The AX Competition (rivals and development of the Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II)

[AoA Holdings]

Source:

A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) Systems Engineering Case Study

AFIT / Resource not found

Well one of them was a little more than a case study on paper or in illustration.
I recently acquired a large collection of wind tunnel artifacts that the seller said was primary MacDonnel Douglas but I am slowly realizing that its more North American and NA Rockwell as far as the models themselves and the technical drawings.
One model has eluded identification until I saw this post about the Convair with the Turbo Fans. I have 42in tubed and tapped wind tunnel model of this concept thay weighs probably 120lb.

 

[motiheal]

Hi. My Dad worked extensively on the Republic A-10. He attended the fly-off with the A-9 and here are some photos--

 

[AoA Holdings]

Those are fantastic!

 

[Jonesy1275]

Great photos Motiheal. I'm excited to say that in four weeks time I'll be in California and will see the Northrop YA-9A for the first time when I visit the March Field Air Museum.

 

[Jonesy1275]

Some photos I've found of the first Fairchild YA-10. I'm assuming these were taken at Edwards due to the test pilots being in attendance.

 

[Jonesy1275]

This week I won this Fairchild A-10 company model. Precise Models/Topping made a number of A-10 variants for Fairchild but this one is unique and I've never seen one like it. I've gone through the entire Fairchild photographic collection on the Cradle of Aviation Museum archive and found a few photos of a wind tunnel model which looks extremely similar. Could this be the proposed version with the F404 engine?

 

[Jonesy1275]

Here are the Fairchild AX-10 wind tunnel model photos with the aerodynamic modifications similar to the model in the post above.

 

[Pioneer]

Thanks for sharing your win Jonesy1275
Is it just me, or does this model also incorporate a new wing design/profile?
If not so much the wing design/profile, then it definitely has prominent Leading and trailing edge extensions....
Would I be right in also saying that this model seems to be optimising improvements in aerodynamic performance [including the inclusion of your thought of it possibly incorporating GE F404 turbofans...], what with its more streamlined nose (which looks like it's a radome) and the already said Leading and trailing edge extensions....?
I appreciate it's only a model, but it also appears to have the GAU-8 gun eliminated....

Regards
Pioneer

 

[Scott Kenny]

This week I won this Fairchild A-10 company model. Precise Models/Topping made a number of A-10 variants for Fairchild but this one is unique and I've never seen one like it. I've gone through the entire Fairchild photographic collection on the Cradle of Aviation Museum archive and found a few photos of a wind tunnel model which looks extremely similar. Could this be the proposed version with the F404 engine?

F404s?

That seems like a poor choice of engine. Very poor fuel economy for a design that was supposed to have a long loiter time.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

We have a topic on the subject - https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/th...fairchild-a-10-thunderbolt-ii-proposal.25811/

According to Flight International

Replacement of the GE TF34 high-bypass fan
engines by turbofans of lower bypass but
rather greater thrust would enable the A-10
to fly to its targets at greater height and
speed, though with some loss of patrol endurance.
America's J10I or Europe's RB.199 are
proposed, both in non-reheated form, for
European customers

"

 

[Scott Kenny]

We have a topic on the subject - https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/th...fairchild-a-10-thunderbolt-ii-proposal.25811/

According to Flight International


"

RB199 would be a lot better option than the TF34.

 

[Jonesy1275]

Pioneer,

I believe the areas in blue on the model are all the modifications to the airframe. So yes, I'd say the wing profile has been modified. Losing the gun in favour of a more streamlined nose really affects the capability of the A-10 but if this a concept for the Night Adverse/Weather A-10, maybe they were going to be reliant on standoff precision weapons in lieu of the GAU-8. I'd love to stumble upon some Fairchild documents to see what was the true purpose of this concept.

I ran the concept drawing that was published in A-10 Thunderbolt II (Modern Combat Aircraft 28) by Mike Spick through ChatGBT to clean it up and colourise it. Caption reads:

How the A-10 could have been developed; a Night Adverse weather capable aircraft with a two-man crew, a thinner section wing, revised main gear housing and much more powerful low bypass ratio engines probably based on the F404.

Coincidentally and unrelated, I won another auction recently with a small bunch of original photos of the two seat N/AW A-10 being tested at Edwards. With the photos was a patch - SSNA A-10 (Single Seat Night Attack). SSNA was being developed utilising the avionics and pods used on the two seater but cramming it all into a single seat. I don't think the concept was developed into an actual prototype but I wonder if this is what it would have looked?

