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 front line fighter aircraft fitted with small caliber cannons
and in some cases unguided rockets more recently the anti-tank role has been filled
by helicopter gunships offering maneuverability and versatility but none can match the firepower
of the aim thunderbolt 2 a purpose-built tank buster affectionately named warthog
unique engine placement fairchild design the eight ward hub with survivability
built in handy is capable of withstanding a battering in combat if things get tricky
any aircraft is vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire with the engines particularly at risk
losing an engine or both is going to end badly with both its turbofan engines placed high
up at the rear of the fuselage offers the best in terms of shielding them from stray
fire though they are capable of surviving small foreign objects
gu 8 avenger tank busting cannon modern attack helicopters tend to rely on expensive
missiles the 8 warthog has a different approach utilizing the punch of the gau-8 avenger cannon
capable of firing 3 900 rounds per minute the gau 8 in the 8 is restricted to maximum bursts of 2
seconds to avoid stalling the aircraft standard armor-piercing rounds are used with an effective
range of 1200 meters each round 30 millimeter caliber and taller than an average beer bottle
external stores for added punch with limited internal space for 30 millimeter rounds
the aim has a total of 11 external pylons or hardpoints for additional armament while the aid
is perfectly capable of close range combat it also can destroy targets at greater distances
using either the maverick agm-45 or sidewinder and missiles conventional free fall
bombing missions are possible with rocket 2 cluster bombs or
mp32 gp bombs in total externally the 8 can accommodate a weapons payload of 7260 kilogram
survivability with operations for the aid 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 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 to be hydraulic and a third
manual system utilizing old-school cables the eight can still successfully return to its base
heavy-duty armor bathtub for pilot protection a firm favorite with pilots the aidan wartog
provides excellent protection for the pilot in the form of an armored tub affectionately referred to
as the bathtub weighing 1200 pounds and built from titanium sheets ranging in thickness from
13 to 38 millimeter capable of withstanding hits from 20 3 millimeter cannon rounds
internally to reduce the possibility of fragments injuring the pilot all exposed surfaces are lined
excellent cockpit visibility essential for ground attack aircraft
the aim 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
built around main armament with form from a survivability standpoint dictating how the
ayton warthog looks under the skin it becomes more evident that the gau-8 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 1800 kilogram fully loaded the gau-8
accounts for most of the internal space and an incredible 16 percent of the total aircraft weight
agility and performance abundantly clear from the straight wing design and profile the aiden
warthog was never intended to be a high-speed jet with an airframe designed for stability
and payload taking priority over performance the aim possesses excellent low speed maneuverability