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{{Draft article|join-in=yes|noafc=yes}}
{{short description|US Air Force advanced trainer acquisition program}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2013}}
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{|{{Infobox aircraft begin
 |name= A-X program
 |image= File:An A-10 from the 81st Fighter Squadron flies over central Germany.jpg
 |caption= 
}}{{Infobox aircraft program
 |aim= 
 |requirement= [[Close air support]] [[attack aircraft]]
 |issuer= [[United States Air Force]]
 |service= 
 |value=
 |initiated= 
 |expected= 
 |proposals= 
 |prototypes= [[Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II]] <br/> [[Northrop YA-9]]
 |concluded= 
 |outcome= A-10 selected for production
 |predecessors=
 |successors=
 |related=
}}
|}

The '''A-X program''' was a United States Air Force development and acquisition program for a new two-seat jet [[Trainer (aircraft)|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.<ref>{{Citation | title = Air Force awards next generation fighter & bomber trainer | publisher = AF | url = https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1647147/air-force-awards-next-generation-fighter-and-bomber-trainer/}}</ref> The new aircraft was given the designation and name "[[T-7 Red Hawk]]" in September 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Air Force announces newest Red Tail: 'T-7A Red Hawk' |url=https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1960964/air-force-announces-newest-red-tail-t-7a-red-hawk/ |website=U. S. Air Force |accessdate=18 September 2019}}</ref> The Air Force's initial plan is to purchase 351 T-7s, and has an option to purchase up to 475.

==History==
===Background===
[[File:A-1J Skyraider VA-176 Vietnam 1966.jpg|thumb|By Vietnam, the 1940s-vintage propeller-driven [[Douglas A-1 Skyraider|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.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Piehler|editor-first1=G. Kurt|others= associate editor: M. Houston Johnson |title=Encyclopedia of Military Science|date=2013|publisher=SAGE Publications|location=Thousand Oaks, Calif.|isbn=978-1412969338}}</ref> Design efforts for tactical aircraft focused on the delivery of nuclear weapons using high-speed designs like the [[McDonnell F-101 Voodoo|F-101 Voodoo]] and [[Republic F-105 Thunderchief|F-105 Thunderchief]].{{sfn|Knaack|1978|p=151}} 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.<ref name=Hobson>{{cite book |last=Hobson |first=Chris |title=Vietnam Air Losses, USAF/USN/USMC, Fixed-Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia, 1961–1973 |publisher=Specialty Press |date=2001 |isbn=978-1-85780-115-6}}</ref> The A-1 Skyraider also had poor firepower.{{sfn|Jacques|Strouble|2010}}

The lack of modern conventional attack capability prompted calls for a specialized attack aircraft.<ref name=Burton>Burton 1993 {{page needed|date=May 2013}}</ref><ref name=Boyd>Coram 2004</ref> 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 [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark|F-111]], while the second was filled by a version of the [[U.S. Navy]]'s [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|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 $2 million in FY1965 (${{inflation|US|2|1965|r=1|fmt=c}} million today), and operational costs over $900 per hour (${{inflation|US|900|1965|r=-3|fmt=c}} per hour today).{{sfn|Knaack|1978|pp=265–76}}

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.{{sfn|Jacques|Strouble|2010}} A 1965 cost-effectiveness study shifted the focus from the F-5 to the less expensive [[LTV A-7 Corsair II|LTV A-7D]], and a contract was awarded. However, this aircraft doubled in cost with demands for an upgraded engine and new avionics.{{sfn|Jacques|Strouble|2010}}

===Helicopter competition===
[[File:Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne.jpg|thumb|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 [[Bell UH-1 Iroquois|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 gun]]s 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 [[Bell AH-1 Cobra|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 weapon]]s that had been the basis for NATO's battle plans since the 1950s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/nato/nato01_e.shtml |title=A Pledge for Peace and Progress |author=NATO |website=Canadian War Museum |access-date=2 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003175425/http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/nato/nato01_e.shtml |archive-date=3 October 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

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.{{sfn|Jacques|Strouble|2010|p=24}}

