demanded. However, apart from a few after those battles in which it established
strafing potential had been considerably
Thunderbolt. Two 500lh (230kg) bombs other refinements, such as the introduc its reputation. Despite this, the 'legend'
enh::Ulced by the adoption of two ShVAK
lould becarried under the wings. tion ofa bubble cockpit canopy, and later had already been established and has last
20-mm cannon, with 100 rounds per gun,
ByJune 1944, the timeofthe ormandy improvements in engine powerand range, ed to this day; the facts have failed to tar
in place of two of the wing-mounted
IIlvasion, the USAAF had considerably it was similar to the standard production nish its image very muchl
machineguns, with uptoeightRS- 2rock
huilt up the IX and XIX Tactical AirCom modeL For itsday, it wasa very large fight Originally built at Farmingdale, Long
ets being carried on underwing racks. The
mands. There were no less than twenty-one er (lircraft, built (lfOLmd a single enormous Island, the'Jug' (as this monsterwasaffec
aircraft had all. internal bomb-bay but, in
.,quadrons of P47Os in the former, and fif radial engine, the Pratt & Whitney R tionately known) was built in huge num
utilizingthe underwingcapacity in placeof
teen in the latterin timeforoperations.The 2800-21 and -63. Armed with up to eight bers. [0. order to satisfy demand, produc
rockets, up to 1,3201b (600kg) of bombs
RAF had sixteen squadrons similarly 0,50-calibre machine guns as all. intercep tion had to besubcontracted out to a new
couldbetaken intobattle.Thespeed wasof
l'quipped (as Thunderbolt lls) in the Far tor, it could eventually tote up to 2,0001b plant at Evansville, Indian(l, and to Cur
course limited-some 270 mph (430km/h)
East by the end ofthe war, while the Free (91Okg) of bombs into action and had tiss-Wright at its Buffalo plant. one the
was about the best- but this was not con
French Annee de l'Air also had several range enough to strike at all orthern less, the PA70 was always most closely
sidered important. The range on this total
(Jrou/Jes de Chasse supplied with the PA70 European targets from the UK. associated with Farmingdale, and the
ly dedicated tactical aircraft was a mere
to pelform the same role. The latter rook The P-47D was a classic example of a choiceofnamefor its tank-bustingsucces
370-450 miles (590-720km) at most.
part in the further invasionofSouth France high-perforIn(lnce fighter aircraft having sor was therefore a logical one. [nevitably,
When theSovietUnion was invaded by
andoperationsinthattheatreintheautumn the strength and power to make the suc the pilots who flew the new aircraft came
Germany in June 1941, only asmall num
and winterof 1944. Units belonging to the cessful conversion into a fighter-bomber. up with their own way of referring to the
ber of Shturmoviks were available. Their
airforcesofBrazil (in Italy 1944-45), Mexi Another was its Britishcontemporary, the A-I0,and itissurelyas'theWarthog' that
first taste ofaction was on 26 June 1941,
coand the USSRalso had them. Hawker Typhoon. Both aircraft received this aircraft will always be known!
when four Shturmovoi AvialJolk (ShAP or TheoriginalThunderbolt,theRepublicP-47D,wasusedasadivebomberinnorthern The Republic PA70Thunderbolt vari were acclaimed as tank-busters in battles Thesuccessofthe P-47againstGerman
Ground ttack Air Regiment) went into Europebetween1944-45.Here.·Chunky·.ofthe358thFighterGroup.9thAirForce,is
ant featured greaterarmour protection for such as Mortain and Falaise, the PA70 armour during the breakout from the
action over the Berezina River. With all. seenatHighHaldenairfield.shortlybeforetheNormandyD-DaylandingsinJune1944.
