The history of the Fairchild A-10A Thunderbolt II follows many parallels with that of another long-lived and well-respected aircraft, the USN Douglas A-1 Skyraider. Originally developed late in WWII, this large and noisy, oil-dripping prop-driven airplane was mothballed at the close of the war, having seen very limited carrier-based service, but was resurrected during the Korean War for close-air support. The Skyraider has been aptly described as a legend in its own time, taking its first flight March 18, 1945, the project originating with the great aircraft designer Ed Heinemann 9 months prior out of the original US Navy BTD (Bomber, Torpedo Dive) contract. Designed to provide a superior carrier-based bombing platform, all ordnance and fuel was hung externally on 15 hardpoints, and featured a then unique downward vision angle of 15 degrees to the front and sides of the cockpit. An extermely rugged and clean design, it was also meant to survive 40g crash landing impacts. On the strength of the initial prototype and test flights, the US Navy ordered 500 of the BT2D (Dauntless II) aircraft, although they were not to see combat service before the end of WWII.
Between the end of WWII and the start of the Korean conflict, many other fighter or bomber models, such as the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, North American Aviation P-51 Mustang and the Grumman F-4U Corsair were decommisioned, removed from inventories, and sold (more or less) as scrap metal. The Skyraider survived this fate by being born into battle essentially too late for the role it was designed for. At the end of the war, the Navy’s designation system for aircraft changed: now it became the AD-1 Skyraider: A (for Attack); D (Douglas Aircraft); -1 (initial model/variant); “Sky_____” (Douglas was given this “Sky-” prefix for all of its subsequent designs). After serving well for the US Navy in Korea, inventories was mothballed again awaiting the possibility of future conflict, with the lesson of destroying perfectly servicable aircraft (as was done at the end of WWII) having been a costly one. In 1962, the US Navy once again changed its designation methods, and the “Able Dog” AD-1 now became the A-1 Skyraider series, with its variants renamed A-1E (formerly AD-5W); A-1G (AD- 5N); A-1H (AD-6); and the A-1J (AD-7). When A-1E models were appropriated by the USAF in 1964, this retired US Navy carrier fighter's ability to not only deliver a number of tactical munitions accurately, but its outstanding loiter time over an area made it an ideal choice for reconnaisance, interdiction and CAS missions, given the cold-war emphasis on faster, less fuel efficient jet fighters. This particular -E model had a wider fuselage with a two-seat side-by-side cockpit layout (much like the USN A-6 Intruder), a rear cabin area (12 passengers; 2,000 lbs freight; or 6 stretchers) and a larger vertical tail. Other Skyraider variants (-G, -H, -J) were single-seat aircraft. Skyraiders served well in search-and-rescue (SAR) missions, suppressing enemy forces away from downed pilots awaiting recovery. The Skyraider earned once again its widespread reputation in Vietnam, and a number of new nicknames. It has been often referred to as the “Spad”, in acknowledgement of its gutsy performance and ability to handle battle damage, much as the original WWI Spads demonstrated; plus the name “Sandy” for its CAS role in SAR missions. Skyraiders were actively flown as an interservice airframe by the United States Navy and Marine Corps, with the USAF flying many Skyraider variants with the 1st Air Commando Group, and later the Special Operations Squadron. The Skyraider also became the favored attack aircraft of the South Vietnamese VNAF.
A particularly noteworthy example of this outstanding performance are documented in the events that occurred on June 20, 1965. Four A-1’s from Squadron VA-25 (USS Midway) were on a ResCap (Rescue/Combat Air Patrol) mission, when they were jumped by two NVAF MiG-17’s. The A-1’s dived for the surface, and began defensive scissors maneuvers at treetop level in a dog fight lasting over five minutes, until two of the A-1’s managed to turn inside the MiGs and brought one of them down with cannon fire, and badly damaging the other MiG. A 1/2 credit each was awarded to both Lt. Charles Hartman and to Lt. Clinton B. Johnson of VA-25. Also, on October 9, 1966, Lt(jg) William T. Patton of VA-176 downed a MiG-17 single-handedly while flying a A-1H. <<see NOTE below>>
Although a brilliant design that saw (interrupted) production until 1957 when the last of 3,180 Skyraiders rolled out, the stress and wear on this venerable airframe had begun to take its toll. Carrier-based US Navy A-1H and -J models that were in service in the Vietnam conflict through 1967 were beginning to be replaced by A-7 Corsair IIs. Indeed, the longevity of the Skyraider is often overlooked, with the last USAF A-1 Skyraider units decomissioned in 1974. No small tribute to all that flew the Skyraider is given by Colonel Robin Olds (USAF Vietnam MiG ace): “No Sandy (A-1) or Voodoo (RF-101C reconnaissance aircraft) pilot was ever allowed to pay for a drink at [our] O[fficer’s] Club.” The rescue support and CAS firepower provided by the Skyraider, and the respect it engendered, indeed made it a legend in its own time. That the A-10 would replace the Skyraider in its functional role gave the A-10 project big boots to fill.
NOTE: In the initial release of the FAQ, I stated that the first MiG kill mentioned above as the only time a prop plane destroyed a jet fighter in combat; although I intended to mean just during the Vietnam War, it was so poorly phrased that it caused much confusion. A number of folks reminded me of other incidents:
•August 16, 1944 - Lt. Col. John B. Murphy, USAF, of the 359th Fighter Group shot down a Messerschmitt Me163 Komet rocket-powered fighter while flying a P-51 Mustang.
•October 7, 1944 - Lt. Urban L. Drew, USAF, of the 361st Fighter Group flying the P-51D shot down two Me262s on takeoff from their base.
•September 10, 1952 - four North Korean (or Chinese) MiG-15s bounced a pair of Marine Corps F-4U Corsairs. One of the Corsairs flown by USMC Capt. Jesse Folmar nailed one MiG in a vertical turn with 20mm cannon fire.
Early German jets, although enjoying a 100 mph speed advantage against the P-51D, lost any tactical advantage in aerial combat manuevering, since the slower prop-driven plane could easily out-turn and target these jets in a dogfight. Successful attack strategies evolved to the point where US dive attacks were made on German jet airbases, since the jet's poor acceleration made them extremely vulnerable on takeoff and landing. Barring any challengers, these same jets could be easily strafed while on the ground. Nazi defenses quickly developed the strategy of placing a barrage wall of flak on either side of the runway, permitting their jets to enjoy a corridor of increased security until airborne with enough airspeed.
