The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II Low-poly 3D model

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The Republic Fairchild Thunderbolt II A-10 is a twin turbofan engine single-seat straight-wing jet aircraft built by Fairchild-Republic for use in combat missions with the United States Air Force (USAF). Nicknamed Warthog or Hog, its official name stems from the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, a World War II fighter-bomber effective at attacking enemy ground forces. The A-10 is specifically designed to provide close air support (CAS) to friendly ground troops by attacking and destroying armored vehicles and tanks. In addition, it serves as a quick-action strike force against enemy ground targets. Entering service in 1976, the A-10 was the only production aircraft developed solely for CAS until its retirement began being phased out in recent years. With its primary mission to direct other aircraft during air attacks on ground targets, support personnel utilize specialized variants of the OA-10 model when working within this specific capacity. The initial variant of the aircraft, the single-seat A-10A, is the sole production design; however, an all-weather version called YA-10B, with a twin-seat cockpit layout and modifications to allow it to fly at night was tested using a pre-production prototype. Starting in 2005, a plan was set into action to modernize the avionics used by A-10A aircraft in preparation for deployment of precision-guided munitions. When considering plans for eventual retirement, many individuals have come to question whether or not it's true that F-35 jets will indeed replace the existing Thunderbolt II A-10; nonetheless, ongoing debate within USAF leadership continues unabated even today. Despite various modifications, updates and wing replacement parts made available since 2017, service engineers remain focused on extending its overall lifespan up to 2040. With the Air Force still awaiting formalized retirement instructions, June 2017 marked a pivotal point at which the fate of this storied warplane remains an active issue still under debate.