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A-X program

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki


A-X program
Requirement Close air support attack aircraft
Issued by United States Air Force
Prototypes Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
Northrop YA-9
Outcome A-10 selected for production

The A-X program was a United States Air Force development and acquisition program for a new two-seat jet trainer to replace the Northrop T-38 Talon.

The T-X program is a United States Air Force development and acquisition program for a new two-seat jet trainer to replace the Northrop T-38 Talon. On 27 September 2018, the US Air Force selected the Boeing/Saab T-X entry to become its trainer aircraft.[1] The new aircraft was given the designation and name "T-7 Red Hawk" in September 2019.[2] The Air Force's initial plan is to purchase 351 T-7s, and has an option to purchase up to 475.

History

Background

By Vietnam, the 1940s-vintage propeller-driven Skyraider was the only dedicated close air support aircraft in the USAF's inventory. This aircraft was slow and vulnerable to defensive fire from the ground.

Post-World War II development of conventionally armed attack aircraft in the United States had stagnated.[3] Design efforts for tactical aircraft focused on the delivery of nuclear weapons using high-speed designs like the F-101 Voodoo and F-105 Thunderchief.[4] Designs concentrating on conventional weapons had been largely ignored, leaving their entry into the Vietnam War led by the Korean War-era Douglas A-1 Skyraider. While a capable aircraft for its era, with a relatively large payload and long loiter time, the propeller-driven design was also relatively slow and vulnerable to ground fire. The U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps lost 266 A-1s in action in Vietnam, largely from small arms fire.[5] The A-1 Skyraider also had poor firepower.[6]

The lack of modern conventional attack capability prompted calls for a specialized attack aircraft.[7][8] On 7 June 1961, Secretary of Defense McNamara ordered the USAF to develop two tactical aircraft, one for the long-range strike and interdictor role, and the other focusing on the fighter-bomber mission. The former became the Tactical Fighter Experimental, or TFX, which emerged as the F-111, while the second was filled by a version of the U.S. Navy's F-4 Phantom II. While the Phantom went on to be one of the most successful fighter designs of the 1960s and proved to be a capable fighter-bomber, its lack of loiter time was a major problem, and to a lesser extent, its poor low-speed performance. It was also expensive to buy and operate, with a flyaway cost of $2 million in FY1965 ($Error when using {{Inflation}}: |index=US (parameter 1) not a recognized index. million today), and operational costs over $900 per hour ($Error when using {{Inflation}}: |index=US (parameter 1) not a recognized index. per hour today).[9]

After a broad review of its tactical force structure, the U.S. Air Force decided to adopt a low-cost aircraft to supplement the F-4 and F-111. It first focused on the Northrop F-5, which had air-to-air capability.[6] A 1965 cost-effectiveness study shifted the focus from the F-5 to the less expensive LTV A-7D, and a contract was awarded. However, this aircraft doubled in cost with demands for an upgraded engine and new avionics.[6]

Helicopter competition

The AH-56 Cheyenne appeared to offer the possibility of handing much of the tactical air-to-ground role to the U.S. Army.

During this period, the United States Army had been introducing the UH-1 Iroquois into service. First used in its intended role as a transport, it was soon modified in the field to carry more machine guns in what became known as the helicopter gunship role. This proved effective against the lightly armed enemy, and new gun and rocket pods were added. Soon the AH-1 Cobra was introduced. This was an attack helicopter armed with long-range BGM-71 TOW missiles able to destroy tanks from outside the range of defensive fire. The helicopter was effective, and prompted the U.S. military to change its defensive strategy in Europe by blunting any Warsaw Pact advance with anti-tank helicopters instead of the tactical nuclear weapons that had been the basis for NATO's battle plans since the 1950s.[10]