rhe pilot, which was necessary for the with bombs, the Typhoon with rockets, beachheads and the Falaise Gap battle,
established strength of sixty-five aircraft, ImperialWarMuseum.London
11
10
VARYING ORIGINS
VARYING ORIGINS
and the subsequent pursuit across North Modern historians have tended to Although primitive and slow by subse Illlwever, the Germans had also foreseen (1.5kg) tungsten-cored, armour-piercing formed, led by Oberleutnant Otto Weiss
ern Europe, had led to propaganda and ignore the precedent of the Ju-87G, quent standards, the tank was su essful, tI\l' need to provide a specialist aircraft for explosive shell, which had the ability to with Hauptmann Hans-Karl Stepp of the
media hype that portrayed the PA7 as a emphasizing instead the fact that 'the when utilized correctly, and spread fear tI\I" role. Junkers had developed theJ1and penetrateSoviettank armour60mm thick Erprobungsstelle as his second-in-com
first-class tank-busting aircraft. This, in Royal Air Force found its measure and among the German infantry. Antidotes the CLI, which incorporated both armour at an impact angle of60 degrees, at a dis mand. Experienced pilots wereselected to
turn, influencedsubsequentpost-wardeci defeated it'.6 The RAF undoubtedly were urgently required and one was the I'rlltection and offensive capability against rance of 100m. Upgraded versions were take the aircraft intocombat.
sions to form the Tactical Air Force in defeated theJu87 in the Battle ofBritain, introductionofspeciallyarmoured aircraft 1.1I\d forces, in addition to their normal capable of piercing 120mm thick armour Despite the fact that all extraneous
1947, and further affected policy adopted when it was incorrectly used as a strategic thar could make low-level attacks in the l1lachine guns, in the form of bundles of plating. equipment, such as dive brakes, conven
by the Air Forceonce it had won its inde weapon, but itdid not defeat the Stuka in faceofAAfire. BoththeG rmansand the crl'nades. This was manifestly the germ of The weight of this weapon was 430lb tional bomb racks and the like, was
pendencefrom the Army in thesameyear. the preceding BattleofFrance, which saw British produced such aircraft, and these lIllsesupport. (270kg) and it had a length overall of stripped, itwasfound that thealreadyslow
the ejection of all British forces from may also be considered as great-grandfa One pioneer in the art ofusing aircraft 145in (3,620mm). Each bmrel was 6ft Stuka was made even slower and slightly
Europe in a matter of a few weeks, or in thers ofthe A-I0. IIIdestroy tanks, orat leastdisable or halt (180cm) in length and was fitted with less manoeuvrable with these cannon
Historic Influences subsequent campaigns in the Balkans. In The British answer was the Sopwith them,wasOberleutnantRobert Rittervon streamlined pods, which helped with the emplaced. However, these were the air
If the Skyraider had been the basis on addition, the RAF hardly ever, if at all, Salamander,atypical biplaneofthe period, (,reim. On I March 1918, while he was aerodynamics and also protected the craft that wereselected, along with the Hs
which theoriginal A-10concepthad been encountered the Gustav version, intro but designed from the outset as a ground ,erving with the 34 (Bavarian) Jagdscaffel breech mechanism. An <lir inmke W<lS fit 1298-2, toequip the new Panzer)agerunit
developed, then surely a more relevant duced in mid-1943, which fought almost attack machine. From the enginecompart 11\ thegreat final Germanoffensiveon the ted in a bulbous cowling with a circular on the Eastern Front. They first saw com
precedent than the P-47D was to befound all its battles on the Eastern Front, creat ment to the pilot's area there was some Western Front, he and his wing-man, frontal aperture above the gun pod for the batat the huge tank battleofKursk inJuly
