A/OA-10

scottr5213 · Post by **scottr5213** » 18 Jul 2009, 00:33

I have noticed theres alot of AF personel here and I have been looking to find out whats the difference between the A-10 and OA-10.

djnocturnal · Post by **djnocturnal** » 18 Jul 2009, 01:07

A-10A
close air support, ground-attack version.
OA-10A
A-10As used for airborne forward air control.

MIKE JG · Post by **MIKE JG** » 18 Jul 2009, 02:24

And other than that, there's probably not a whole lot of differences between the aircraft.

scottr5213 · Post by **scottr5213** » 18 Jul 2009, 03:39

Is'nt the OA-10 more of a digital insturment panel or was that more of an upgrade over the whole series?

Victory103 · Post by **Victory103** » 19 Jul 2009, 23:44

From "A-10's Over Kosovo" by C. Haave and P. Haun.

The nomenclature of the A-10 is often confusing because
the designations “A-10,” “OA-10,” and “A/OA-10” have been
used to identify essentially identical aircraft. In reality, the aircraft
designation reflects its assigned mission and the qualification
of its pilot. “A-10” normally identifies an aircraft dedicated
to the CAS mission, while “OA-10” refers to one used in
the airborne forward air controller (AFAC) role. Each unit’s aircraft
is then designated either A-10 or OA-10 as a reflection of
the weighting of that unit’s CAS and AFAC tasking. Fighter
squadrons (FS) must maintain an appropriate number of pilots
qualified in each of those missions in addition to those
qualified for CSAR, which is not directly related to either aircraft
designation. During Operation Allied Force (OAF),
Warthog squadrons were tasked for all three missions; and in
accordance with standard Air Force nomenclature, they were
identified as flying the “A/OA-10.” In this book, however, we
use the convention “A-10” for all Hogs, regardless of squadron,
tail number, or mission.

The latest is the A-10C, which finally brings the Hawg into the digital age:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-10