The Cobra was a quickly made helicopter based on the UH-1 Iroquois and, in the late 1960s, the U.S. Army was also designing the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne, a much more capable attack aircraft with greater speed. These developments worried the USAF, which saw the anti-tank helicopter overtaking its nuclear-armed tactical aircraft as the primary anti-armor force in Europe. A 1966 Air Force study of existing close air support (CAS) capabilities revealed gaps in the escort and fire suppression roles, which the Cheyenne could fill. The study concluded that the service should acquire a simple, inexpensive, dedicated CAS aircraft at least as capable as the A-1, and that it should develop doctrine, tactics, and procedures for such aircraft to accomplish the missions for which the attack helicopters were provided.[11]

A-X program

On 8 September 1966, General John P. McConnell, Chief of Staff of the USAF, ordered that a specialized CAS aircraft be designed, developed, and obtained. On 22 December, a Requirements Action Directive was issued for the A-X CAS airplane,[11] and the Attack Experimental (A-X) program office was formed.[12] On 6 March 1967, the Air Force released a request for information to 21 defense contractors for the A-X. The objective was to create a design study for a low-cost attack aircraft.[8] In 1969, the Secretary of the Air Force asked Pierre Sprey to write the detailed specifications for the proposed A-X project; Sprey's initial involvement was kept secret due to his earlier controversial involvement in the F-X project.[8] Sprey's discussions with Skyraider pilots operating in Vietnam and analysis of aircraft used in the role indicated the ideal aircraft should have long loiter time, low-speed maneuverability, massive cannon firepower, and extreme survivability;[8] possessing the best elements of the Ilyushin Il-2, Henschel Hs 129, and Skyraider. The specifications also demanded that each aircraft cost less than $3 million (equivalent to $Error when using {{Inflation}}: |index=US (parameter 1) not a recognized index. million today).[8] Sprey required that the biography of World War II Luftwaffe attack pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel be read by people on the A-X program.[13]

In May 1970, the USAF issued a modified, more detailed request for proposals for the aircraft. The threat of Soviet armored forces and all-weather attack operations had become more serious. The requirements now included that the aircraft would be designed specifically for the 30 mm rotary cannon. The RFP also specified a maximum speed of 460 mph (400 kn; 740 km/h), takeoff distance of 4,000 feet (1,200 m), external load of 16,000 pounds (7,300 kg), 285-mile (460 km) mission radius, and a unit cost of US$1.4 million ($Error when using {{Inflation}}: |index=US (parameter 1) not a recognized index. million today).[14] The A-X would be the first USAF aircraft designed exclusively for close air support.[15] During this time, a separate RFP was released for A-X's 30 mm cannon with requirements for a high rate of fire (4,000 round per minute) and a high muzzle velocity.[16] Six companies submitted aircraft proposals, with Northrop and Fairchild Republic selected to build prototypes: the YA-9A and YA-10A, respectively. General Electric and Philco-Ford were selected to build and test GAU-8 cannon prototypes.[17]


Competitors

YA-10

YA-10

Two YA-10 prototypes were built in the Republic factory in Farmingdale, New York, and first flown on 10 May 1972 by pilot Howard "Sam" Nelson. Production A-10s were built by Fairchild in Hagerstown, Maryland. After trials and a fly-off against the YA-9, on 18 January 1973, the USAF announced the YA-10's selection for production.[18] General Electric was selected to build the GAU-8 cannon in June 1973.[19] The YA-10 had an additional fly-off in 1974 against the Ling-Temco-Vought A-7D Corsair II, the principal USAF attack aircraft at the time, to prove the need for a new attack aircraft. The first production A-10 flew in October 1975, and deliveries commenced in March 1976.[20]



Background

Criticism that the U.S. Air Force did not take close air support seriously prompted a few service members to seek a specialized attack aircraft.[21][page needed] In the Vietnam War, large numbers of ground-attack aircraft were shot down by small arms, surface-to-air missiles, and low-level anti-aircraft gunfire, prompting the development of an aircraft better able to survive such weapons. Fast jets such as the North American F-100 Super Sabre, Republic F-105 Thunderchief, and McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II proved for the most part to be ineffective for close air support. The Douglas A-1 Skyraider was the USAF's primary close air support aircraft.[22]