when examining the historic influence. ing havoc among Soviet tank columns. armour protection (although proofagainst VI:efeidwebel Putz,attackeda British tank gun's hydraulic oil hearer. The automati 1943 (Operation Zicadelle) They per
Until theadventoftheThunderbolt II, no The fact is that this aircraft had a signifi small-armsfireonly).Thisaircraftappeared llliumn, strafing them from 2,000ft cally fed six-round clips of shells were formed well,especiallywhenconcentrated
aircraft had come closer to satisfactorily cant influence on the A-lO's final and too late rotake partin <lnyfighting, butthe (600m) and successfully breaking up their loaded into horizontal trays that extended asoneforce underthecommandofHaupt
fulfilling that role than theJunkersJu87G, most famous combat role. concept wassound enough. The Germans, .Ittack. 1twasthe first rank-bustingsuccess from eithersideofthegun.They had fold mann Hans-Ulrich Rudel, and scored
a variantofthe famed Stukadive-bomber. The Ju-87G had a more distant ante whose need to protectthemselvesfrom the 11\ aviation history. VonGreim wasaward ing down hinged caps to take the clips. many victories. WithconventionalStukas
Its underwing cannon fired tungsten cedent, dating back to the First World British tanks W<lS more pressing, did rather l·d the PourIeMerite forhisaction,and laid The roundscarried were 14.5in 06.25cm) dropping bombs to suppress the flak
tipped shells that could penetrate the War.Thisgrimconflicthadseenthe intro better. As early as \916, at Verdun, their the foundations on which the Luftwaffe in length with a maximum diameter elf defences, the Gusravsattacked the Soviet
tough hide of even the Soviet T-34, the duction, by the British Army, ofthe rank, scout aircraft had been employed in the \\,;\S huilt two decades later. The Luft 1.9in (4.75cm). As well as the pointed tanks, mainly from the rear orsides where
main battle tank ofthe Eastern Frontdur in an effort to break the hideousstalemate ground-strafing role (Schlachtscaffeln units) \\'affe'sforte waswhole-heartedsupportfor nose armour-piercing rounds, alternate theirarmourwasthinner,and knockedout
ing theSecond World War. of trench warfare on the Western Front. with Halberstadtand Hannovernaaircraft. the Army, and it was this that gave them loadings could include blunt-tipped agreat number.
the Blitzheig victories of 1939-41. Their rounds, BrandsprenggandatpatTOne (incen Like most skills, the art ofrank busting
.mitudecontrasted with thatofthe Allies, diary) self-destructing tracer rounds, was one that had to he acquired. Some
(Left)TheJunkersJu87G'Gustav',withitstwounderwing3.7cmFlak18BardKannane, \\'ho were reluctant to commit aircraft in whichonly ignited ifa hit wasscored on a pilots, like Rudel himself, proved natural
servedfrom1943to1945.Ithadacommonlinkwith... Bundesarchiv-Militararchiv direct support of troops on the ground, truck's fuel tank, or the S/Jrenggranat/Ja lyadeptat it; by theendofthe war, he had
.1I\d, indeed, had built hardly any aircraft trone i8 (high-explosive) round of self personally 'killed' more than 500 tanks.
that were capable ofdoing this. destructing tracer for soft-skinned targets. Others were almost as proficient, but not
Machine-gun strafing might have been Various aircraft were tri<ll-fitted with a all provedsoskilful. None the less, theJu
'lifficienttostriptracksoffthetanksofthe variety ofanti-rank weapons to see which 87G was, without doubt, the tank-smash
British and French armies,and even pene was the most suitable and stable weapons er supreme, and each dive-bomber group
Irate the armourofsomeofthe light tanks platform for it. Among the aircraft finally includedone PanzerJagerScaffelfrom then
deployed by these forces. However, such equipped were the Junkers Ju88P twin on until the end ofthe war.'
