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Meet the aircraft
The A-10 was designed around supporting ground forces. Its low-speed manoeuvrability, large cannon installation and protection for critical systems reflect that mission. The engines sit high on the rear fuselage, and the main wheels retract into prominent wing fairings. The Warthog nickname is as familiar as its formal Thunderbolt II name.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗Remembering to enjoy the view during conversion training
Griffin’s first A-10C flight was the result of years spent moving towards a military cockpit. He had studied aviation and worked for an airline before being selected by the Air National Guard. By spring 2010, the aircraft he had wanted to fly was finally his daily classroom. The pace of training could make that achievement easy to overlook.
U.S. Air Force interview · May 2010. First lieutenant learning the A-10C at Davis-Monthan; later graduation was still ahead when the report appeared.
U.S. Air Force · Read more ↗Hide the throttles to reach the switches beneath
The small WARN SILENCE button beside the throttles doubles as a visibility control in this simulation. Hiding the levers makes the takeoff-trim button and nearby switches easier to reach.
A-10 Thunderbolt II · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube USA Military Channel · 4 min ·
A-10サンダーボルトII 近接航空支援攻撃機・コックピット映像 - A-10 Thunderbolt II Ground-attack Aircraft Cockpit View
Cockpit footage of A-10 close-air-support aircraft in flight.
Real aircraft · Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
The A-10 was designed around supporting ground forces. Its low-speed manoeuvrability, large cannon installation and protection for critical systems reflect that mission. The engines sit high on the rear fuselage, and the main wheels retract into prominent wing fairings.
The Warthog nickname is as familiar as its formal Thunderbolt II name. Upgrades changed its cockpit and equipment between the A-10A and A-10C. The simulator products document their included combat and sensor functions.
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
Fairchild Republic → · Explore the family →
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
Wikipedia contributors · Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II ↗Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024 →Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designators ↗Checked 2026-09-14History & design
The prototype begins flight testing at Edwards
Edwards’ historical account dates the YA-10A’s first flight to 10 May 1972, with Fairchild Republic chief test pilot Howard “Sam” Nelson at the controls. This marks the prototype’s flying debut, before the later service variants represented by today’s simulators.
412th Test Wing Public Affairs · This week in Edwards history ↗U.S. Air Force historical note published in 2018
Development milestones
First flight: 10 May 1972 ( 1972-05-10 )
Wikipedia contributors · Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II ↗Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1369209707
Pilot accounts
Remembering to enjoy the view during conversion training
Griffin’s first A-10C flight was the result of years spent moving towards a military cockpit. He had studied aviation and worked for an airline before being selected by the Air National Guard. By spring 2010, the aircraft he had wanted to fly was finally his daily classroom.
The pace of training could make that achievement easy to overlook. Griffin described having to remind himself to look outside and appreciate being in an A-10, rather than concentrating only on the next syllabus requirement. Instrument work and other graded flights still lay between him and graduation. His account catches that early stage when excitement about the aircraft coexists with the practical work of learning to fly it well.
U.S. Air Force interview · May 2010. First lieutenant learning the A-10C at Davis-Monthan; later graduation was still ahead when the report appeared.
Read the full account · U.S. Air Force ↗Six thousand hours still leave more to learn
Marks’s six-thousand-hour milestone reflected almost three decades with the A-10 and repeated operational deployments. The report also drew attention to the maintainers and wider squadron who made those hours possible. For an experienced pilot, a personal total was part of a much larger team’s daily work.
Experience had not removed the need to study. Marks described continuing to learn as equipment and the world around the aircraft changed, then passing that knowledge to younger pilots. The account presents longevity as an active responsibility: familiarity with the cockpit had to be kept current through preparation and teaching.
Air Combat Command report · November 2016. Marks reached 6,000 A-10 hours on 14 November with the 303rd Fighter Squadron; the total is not limited to the C variant.
Read the full account · Air Combat Command ↗A damaged aircraft and a flight lead’s steady help
Campbell recalled the sudden loss of normal control after her A-10 was hit over Baghdad. With both hydraulic systems lost, she used the aircraft’s mechanical backup and worked out whether she could keep flying. Her flight lead stayed with her, helping her assess the damage and the choices ahead.