YA-9

YA-9

In mid-1966, the U.S. Air Force formed the Attack Experimental (A-X) program office.[23] On 6 March 1967, the Air Force released a request for information to 21 defense contractors for the A-X. The objective was to create a design study for a low-cost attack aircraft.[21][page needed] Discussions with A-1 Skyraider pilots operating in Vietnam and analysis of the effectiveness of current aircraft used in the role indicated the ideal aircraft should have long loiter time, low-speed maneuverability, massive cannon firepower, and extreme survivability;[21][page needed] an aircraft that had the best elements of the Ilyushin Il-2, Henschel Hs 129 and Skyraider.[21][page needed] While turboprop engines were requested in the initial request, by May 1969, requirements had changed to specify use of turbofan engines.[24]

In May 1970, the USAF issued a modified, and much more detailed request for proposals (RFP). The threat of Soviet armored forces and all-weather attack operations had become more serious. Now included in the requirements was that the aircraft would be designed specifically for the 30 mm cannon. The RFP also called for an aircraft with a maximum speed of 460 mph (740 km/h), takeoff distance of 4,000 feet (1,200 m), external load of 16,000 pounds (7,300 kg), 285-mile (460 km) mission radius, and a unit cost of US$1.4 million.[25] Simplicity and low cost were also vital requirements, with a maximum flyaway cost of $1.4 million based on a 600 aircraft production run. Performance was to be sacrificed where necessary to keep development and production costs under control.[26][27] During this time, a separate RFP was released for A-X's 30 mm cannon with requirements for a high rate of fire (4,000 round/minute) and a high muzzle velocity.[28] Six companies submitted proposals to the USAF, with Northrop and Fairchild Republic selected on 18 December 1970 to build prototypes: the YA-9A and YA-10A, respectively. Meanwhile, General Electric and Philco-Ford were selected to build and test GAU-8 cannon prototypes.[29]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Air Force awards next generation fighter & bomber trainer, AF
  2. ↑ "Air Force announces newest Red Tail: 'T-7A Red Hawk'". U. S. Air Force. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  3. ↑ Piehler, G. Kurt, ed. (2013). Encyclopedia of Military Science. associate editor: M. Houston Johnson. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1412969338. Search this book on
  4. ↑ Knaack 1978, p. 151.
  5. ↑ Hobson, Chris (2001). Vietnam Air Losses, USAF/USN/USMC, Fixed-Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia, 1961–1973. Specialty Press. ISBN 978-1-85780-115-6. Search this book on
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Jacques & Strouble 2010.
  7. ↑ Burton 1993 [page needed]
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Coram 2004
  9. ↑ Knaack 1978, pp. 265–76.
  10. ↑ NATO. "A Pledge for Peace and Progress". Canadian War Museum. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jacques & Strouble 2010, p. 24.
  12. ↑ Jenkins 1998, p. 12.
  13. ↑ Coram 2004, p. 235.
  14. ↑ Jenkins 1998, pp. 16–17.
  15. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named GAO-07-415
  16. ↑ Jenkins 1998, p. 19.
  17. ↑ Jenkins 1998, pp. 18, 20.
  18. ↑ Spick 2000, p. 18.
  19. ↑ Jenkins 1998, p. 21.
  20. ↑ Pike, Chris. "A-10/OA-10 Thunderbolt II." Archived 16 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved: 18 July 2010.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Coram 2004.
  22. ↑ Donald & March 2004, p. 8.
  23. ↑ Jenkins 1998, p. 12.
  24. ↑ Jesse & Engbrecht 1996, p. 58.
  25. ↑ Jenkins 1998, pp. 16–17.
  26. ↑ Jesse & Engbrecht 1996, pp. 58–59.
  27. ↑ Aviation Week 1972, p. 109.
  28. ↑ Jenkins 1998, p. 19.
  29. ↑ Jenkins 1998, pp. 18, 20.

Bibliography


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