===A-X program===
On 8 September 1966, General [[John P. McConnell]], [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force|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,{{sfn|Jacques|Strouble|2010|p=24}} and the Attack Experimental (A-X) program office was formed.<ref>Jenkins 1998, p. 12.</ref> On 6 March 1967, the Air Force released a [[request for information]] to 21 [[defense contractor]]s for the A-X. The objective was to create a design study for a low-cost attack aircraft.<ref name=Boyd/> 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-15 Eagle#F-X program|F-X]] project.<ref name=Boyd/> 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;<ref name=Boyd/> 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&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|3|1969|r=1|fmt=c}} million today).<ref name=Boyd/> Sprey required that the biography of World War II [[Luftwaffe]] attack pilot [[Hans-Ulrich Rudel]] be read by people on the A-X program.<ref>Coram 2004, p. 235.</ref>

In May 1970, the USAF issued a modified, more detailed [[request for proposal]]s 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 caliber|30&nbsp;mm]] rotary cannon. The RFP also specified a maximum speed of {{convert|460|mph|kn km/h|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}, takeoff distance of {{convert|4000|ft|m|sigfig=2}}, external load of {{convert|16000|lb|kg|sigfig=2}}, {{convert|285|mi|km|adj=on|sigfig=2}} mission radius, and a unit cost of US$1.4&nbsp;million (${{inflation|US|1.4|1970|r=1|fmt=c}} million today).<ref>Jenkins 1998, pp. 16–17.</ref> The A-X would be the first USAF aircraft designed exclusively for close air support.<ref name="GAO-07-415"/> During this time, a separate RFP was released for A-X's 30&nbsp;mm cannon with requirements for a high rate of fire (4,000 round per minute) and a high muzzle velocity.<ref>Jenkins 1998, p. 19.</ref> Six companies submitted aircraft proposals, with [[Northrop Corporation|Northrop]] and [[Fairchild Aircraft|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 Avenger|GAU-8]] cannon prototypes.<ref>Jenkins 1998, pp. 18, 20.</ref>


==Competitors==
===YA-10===
[[File:YA-10A Thunderbolt II.jpg|thumb|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.<ref>Spick 2000, p. 18.</ref> General Electric was selected to build the GAU-8 cannon in June 1973.<ref>Jenkins 1998, p. 21.</ref> 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.<ref name=globalsecurity>Pike, Chris. [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/a-10-history.htm "A-10/OA-10 Thunderbolt II."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516041137/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/a-10-history.htm |date=16 May 2008}} ''Globalsecurity.org''. Retrieved: 18 July 2010.</ref>




===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.{{sfn|Coram|2004}}{{page needed|date=March 2021}} In the Vietnam War, large numbers of ground-attack aircraft were shot down by [[small arms]], [[surface-to-air missile]]s, 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.{{sfn|Donald|March|2004|p=8}}

===YA-9===
[[File:Northrop YA-9 prototype.jpg|thumb|YA-9]]

In mid-1966, the U.S. Air Force formed the Attack Experimental (A-X) program office.{{sfn|Jenkins|1998|p=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.{{sfn|Coram|2004}}{{page needed|date=March 2021}} 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;{{sfn|Coram|2004}}{{page needed|date=March 2021}} an aircraft that had the best elements of the Ilyushin Il-2, Henschel Hs 129 and Skyraider.{{sfn|Coram|2004}}{{page needed|date=March 2021}} While turboprop engines were requested in the initial request, by May 1969, requirements had changed to specify use of [[turbofan]] engines.{{sfn|Jesse|Engbrecht|1996|p=58}}

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&nbsp;mm cannon. The RFP also called for an aircraft with a maximum speed of {{convert|460|mph|km/h|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}, takeoff distance of {{convert|4000|ft|m|sigfig=2}}, external load of {{convert|16000|lb|kg|sigfig=2}}, {{convert|285|mi|km|adj=on|sigfig=2}} mission radius, and a unit cost of US$1.4 million.{{sfn|Jenkins|1998|pp=16–17}} 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.{{sfn|Jesse|Engbrecht|1996|pp=58–59}}{{sfn|Aviation Week|1972|p=109}} During this time, a separate RFP was released for A-X's 30&nbsp;mm cannon with requirements for a high rate of fire (4,000 round/minute) and a high muzzle velocity.{{sfn|Jenkins|1998|p=19}} 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.{{sfn|Jenkins|1998|pp=18, 20}}

