Which rival lost to the A-10?

Short answer

The Northrop YA-9, built as the YA-9A, was the rival prototype to the YA-10A in the A-X competition. It fully met the USAF's requirements, but on January 18, 1973, the YA-10 was declared the winner. The selection came after testing and direct competition between the two.

Published: November 2, 2026 · Updated: November 2, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II in flightAndrew Basterfield (CC BY SA), vía commons

Northrop's YA-9A

Six companies submitted proposals for the A-X, and Northrop and Fairchild Republic were chosen to build prototypes: the YA-9A and the YA-10A, respectively. The YA-9 fully met the requirements of the US Air Force, but on January 18, 1973, it was the YA-10 that was declared the winner. The announcement of the YA-10's selection for production came after testing and direct competition between the two prototypes.

The factors behind the decision

Among the elements cited is that the USAF may have preferred the already established TF34 fitted to the YA-10 over the untested F102; added to this was the fact that Fairchild had no alternative work and was unlikely to survive if it did not win the A-X contract.

The competition that produced both aircraft

On March 6, 1967, the USAF had sent a request for information on the A-X to 21 defense contractors. The specification set a maximum speed of 460 mph (400 kn; 740 km/h), a takeoff distance of 4,000 ft (1,200 m), an external load of 16,000 lb (7,300 kg), a mission radius of 285 mi (460 km), and a unit cost of US $1.4 million.