The return towards Kuwait was physically and mentally exhausting. Campbell described checking that she could control the aircraft for landing, then making a late correction close to the runway before touching down. Her satisfaction afterwards was tied to bringing the aircraft home with the help of another pilot.
Hush-Kit interview · October 2021. Retrospective account of returning from Baghdad on 7 April 2003; this historical flight is not identified as an A-10C operation.
Read the full account · Hush-Kit ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
MSFS 2024A-10 Thunderbolt II
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
A-10 Thunderbolt II
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 53 ft 4 in (16.26 m) |
| Wingspan | 57 ft 6 in (17.53 m) |
| Height | 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m) |
| Wing area | 506 sq ft (47.0 m² ) |
| Empty weight | 24,959 lb (11,321 kg) |
| Gross weight | 30,384 lb (13,782 kg) Close air support (CAS) mission: 47,094 lb (21,361 kg) Anti-armor mission: 42,071 lb (19,083 kg) |
| Max takeoff weight | 46,000 lb (20,865 kg) |
| Powerplant | 2 × General Electric TF34 -GE-100A turbofans , 9,065 lbf (40.32 kN) thrust each |
| Maximum speed | 381 kn (439 mph, 706 km/h) at sea level, clean |
| Cruise speed | 300 kn (340 mph, 560 km/h) |
| Stall speed | 120 kn (138 mph, 220 km/h) at 30,000 lb (14,000 kg) |
| Service ceiling | 45,000 ft (13,700 m) |
| Rate of climb | 6,000 ft/min (30 m/s) |
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
Hide the throttles to reach the switches beneathA-10 Thunderbolt II · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The small WARN SILENCE button beside the throttles doubles as a visibility control in this simulation. Hiding the levers makes the takeoff-trim button and nearby switches easier to reach.
DC Designs A-10C manual · PDF p.9; illustrated control visually checked
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Accessible systems with a documented autopilot scopeA-10 Thunderbolt II · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
DC Designs describes an accessible A-10C implementation and identifies its trim and autopilot controls. The guide states that the autopilot does not provide NAV-coupled operation.
Archived simulator manual; installed package revision not observed · PDF pp.4,9,19
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Flight planning has a separate entry pageA-10 Thunderbolt II · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The navigation unit provides a flight-planning page for airport entries, alongside radio-navigation tuning. The manual distinguishes storing a plan in that page from entering VOR, TACAN or ADF information.
A-10C manual · PDF pp.13–14; does not establish autopilot route coupling
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Pilot account
Remembering to enjoy the view during conversion trainingU.S. Air Force interview · May 2010. First lieutenant learning the A-10C at Davis-Monthan; later graduation was still ahead when the report appeared.
Griffin’s first A-10C flight was the result of years spent moving towards a military cockpit. He had studied aviation and worked for an airline before being selected by the Air National Guard. By spring 2010, the aircraft he had wanted to fly was finally his daily classroom. The pace of training could make that achievement easy to overlook. Griffin described having to remind himself to look outside and appreciate being in an A-10, rather than concentrating only on the next syllabus requirement.
Daniel Griffin
U.S. Air Force · Read the source ↗Six thousand hours still leave more to learnAir Combat Command report · November 2016. Marks reached 6,000 A-10 hours on 14 November with the 303rd Fighter Squadron; the total is not limited to the C variant.
Marks’s six-thousand-hour milestone reflected almost three decades with the A-10 and repeated operational deployments. The report also drew attention to the maintainers and wider squadron who made those hours possible. For an experienced pilot, a personal total was part of a much larger team’s daily work. Experience had not removed the need to study. Marks described continuing to learn as equipment and the world around the aircraft changed, then passing that knowledge to younger pilots.
John Marks
Air Combat Command · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
A-10C Thunderbolt IIMicrosoft / aircraft developers Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt IIWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1369209707 · retrieved 2026-09-12 This week in Edwards history412th Test Wing Public Affairs · 9 May 2018Resource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftType designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 1 profile choice
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2024
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II: The selected powered-control law supplies stick centering.
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