 

[Jonesy1275]

Does anybody have an account on this website to download this document about SSNA A-10?

https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/pdf/10.2514/6.1983-2767?download=true

 

[allysonca]

This week I won this Fairchild A-10 company model. Precise Models/Topping made a number of A-10 variants for Fairchild but this one is unique and I've never seen one like it. I've gone through the entire Fairchild photographic collection on the Cradle of Aviation Museum archive and found a few photos of a wind tunnel model which looks extremely similar. Could this be the proposed version with the F404 engine?

A couple of us were looking at this model and the alarm bells were ringing so we passed on bidding. Naturally we have been known to be wrong on occasion, and what scared us was the issues of the shape that just does not match any documentation that we have seen. Be curious to see if anything is unearthed.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

A couple of us were looking at this model and the alarm bells were ringing so we passed on bidding. Naturally we have been known to be wrong on occasion, and what scared us was the issues of the shape that just does not match any documentation that we have seen. Be curious to see if anything is unearthed.

It has the whiff of a Phillipine knockoff. Its just a bit crude in finish for an original desk model. If its real, its a later refit proposal for a radar nose, not an early design.

 

[Jonesy1275]

A couple of us were looking at this model and the alarm bells were ringing so we passed on bidding. Naturally we have been known to be wrong on occasion, and what scared us was the issues of the shape that just does not match any documentation that we have seen. Be curious to see if anything is unearthed.

I hear you. I was the same and really studied the photos. What tipped it for me in the end was the similarities with the wind tunnel model.

 

[aim9xray]

A couple of us were looking at this model and the alarm bells were ringing so we passed on bidding. Naturally we have been known to be wrong on occasion, and what scared us was the issues of the shape that just does not match any documentation that we have seen. Be curious to see if anything is unearthed.

And a couple of us were looking at this model and bid and lost...

 

[Pioneer]

Thanks for the further information Jonesy1275.

Losing the gun in favour of a more streamlined nose really affects the capability of the A-10 but if this a concept for the Night Adverse/Weather A-10, maybe they were going to be reliant on standoff precision weapons in lieu of the GAU-8.

This would make a lot of practical sense, given the huge muzzle flash of the GAU-8 and the effect on the pilot during night operations.

I can't help notice on the artwork you've provided, has the distinctive A-10 redundancy wheel fairing [sorry, it's technical term alludes me at present..] eliminated. I can't see the semi-patruding main wheels either. Which makes me semis that it possible have a new main landing gear arrangement to complement the mitigation of aerodynamic drag.....

Regards
Pioneer

 

[apparition13]

Is it my imagination or does that look significantly smaller than an A-10?

 

[Pioneer]

I just stumbled across the following video in relation to the YA-9 and YA-10, which highlights the good and bad of each design:

573K views · 18K reactions | Big shout out to my newest top fans! Marlena Sattler Amundson, Jindra Knotek, Rafael Morseletto, Tore Bang, Julian Longford, Nobuyuki Kanno, Bill Brockles, Hajas Zoltán, Clifford Sweet, Ronny Merkel, Aaindtharivalan Aa

Big shout out to my newest top fans! Marlena Sattler Amundson, Jindra Knotek, Rafael Morseletto, Tore Bang, Julian Longford, Nobuyuki Kanno, Bill Brockles, Hajas Zoltán, Clifford Sweet, Ronny...

www.facebook.com

Regards
Pioneer

 

[Jonesy1275]

I'm out in Long Beach this week on business and scored nice concept art prints of the Northrop YA-9A and Fairchild YA-10A. Afterwards, I travelled to the March Field Air Museum to see one of the two YA-9A's that were built.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Very nice!

 

[Jonesy1275]

I bought another model from the same seller of the A-10 model that I purchased in post #206. It's another curiosity as whilst the model is a two seat A-10 in a more standard grey scheme, the base of the model is titled A-10X. I've not heard of the two seat A-10 being called this but rather the N/AW A-10 or Combat Ready Trainer. The base is a standard Fairchild Industries A-10 where the X has either been stencilled on or a decal applied.

Which makes me wonder if the bases were mixed up at some point and that the A-10X base should have been with the blue highly aerodynamic A-10. Thoughts?

 

[FighterJock]

An extremely rare find Jonesy1275. I have never seen a twin seat A-10 before now.

 

[TsrJoe]

Northrop A-9 & Fairchild A-10

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

This topic is for AX Contender designs. Posts regarding projects based on the A-10 belong here - http://secretprojects.co.uk/threads/fairchild-a-10-projects.160/