==See also==

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin|50em}}
* Bell, Dana. ''A-10 Warthog in Detail & Scale'', Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: TAB Books, 1986. {{ISBN|0-8168-5030-5}}.
* Burton, James G. ''The Pentagon Wars: Reformers Challenge the Old Guard'', Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1993. {{ISBN|1-55750-081-9}}.
* Campbell, Douglas N. ''The Warthog and the Close Air Support Debate''. Annapolis, Maryland: [[Naval Institute Press]], 2003. {{ISBN|1-55750-232-3}}
* Coram, Robert. ''[[John Boyd (military strategist)|Boyd]]: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War''. Los Angeles: Back Bay Books, 2004. {{ISBN|0-316-79688-3}}.
* Donald, David and Daniel J. March, eds. "A-10 Fighting Warthog". ''Modern Battlefield Warplanes''. Norwalk, Connecticut: AIRtime, 2004. {{ISBN|1-880588-76-5}}.
* Drendel, Lou. ''A-10 Warthog in Action''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1981. {{ISBN|0-89747-122-9}}.
* ''The Fairchild A-10A: More Thunder for the USAF'', [[Air International]], Vol. 6, No. 5, May 1974, pp.&nbsp;219–25, 263. Bromley, UK: Pilot Press. {{ISSN|0306-5634}}.
* ''The Fairchild Can-Opener: Shturmovik of the Eighties?'', Air International, Vol. 16, No. 6, June 1979, pp.&nbsp;267–72, 287. Bromley, UK: Pilot Press. {{ISSN|0306-5634}}.
* Fitzsimmons, Bernard (ed.) ''A-10 Thunderbolt II'' (Modern Fighting Aircraft Series). New York: Arco Publishing, Inc., 1984. {{ISBN|0-668-06070-0}}.
* Jenkins, Dennis R. ''Fairchild-Republic A/OA-10 Warthog''. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 1998. {{ISBN|1-58007-013-2}}.
* {{cite techreport |first1=David |last1=Jacques |first2=Dennis |last2=Strouble |url=https://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a530838.pdf |title=A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) Systems Engineering Case Study |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910033808/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a530838.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2015 |year=2010 |publisher=Air Force Institute of Technology }}
* {{cite encyclopedia |editor-first1=Ali |editor-last1= Kamrani |editor-first2= Maryam |editor-last2= Azimi |encyclopedia= Systems Engineering Tools and Methods |title=System Engineering Case Studies |first1=Charles |last1=Garland |first2=John |last2=Colombi |year= 2010 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn= 9781439809273 }}
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* Melampy, Jake. ''Modern Hog Guide: The A-10 Exposed''. Trenton, Ohio: Reid Air Publications, 2007. {{ISBN|0-9795064-2-5}}.
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* Neubeck, Ken. ''A-10 Warthog Walk Around''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1999. {{ISBN|0-89747-400-7}}.
* Shaw, Robert. ''Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1985. {{ISBN|0-87021-059-9}}.
* Spick, Mike. ''The Great Book of Modern Warplanes''. London: Salamander Books, 2000. {{ISBN|1-84065-156-3}}.
* Stephens, Rick. "A-10 Thunderbolt II". ''World Air Power Journal'', 1995. {{ISBN|1-874023-54-9}}.
* Stephens, Rick. "Fairchild A-10: Fighting Warthog", ''World Air Power Journal'', Volume 16, Spring 1994, pp.&nbsp;32–83, Aerospace Publishing, London. {{ISBN|1-874023-36-0}}. {{ISSN|0959-7050}}.
* Sweetman, Bill. ''The Great Book of Modern Warplanes'', New York: Portland House, 1987. {{ISBN|0-517-63367-1}}.
* [[John W. R. Taylor|Taylor, John W. R.]] ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83''. London: Jane's Yearbooks, 1982. {{ISBN|0-7106-0748-2}}.
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* Winchester, Jim, ed. "Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II", ''Military Aircraft of the Cold War'' (The Aviation Factfile), Rochester, Kent, UK: The Grange plc., 2006. {{ISBN|1-84013-929-3}}.
{{Refend}}


[[Category:Military aircraft procurement programs of the United States]]
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