methods proved useless against the ar engined bomber, which carried a hand At the end of the war, Rudel, among
moured monsters encountered on the loaded, 75mm KwK39gun underthe fuse others, flew his intact unit to surrender to
Eastern Frontwhen Hitlerrook upcudgels lage; the Bf110G.2R/1 and4twin-engined theAmericansand wassubsequentlyinter
.IgainstStalin'sCommunisthordes inJune fighters (Zerswrer), which carried a single rogated. He thought his captors might be
1941. TheT35B heavy tank with 50-mm BK 37mm cannon, also beneath the fuse interested in knowing how his slowJu87s
armour plate, the KV-1A heavy tank with lage; and the Hs 129B-2/R4 twin-engined had been so successful in knocking out so
770101thickarmour,andeventhefarmore ground-attack aircraft, which had previ many Soviet ranks; after all, it was patent
numerous T34/76A main battle tank, ously carried the two 20mm MG151/20 lyobvious to him that they would be next
\\'ith itsslopingarmour up to45mm thick, cannon. Results varied, but in the end the for Stalin's attentions. He was listened to
needed fargreater penetratingpower than large Ju88 proved unsuitable in this role with complete scepticism, and then his
lhis. A solution was hastilysought. and took heavy losses. claimsweredismissedasNazi propaganda'"
Theanswerwasfound in theconversion One of the trial aircraft thus fitted, in Speed was everything to Western airmen,
of the 37mm Flak 18 (or Bard Kannone Decemher 1942, was a Ju-87D Stuka, and they could not conceive ofsacrificing
3.7cm) cannon, an anti-aircraft gun de which had two ofthese awesome wearons mphforaccuracy.Theyreallybelievedthat
,igned in the First World War, which, slung beneath each wing outboard of its an inherently inaccurate weapon such as
much improved, entered service with the fixed undercarriage legs. Experimental test an unguided rocket projectile could be
Luftwaffe; in 1933 as the FI<l 18/36/37. firings against captured Soviet tanks by fired from a high-speed Thunderbolt or
Although itsslow tr<lverse m<lde it unsuit selected Stuka pilots gave good overall Typhoonand hitatargetassmallasamov
able in its design role, under test it was results and the idea was taken to the bat ing tank. However, they refused to accept
found eminentlysuitableforconversion to tlefield for more practical experiments in that cannon fire from a slow-movingJu87
use asan anti-tank weapon. With amuzzle real action conditions. In February 1943, could achieve thesameor, indeed, far bet
...theFairchild-RepublicA-10ThunderboltIIaircraftofthe1970s- tokill Soviettanks!
vclocityof2,820ft (855m) persecond, this the Vem/chverband JUT Panzerkam/Jfung terresults.Thatattitude was nottochange
Thispairarefromthe917thTactical FighterGroup(AFRESI.
weapon fired a Minengranac/Jacrone 18, 31b ('experimental tank-fighting unit') W<lS for m<lny ye<lrs.'"
NationalArchives,Washington,DC
13
12
ARMY NEEDS VERSUS AIR FORCE DOCTRINE- AAFSS
I'quipped with leading-edge slats" and fighter, orthrop still entertained hopes USAirForceinterestagain wanedafterthe
fLuling-edge flaps. that its less affluent allies might still be second prototypehad taken to theair, then
CHAPTERTWO
Armament for this lightweight inter interested.On 25 February 1958,Northrop the third prototype was placed on 'hold'
Il'ptot comprised a pair of upper nose took the decision to continue with the F pendingfurther consideration.
