The Super Armored Aircraft that was Impossible to Take Down

American soldiers were surrounded by the enemy deep in the heart of Vietnam. Their time was running out with every second wasted, but the thick jungle canopy and the treetops made it difficult for conventional aircraft to assist them.

The men on the ground called for immediate close air support, providing the Air Force with accurate locations of the approaching North Vietnamese troops.

Moments later, the roar of engines erupted above the treetop, signaling support was on the way. An innovative Northrop YA-9 Prototype soared through the sky.

The dedicated CAS aircraft with a shoulder-wing monoplane design and aluminum construction approaches the area without hesitation, its twin turbofan below the wings’ roots ready for a swift and precise bombing run.
As the whisper of enemy movements echoes through the canopy, the YA-9 descends with calculated precision, its split ailerons poised for action. With a thunderous roar, the pilot prepares for a low-level and slow run.
Fortunately for him, his YA-9 is heavily armored, with his canopy fully protected by various layers of a honeycomb structure that guarantees his safety and critical components from enemy fire.

The devastating 30-millimeter rotary cannon, firing over 4,000 rounds per minute, instantly tears through the dense foliage, shredding enemy positions relentlessly.

Vietnamese troops are instantly decimated. But it is not enough to lure them away from friendly forces. The YA-9 returns for another strafing run, carving another path of devastation through the thick jungle, dropping several bombs from its wingtips, unleashing a wave of smoldering flames.
This is the YA-9, the direct competitor to the Air Force’s Thunderbolt II.

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[MichaelRacer]

It's hard to believe that it's been 40 years since the last A-10 was built.

[jonnycomfort]

Sorry, lol, but no. The A-10 was selected over the YA-9 because of how much more vulnerable the YA-9 was to ground fire. The A-10 was designed with all sorts of features to protect the pilot and critical systems. The A-9 was far more conventional.

The A-10 could fly with one of its vertical tails shot away. Or one engine blown completely off. Or half a wing missing. The YA-9 was not designed with anywhere near this kind of toughness. One, the engines were close together in the middle of the plane....to shoot one engine away means to basically blow the whole plane apart. Two, the vertical tail was not designed to provide redundancy in case of battle damage. Three, the A-9's engines were low slung with large intakes--below the wing. This means, among other things, that it's far more susceptible to ingesting FOD on takeoff or landing. The correct choice was made, and the A-10 is far more able to absorb tremendous battle damage.

In the event of damage or systems failure, the A-10 can land with its landing gear up, and in fairly short order it can be repaired. The YA-9? Nope, not so much. The A-10 also relied on tried and true engines, while the YA-9's untested YF-102 engines were a risk.

[JCMills]

I saw the A-9 at the March Air Museum in Riverside, CA several times. It is a true beast!

[johnholmes]

As a vet who got to watch the A-10 close up. I'm a fan of how it got there. Extremely thankful for it too

[joesillamanrs]

Warthog is just beautiful & iconic.

[anthonyburke]

You can. Never know the feeling of Cobras doing staffing runs overhead, or the wave of heat off a Thud putting in a napalm strike or the waves of thunder from a B52 strike in support. Over 50 years on and the cavitation of a chopper still evokes feelings of joy.

[TheMcInator]

Several distinct advantages of the YA-10 was the ease of maintenance and with the engines mounted high reduced the FOD (foreign object damage) risk. The high mounted engines also was shown to be less vulnerable to ground fire damage.

[richardlangdon]

It’s a shame we can only afford one type. Aircraft like the YC-14, F-16XL and the F-23, etc… were great aircraft that would have had great success.

[Friedbrain]

I'll stick with the A10. The Warthog is a beautiful piece of work that just plain gets it right.

[BLD]

Not ugly enough!! I want something ugly enough to be called a Warthog Damnit!!, said the General. And that's how we got the A-10.😁

[zh]

I had never heard of this aircraft. Thank you for introducing me to it!

[edwardpate]

Both the YA-9 and the A-10 great aircraft. We couldn't go wrong with either one. Personally I think the YA-9 a little nicer looking. The tail assembly looks like it was almost lifted directly off of the A-26 Invader.

[theymusthatetesla]

YAY! YT's gone back to the old format!! Thank you!

[ThomasDillon-zu]

I'm glad they chose the A-10 over the A-9. I was an armament system specialist on the A-10 and it's a hard bird to beat. It's still a battlefield capable system.

[ptaalman]

The YA-9 and YA-10 were gorgeous aircraft. I've had the pleasure of watching an A-10 fly at an airshow in Trenton, Ontario, Canada, back in the late 1990s

[brightargyle]

What a cool plane I never heard of! Nose and canopy of an A-10 had me doing double takes. Super neat, I absolutely love close air support planes, not sure how this one slipped past me.

[darrenharvey]

The YA9's engines are more exposed to ground fire than the A10, making it easier to shoot down . The A10's engines are protected from fire from below by the wings .

[bjgabriel]

Who else didn’t know this existed until now?

[ukrainiipyat]

Face it, CAS aircraft are not SEXY for the USAF. They have been trying to get rid of A-10 for over 30 years. But ask marines and army and they like CAS aircrafts - their services should have them instead of USAF.

[johnmartin]

The Air Force does not want to be doing CAS or AC (Army Co-operation). They tried to retire the A-10 years ago, and as soon as the Army heard about it, they started to lobby to take over the A-10 fleet. The Air Force suddenly decided not to retire the A-10 shortly afterwards.