this is wyatt and werthak is the coolest plane ever built
the attend thunderbolt 2 or warthog is one of the coolest looking planes ever made
and it performs flawlessly when it's time to work as well modern battlefields are littered with
heavy equipment ranging from armored personnel carriers through to mbt main battle tanks
anti-tank aircraft have been around since the second world war
usually adapted from frontline fighter aircraft fitted with small caliber cannons and in some
cases unguided rockets more recently the anti-tank roll has been filled by helicopter gunships
offering maneuverability and versatility but none can match the firepower of the attend
thunderbolt 2 a purpose-built tank buster affectionately named warthog
8 astronomical units avenger tank busting cannon
modern attack helicopters tend to rely on expensive missiles the aten warthog has a
different approach utilizing the punch of the eight astronomical units avenger cannon
capable of firing 3 900 rounds per minute the eight astronomical units in the aten
is restricted to maximum bursts of two seconds to avoid stalling the aircraft
standard armor piercing rounds are used with an effective range of 1200 meters
each round 30 millimeters caliber and taller than an average beer bottle
extended lifespan
introduced operational in 1977 the attent thunderbolt was originally scheduled to
be retired after each airframe reached its 4 000 flying hours with most aircraft having exceeded 8
000 flying hours however with the advanced wing assembly program certified to extend airframe life
expectancy to keep the attention flying well in the next decade with no proposal in place to offer
a direct replacement the eventual replacement will likely be based on existing aircraft design
agility and performance
abundantly clear from the straight wing design and profile the aten warthog was never
intended to be a high-speed jet with an airframe designed for stability and payload
taking priority over performance the attempt assesses excellent low speed maneuverability
while not able to match modern gunships for agility they are faster in battlefield operations
with typical comp at speeds of around 350 miles per hour considerably higher than rotary aircraft
refueling capability
to be truly effective in a combat situation any air support aircraft needs to have the long-range
capability required to support ground operations and also be able to loiter on the station
with these requirements in mind the aten with its 800-mile combat range
and ability to loiter on the battlefield is far superior to modern helicopter gunships
adding to the already impressive range in-flight refueling can extend the operational capabilities
with only pilot endurance and ordnance reducing mission duration
built around main armament
with form from a survivability standpoint dictating how the aten warthog looks
under the skin it becomes more evident that the eight astronomical units also dictates
the layout of the fuselage when compared to a small compact car the scale becomes evident
with a complete system length of 5.91 meters and weighing 1800s fully loaded the eight astronomical
units accounts for most of the internal space and an incredible 16 of the total aircraft weight
excellent cockpit visibility
essential for ground attack aircraft the a-10 has excellent all-round visibility due to the unique
design internal space is dominated by the huge avenger cannon which dictates that the pilot's
armored cockpit is placed above the barrels of the main armament having the cockpit placed higher up
in the airframe coupled with the one-piece canopy provides the pilot with unobstructed vision
survivability
with operations for the attend taking place in low altitude hostile environments the aircraft
will inevitably come under attack often coming under heavy enemy fire requires the airframe
engines and flight controls to be rugged aircraft can and have returned from missions with heavy
battle damage with parts of the aircraft damaged and even with engines destroyed
with triple systems in place for the flight controls two being hydraulic and a third
manual system utilizing old-school cables the a-10 can still successfully return to its base
external stores for added punch
with limited internal space for 30 millimeters rounds
the a-10 has a total of 11 external pylons or hardpoints for additional armament
while the attend is perfectly capable of close range combat it also can destroy
targets at greater distances using either the maverick gm45 or sidewinder on item missiles
conventional free fall bombing missions are possible with rocky ii cluster bombs or 82 mk82 gp
bombs in total externally the a-10 can accommodate a weapons payload of two hundred sixty kilograms