IIIlHlI1ted M39 20-mm cannon. An AIM 156Fasaprivateventure,takingadvantage The breakthrough came on 25 April
Army Needs Versus Air Force Doctrine IlL Sidewinder 'point-and-shom' missile of the T38 contract to help offset design 1962, when the Department of Defense
I<Hild be carried on stations located at costs. Belatedly, the Air Forcecame to rec (000) stated that the N-156F had been
loth wingtips. Underwing pylons could ognizethe low-costbenefitto itsalliesand, selectedasthefighterfortheMilitaryAssis
,Ilcollllllodate conventional free-falling after inspecting a mock-up in 1958, tance Program (MAP) for supply to both
AAFSS
I(lInhsand mher weapons. ordered one static test airframe and three NATOand SEATOallies. American serial
Despite its advanced design, relative prototypes under the designation ofthe F numbers were to be allocated as the USAF
I heapness and potential, the N-156 156TFreedom Fighter. was the purchasing agency for the pro
,dmost immediately suffered two serious The first N-156F made its maiden flight gramme. Itwasalsomaderesponsibleforthe
TheArmy'sAdvancedAerial FireSupport it a maximum speed of 408 mph lightweight supersonic fighter. Sophisti 'l'(hacks. The Air Force, which wanted on 30 July 1959. It was powered by two trainingofAllied aircrew at Williams AFB,
System (AAFSS) originated in 1964, and (650km/h) and a cruise speed of368 mph cated interceptors were, even then, get IlIgher, faster and bigger fighters, rejected 2,100Ib.s.t.General Electricnon-afterburn Arizona. On 9 August 1962, the N-156F
Ihe whole concept, although it did take ing YJ85-GE turbojets, later to be replaced became the F-5A Freedom Fighterand was
continuedforseven years. Well beforc this (590km/h). Wingspan was33ft lOin, wing ting ever larger and more complex, and
date, the Army had frequently expressed area 184sq ft, fuselage length 29ft4in and already passing out of the price range of
its dissatisfaction with the CAS providcd height 9ft 5in. The aircraft had a range of mostcountriesintheAlliances. A·aresult
by the USAF, which seemed more con 796 miles (I,275km), adequate for the of tours by Northrop representatives in
cerned with high-altitudedog-fighting. Its Army's needs, and a service ceiling of 1955 they came up with a design for such
aircraft were becoming faster and larger, 39,200ft (11,500m). No armament was an aircraft, powered by a pair ofGeneral
and lessable to operate 'down in the mud' carried, but the Cessna was quite capable ElectricJ85 turbojetsn,originallydeveloped
where the Army wanted to see them. As ofbeingconvertedforaCASrolewith the topowerthe GAM- GreenQuaildecoy
earlyas the late 1950s, the Army Aviation installation of cannon and underwing drone. The main criterion for 'Cold-War'
Combat Development Agency (ACDA) racks for bombs and rockets - state ofthe and Communist world-wide guerrilla tac
began towork with theTestBoard tosee if artforthe 1950s.1twascertainlyeasytofly tics against democratic governments was
it was possible for the Army to operate its and proved very manoeuvrable at low versatility, and the Northrop concept
own fixed-wing air support, which would level. Whetherit would have proven itself the -156F - was capable of operating
be moresuited to its needs. tough enough for the role envisaged for it from short runwaysand makeshiftairstrips
The parameters were clear: the aircraft is more doubtful. one the less, the trials in jungles and rough terrain, close to the
had to be able to operate mainly in the weredeemed asuccess, the Armydeclared action, or from escort carriers for basic
low-level environment over the immedi theCessnatobeideal,and theACDAand maritime and convoy-protection duties.
ate battlefield; it had to be able to deliver the Army Aviation Board both recom With the finalizationofthedesigncame
accurately a wide variety of ordnance; to mcnding large procurement. the N-156T, a two-seater advance trainer
take offand land from primitive and short The Army'senthusiasm, notfor the last version. Thisseemed to represent an ideal
landing strips; it had to be of rugged and time, aroused the Air Force's jealousy. solution and much confidence was
tough construction, in order to withstand Quicktoactatanyhintthatanypartofits expressed in its future. The two jets ofthe
such operations at a high level ofintensi recently acquired independenceshould be propulsion plant were located close
ty, and should be simple to fly and main taken from it, whether it was interested in together in the rear fuselage, being fed by
tain. Lookingaroundatwhatwasavailable that facet or not, the USAF moved quick two lateral air intakes on the underside of
'offthcshelf', the ACDA decided thatthe ly to have the Army's idea quashed. The the fuselage, with the all-flying horizontal
CessnaT37A (USAF version ofthe 318) three T37As were returned to the USAF tail mounted below the engines, low on DevelopedfromtheF-156,theF·5provedmostsuitableinitsdesignedroleasalow-costlightfighter
was the one aircraft that fiaed the profile. in 1959 and there the matter ended, for the fuselage itself. Fuselagedesign accord bomber.AlthoughtheUSArmywasequallyimpressedwhenitconductedtrials,itwasnotpermittedto
the time being. ed to the area rule, with a narrow cross operatethem.TheUSAFcombatevaluatedtheminVietnambuttheywerenotdeemedtoughenoughforthe
TheVietnam WarprovedthattheArmy section in the area of the wing, which CASroleenvisagedforthem. SmithsonianMuseum,Washington,DC
had been rightand the Air Forcewrongon resulted inanear-constantcross-sectionto
Cessna T-37A
this score, and the hasty adoption by the facilitate airflow over the whole aircraft.
