rabid_raptor Posted April 1, 2005 Posted April 1, 2005 As much of an aviation buff as I am, I had never considered that there was ever any competition for the A-10's design (need identified, airplane built, need filled, right? Wrong) I'm sure others here are familiar with the history, but I wasn't aware of the competing design. Here is a set of photos of the YA-9, the principal competition for the A-10's line of work when the need was identified. I gotta wonder what kind of tank killer it would have been. Quote
Scout_51 Posted April 1, 2005 Posted April 1, 2005 I gotta wonder what kind of tank killer it would have been. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> We could ask the russian air force....their su-25 is basic copy of the ya-9.... Quote
+Fates Posted April 1, 2005 Posted April 1, 2005 I think the biggest flaw that they realized with the A-9 was the placement of it's engines. The A-9's engines are low, and not covered from small arms fire and other atrillery. The A-10 put its quiet fan engines in a position where their intakes are somewhat proteted by the wings themselves. To me this is a huge benefit Fates Quote
+Spectre_USA Posted April 1, 2005 Posted April 1, 2005 On the exhaust side, the horizontal tail structure also obscures the heat sig for SA-7's, and their ilk. Agreed on the A-9 and Frogfoot resemblance... Quote
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