Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II variant
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II YA-10B Night/Adverse Weather (N/AW)
A single two-seat prototype for night and adverse-weather operation, converted from the first A-10A pre-production airframe (73-1664). Source discrepancy flagged: the Spanish Wikipedia article lists this N/AW conversion (1 example, tested in 1979) separately from an alleged two-seat trainer "YA-10B" (0 built), while the English Wikipedia uses "YA-10B" for precisely the N/AW prototype described here. Recorded as found, not silently resolved.
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II sheet
- 1
- Units built
History
In March 1979 Republic began the experimental conversion of 73-1664 — the first A-10A pre-production airframe, already used for demonstration and evaluation trials — into the two-seat N/AW prototype. Its avionics were sophisticated for the era yet notably cheaper than those of contemporaries such as the F-111. The pilot attacked targets using FLIR and a low-light-level television system and handled the cannon, while the second crew member, a weapon systems officer, guided the aircraft with the new equipment, called out reference points, and handled Maverick missile launches along with electronic countermeasures and navigation; in exchange, the aircraft carried less 30 mm ammunition than a single-seat A-10A. The Air Force Flight Test Center evaluated it from late October to early December 1979 and, despite completing the flight-test phase successfully, the Air Force showed no further interest and the program was cancelled without entering production. The sole example built is preserved today at Edwards Air Force Base, awaiting a place in the Flight Test Historical Foundation museum.