Nicknamed 'Tweetybird' by its pilots- its USAF of the former Navy Skyraider, and The -156 had very thin wings, with no
brouulbnoduesd fdourawlardsidfeu-sbeyla-gseideremcoincdkepditthaenmd aitisrcsruacfcteswsa,sreainnfeocrecsesdityth.eTfhaectAthramtysuwchoualnd dwiihnegdsrawleroerswaenpgtlebacokf 2i4ncdiedgernecees.atTqhueasre t,h8eTtaraloinne).rTvehresioUnS(NwahvicyhablseocatmurenetdhethTe bbyurtnhieng2,J58050-IGb.Es.-t5. dproywaenrpdl<3l,l8lt5.0Ib.s.t. after ewvicthntuliaclelnycteo-hseueilstervveircseioalllslohveeirngthebugillotbien,
ofthe Warner Brotherscanary- this wasa tryagain,but,in themeantime,anewcon ter-chord and were fitted with a leading projcct down flat. The decision had been Further disappointment followed when Canada, South Kmea, Spain, Switzerland
twin-engined jet trainer built in Kansas. tender had arrived on thescene. edge extension (LEX) at each wing root. made toscrapthehundred orsoescortcar Northrop approached European aircraft and Taiwan in addition to US-built
Each wing was fitted with sealed flap ricrsthathad been buiItduringtheSecond manufacturers- Fairey in England, Fokker machines. ByJune 1972, when production
With thesettingupofProject'LongArm',
ailerons, hydraulically powered, located at World War, and not to replace them. This in theNetherlands, Fiat in ItalyandSABC ceased, some 1,871 of various marks had
three of these little aircraft (56-3464, 56
mid-span and had single-slotted, light mcant that a naval version would have no in Belgium- with theaim oflicence-build been produced byNorthrop, withafurther
3465 and 56-3465) wereobtained on loan Northrop N-156F
alloy flaps inboard ofthem. The continu homc base to work from; the Navy was ing the N-156Ffor NATO. The talk wasof 776 licence-built.Theyserved withawide
from the USAF in 1958and flown to Fort
looking for high-performance machines world-wide sales of4,000 aircraft. Alas, it range of air forces, including those of
RwauTsckhgeievreCfonersAasnromanyeT-my3ea7arArkitnrhigaasdl.ptewrioodC.oTnhtienternio TorefhseuthlteNoomfraathdinreotaFpirleeNed-W1159o65rF4ldsctauDmdeyfeeonafcbtehoeugtrnoeausepdsas, owuesTr-ehhoeinfgfeu-l1lf5-lda6peFpstwhaalshooneqngueyitphcpeoemdlebwabdiutihnilgdr.eemdogves forHiotswegviearn,tenveewn iFfotwrreostoafl tchleassAmcaerrriicerasn. Scaramrfeigtohtenrottuhrinnged, aonudtttohebeLtohcekfhineacldcFh-o1i0c4e NEtohriwoapyia,, tGhereePchei,lipIrpainn,esL,ibSyoa,utMh oKroocrceoa,,
tal 920Ib.s.t. J9-T9 turbojets, which gave ATO and SEATO, for an affordable able wingtip fuel tanks, also area-ruled, armed forces saw no need for a lightweight for many of these nations. In addition, South Vietnam, Thailand and Turkey.
