Would the 2 seater Night/All Weather A-10B have been a better option for the USAF? Lessening the workload of the pilot quite considerably and giving us a MP 2 seater A-10

I understand it was initially looked at to try and make the Hog more exportable (have any models of the A-10 ever been exported?) but AF Brass killed it off. Wouldn't it have been a great FAC aircraft?

Look at how ugly that thing is ahhhh my eyesss!!!!

I like the look of it, looks chunky.

Imagine the GIB sitting on that gun when the pilot fires it! Yikes!


WC

I believe the technical term would be 'brown out'

Are you thinking of "brown note", RuhRoh?

I wish we had a few active N/AW A-10s - 'cuz then there'd be a chance I could get a backseat ride in one!

Obviously not. If it had been, they'd have puchased - but they didn't even want it as a trainer.



No, it was looked at to fill a particular need, and that is night capability. That proved to be unnecessary, and it wouldn't have been a great FAC aircraft either - OA-10's do their job just fine with a single pilot in the office.

First off your info is incorrect, the USAF never funded the N/AW A-10, it was funded by Farchild Repulic in the hope that the USAF would purchase. Also, the capabilities that Farchild Republic wanted to include in the N/AW A-10 are eactly what the A model did in the late 90s and the C model has way better capabilities (obviously since the systems are 30 years older than those on the N/AW A-10).

The NA/W did not include upgraded engines, the single seat A-10 is underpowerd, NA/W was worse.

The actual A-10B (which was different than the N/AW A-10) was never made, congress killed the funding for that very early as it was decided the A-10 was easy enough to fly we didn't need a 2 seater trainer.

No country besides the US ever purchased the A-10. The ONLY reason I wish we had two seater A-10s is so I could get an incentive ride .

True, I never thought of that!

I remember as a kid, when the N/AW variant was mildly mentioned, I was fortunate enough to be friends of a few kids whose dads were part of the decision making cycle and there was much ado about having a non-supersonic attack bird in a newly re-vamped Air Force sporting their new supersonic F-16 and F-15's. The Air Force many times has wanted to discard the A-10, but it's wars such as Desert Storm and OIF/OEF that save it from the fires. It has always been considered a not so elegant aircraft and as such, not as worthy to be part of the Air Force (not my opinion, strctly what's been read over the years). There have been attempts to move them to the Army, which I think would be fantastic, but someone always spouts off about a regulation preventing the Army from operating jet aircraft, though ironic that our MBT and all helos use jet turbines.

Anyway, it's true the N/AW variant was a private venture and never really gained much ground, though I believe the thought process was very sound and would have made a fantastic night attack bird, with uprated engines, of course. But what do I know, an infantryman by trade and rarely get to see the business end of the A-10...

Matt