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Northrop YA-9

1972 COLD WAR X-PLANE

Northrop YA-9 History

World War II (1939-1945) brought the idea of ??dedicated attack aircraft for close air support (CAS) to the forefront of modern warfare. CAS provides heavy air fire support to ground forces, aircraft and pilots tasked with delivering precision strikes against enemy soldiers and vehicles in the vicinity of allied forces.

This on-demand firepower often determines the outcome of many offensives of war.

During the war, combat platforms were either modified into roles (to become fighter-bombers), or specialized attack aircraft were developed. For the U.S. Army at war, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, Lockheed P-38 Lightning and more provided overhead help.

This served the service well and helped provide strong firepower against determined enemy ground forces during the marches over Rome, Berlin and Tokyo.

Northrop's approach to the YA-9 is largely traditional - its design layout is somewhat reminiscent of an enlarged Bell P-59 Airacomet - America's first jet during WWII fighter. Straight, shoulder-mounted wings allow for the desired number of underwing weapon stations and additional control at lower altitudes. The wings will also accommodate fuel storage required for operational range and dwell time, while keeping combustible materials away from sources of ignition.

The cockpit is located behind the nose cone assembly and under a bubble-like canopy that provides good visibility from the cockpit. The engines were placed under the wings on the sides of the fuselage and drained well in front of the tail. The fin consists of a vertical fin with upwardly sloping horizontal planes on either side.

A low-clearance landing gear was installed, the main legs were mounted under the center mass of the aircraft, and the front struts were mounted under the cockpit.

The Northrop filing was very different from the Republic YA-10 - a competing design with the engine housed in a single externally mounted nacelle sandwiched between twin tail rudder assemblies . The wings are also straight like the YA-9, but mounted low, and the cockpit is kept under a bubble-like canopy for excellent visibility. The Republic's design was unmistakably a new type of aircraft at the time, and it offered advantages that Northrop's engineering team missed: the placement of the engines helped protect its signal from ground-detecting radar, and its well-distributed characteristics protected the aircraft from Suffering the loss of the entire aircraft - the loss of one engine did not destroy the entire aircraft.

In addition, the high-mounted engine prevents debris from being sucked into the air intake during low-altitude attacksa feature that the YA-9 low-mounted engine does not have. Since the YA-9's fuel reservoirs are also located in the wings, which complicates the aircraft's armor protection, it has not been incorporated into the design. The YA-10, like the YA-9, keeps its guns external and has a straight-wing main aircraft with multiple brackets underneath.

Its long undercarriage legs provide ground personnel with better access to the weapons station as well as rough access.

The performance of the two aircraft is evenly matched, so the YA-10 will ultimately be the winner in the finer details of each aircraft design. The YA-9 is powered by two Lycoming YF102-LD-100 turbofans, each rated at 7,500 pounds of thrust, while the YA-10 is powered by two General Electric TF34 engines. The first flight of the YA-9 prototype - two of which were completed - took place on May 30, 1972, and the official "test flight" between the two designs arrived on October 10 of that year.

The competition ran until early December, when the YA-10 won the bid, and it was announced the following month.

The Northrop aircraft's use as a CAS prototype was almost over, so it was handed over to NASA for flight test work. The airframes sat idle at the Dryden Flight Research Centre for many years before becoming museum property.

The first prototype was sent to Castle Rock Air Force Base and the second to March Field. The former was subsequently moved to Edwards AFB after Castle Rock AFB closed (currently awaiting restoration (2015)), while the latter is on full display at the Marchfield Air Museum at Marche Air Reserve Base, California.

The YA-10 became the legendary A-10 Thunderbolt II and survived the Cold War military retreat. There have been recent discussions about decommissioning or selling the A-10 fleet, despite very strong demands to keep the system operational for the foreseeable future. The A-10 became a recognized tank killer through its service in the Gulf War, where its 30mm gun decimated the ranks of Iraqi tanks. Its bomb transport capabilities and rocket and missile support will only increase the line's tactical value to war planners and commanders.

So the fate of the A-10 is yet to be written.