15
14
ARMY NEEDS ERSUS AIR FORCE DOCTRINE- AAFSS AIUIY NEEDS VERSUS AIR FORCE DOCTRINE- AAFSS
from the decks of many avy aircraft tested the prototype machine, Italian II' but, in theend, itwasnotconsidered tough The Hawker Siddeley P-II27 Kestrel,
carriers. Itscompactnessand suitability for Force test pilot Riccmdo Bignamini. enough for the forward air control (FAC) was a unique aircraft that, even then,
the Jol in hand, and it uccess, impressed Oncetheyhadarrived in the U ,these job in view. Its case wa not helped by the howed great promise. Its vertical/short
the troops on the ground, and the US two aircraft, a G.91R-J (c/n 0 52, Luft fact that, during the trials, 0052 crashed, take-offand landing(V/ TOL) abilitygave
Armydecided to trial itagainstothercon waffenumber BD+102)andaG.91R-3 (c/n killing Bignamini. This effectively termi itenormouspotential,enablingittooperate
tenders. In 1961, two Skyhawks (Eu os ()065, Luftwaffe numberEC+105),retained nated the tests and the surviving aircraft not only from small ailfields close to the
144 3 and 14 49 ), whi h were surplus their three-shaded Luftwaffe camouflage wa sent back toGermany in 1962. front line, but also from motorways, and
to avy requirement, were a quired and 'Lheme. Forthetests,yellowwaspaintedon even from a clearing in the jungle. In the
modified to operate from rugged front-line the tail, after-fuselage and bellyand under
end, thatpotentialwasnotfully realized,but
airstrips. The normal main undercarriage 'Ideofthenose,theword'ARMY'appeared P-1127 (V-6) Kestrel the aircraft wassteadilydeveloped into the
wasreplacedbyatwin,high-flotation, 1011' 111whiteforward, and' Army'waspaint ea Harrier.The Harrierwenton toearn its
pressurewheelsystem,andenlarged under edon a panel on the tail. The Army was determined to make one place in combat aviation history, shooting
wing fairings were fitted to accommodate TheG.91 pelformedwell,and itslimited last effort to gain its own airsupport from down twenty Argentinian aircraft during
rhis. As a further aid to landing- in primi maintenance requirements wereattractive, fixed-wing aircraft. the Falklands conflict in the early 198 s.
tive conditions, a drag chute was abo fit
ted, housed in a canister below the rear
TheFiatG.91 wasanotherofthelightweightfighter-bombertypes,easytohandleand
operate,seriouslyconsideredbytheUSArmyasameansofoperatingtheirown fuselage. Still in their original Navy mark
closeairsupport. SmithsonianInstitute,Washington,DC ings, the aircraft joined the trials at Fort
Rucker, where they performed very well.
The rmy thought highlyofthem, but the
DoD put pressure on them to drop the
What had brought about this sudden -4(A4D) wastoproveanequallyinspired whole idea,and bothaircraftwerereturned
changeofheart by the Air ForceI The design, with the longest production life to their original configuration and
first prototype N-156F was tested early in (1954-79)ofany FreeWorld militaryjet. It returned to the Navy at the end of J961.
1962 by the Army under the AAF served with the US Navy for twenty years,
programme as a pos ible candidate for its fought in many battles with other nations,
fixed-wing C S aircraft. While the ir asfarapartas Israeland Argentina,and was Fiat G.91R-3
Force might be disdainful of the Army's still flying fifty yearson.
need, and tllrn a blind eye to helicopter Themotivationfor its 'mallsizeand light The Italian Fiat G.9IR-3 was Europe's
development, the knowledge that Army weight was increa ingconcern at theseem answertothe vexedquestionofaffordabil
pilots were testing out such sophisticated ingly inevitable rise in weight, dimension ity. In the late 1950s, ATO held a com
aircraft rangalarm bells in earnest. andcostofcontemporaryandplannedfight petition for lightweightstrike aircraft; the
In 1961, the AAF S trials finally came er aircraft. Much like orthrop, Heine winner was a pleasing design from Fiat,
to fruition when the Army revealed that it mann was convinced that this trend could which appeared in 1959.
wascomparative-testingfixed-wingaircraft be reversed. However, when the avy was Aswept-wing, ingle-seater,poweredbya
for CA These trials, involving ground presented with the design, it was already single 2,270kg Bristol rpheus 801/02
forces in realisticscenarios,werecondu ted committed to several fighters and a'ked engine,Fiat'sG.91 hadawingspanof .56m,
thatyearatFortRu ker,Alabama.Thepro Heinemann to redesign the concept as an a length of I .29m, a height of4m and a
totype N-156F (s/n 59-49 7) wasspecially aval Attackplane with nuclearcapability. wing area of 16.42m~.Its weightempty was
painted inArmymarkingsforthetests.The This wasdone and the result proved a win 3,269kg, fully laden 5,670kg. It had a top
Army pilot conducting them expressed ner from the out'et. Gradually, the aircraft speed of 1,090km/h, a ceiling of 13,260m
themselves favourably impressed after wasdeveloped fordifferentrol'sand proved and a range of I, 5 km. Its armament was
wards, but the orthrop was not the only sufficiently versatile to adapt to them all. modest, with justtwo 20mm cannon.
fixed-wing contender. Theothers included Witha wingspanof27ft6in,a lengthof Despite coming out on top in the com
the Navy's own lightweight fighter, the 39ft 4Xin and a height of only 15ft, the petition, the G.91 was not greeted with
dainty but rugged Douglas A4D-2N ky Skyhawk was acompact little aircraft, but much enthusiasm by the European
hawk, and two foreign designs, the Italian full ofdynamite. An all-weather variant, nations. Only Italy, Greece and Germany
Fiat G.91, and the British VTOL innova the 40-2 (A-4C) made itsdebutflight employed them, and some 45 were con
tion, the Hawker P-J 127, later tobedevel on 2J ugu t J959. This aircraft was structed. In J961, the U Army trialled
oped into the magnificent Harrier. equipped with terrain clearance radar the aircraft along with the others at Fort
(TCR) housed in an extended nose, for Rucker, admiring thesimplicityofitscon
sea-level or ground-hugging approach to struction and low maintenance require
A4D-2N Skyhawk target zones. n autopilot was fitted for ments in the field, and the fact that it
the first time, to save on pilot fatigue on could operate out of primitive landing
The famou Douglas A4D-2N kyhawk long flights, and there was a system indi strips. Twoaircraft were::lcquired'on loan'
was another brilliant and enduring design catingangleofattack,aswellasa Imv-alti from the Federal German Luftwaffe, They
AnaturalcandidatefortheUSArmy'scloseairsupportwastheBritishHawkerP-1127Kestrel,
from the brain ofEd Heinemann, who had tude bombingsystem (L B ). wereflown tothe SAascargoofa -124
whoseVTOLcapacitymeantthatitcouldoperatefromthemostprimitiveairstripsclosetothefront
given the avy the immortal SBD Daunt The 40-2 ,with its all-weather and Globemaster transport aircraft early in
line.VehementoppositionwasvoicedinCongress,becausetheaircrahwasBritish,andtheconcept
less and AD kyraider dive-bombers from night low-level capability, served with 1961, along with German pilot and
waspressuredout.Later,theUSMarineCorpsgottheirlicence-builtversion oftheHarrieraherasimilar
Dougla at EI egundo, California. The great distinction in the Vietnamese War groundcrew, and the man who had flight-
fightonCapitolHill. SmithsonianInstitute,Washington.DC
16 17
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