Manufacturer: Fairchild Republic

Model: unknown

Name: Thunderblow

Type: Jet fighter / attack

Date: 1983

Status: Operational service

Country: United States

Service: U.S. Air Force

Designation: F/A-10G

The Fairchild-Republic F/A-10G Thunderblow was a fighter-attack T-tail derivative of the famous A-10Thunderbolt II, better known as the "Hog" by its pilot.

A fighter/attack derivative of what was strictly designed as an attack aircraft seems like a move backward... especially since it's a straight wing aircraft and therefore not as fast or maneuverable as a fighter aircraft ought to be. Yet it would certainly be a good compromise for close-air-support missions that demand a little more than raw power.

To elaborate the Thunderblow, I used an inflight view of two A-10s (see second picture, right). I then grafted the nose section and cockpit of another Republic aircraft, the F-105 Thunderchief. I thought that turning the picture into black and white would give it a more dated look.

The tough part here was to create the T-tail from scratch... and to get the "U.S. Air Force" name to fit to the side of the aircraft in a convincing way! (I don't think I completely succeeded on that one).

The three-view plan (third picture, right) was reworked from existing plans, and was also a lot of work, but it's always great fun to do and I wish I could do it for all my aircraft designs.

• An interesting blend of bird there, Star - Hog and Thud fuzzy bunny child, quite a piece of work. (Sauragnmon)
• Interesting! What about Thud wings and tail on the 'Hog'? (pyro-manic)
• Because I'm a Weps, I disagree with the F/A-10G... Where is this beautiful machine, firing 30mm rounds at 2500 rpm, named GAU-8 Avenger ? But (there is always a "But...") I love the aesthetics (and aerodynamics) of the plane. (Slerski)
• I like that, a slimline hog, somewhere between the A-9 & A-10. Looking forward to that hitting plastic! (Mossie)
• My brain kept thinking, "Hey wait, something's wrong here". Nice photoshop of the A-10 and F-105. </sincerity> (xployalist)
• THIS PLANE KICKS ASS!!! (Cipher80)
• Wow!! I really love what you did here with these A-10 warthogs! Your ability to make these imaginary designs of yours look real is just incredible! Great work and great imagination! (dinobatfan)
• Marry Me, Stargazer. I don't care if the world thinks it's 'wrong.' We'll build T-Tails together. May I please have your permission to render your Thunderblow T-Tail concept in Styrene? Anywhere I post it, I would give you the full credit you deserve for this incredible idea. (John Howling Mouse)

JHM... I'm afraid that won't be possible... Not the styrene version, but the marrying bit! Of course you have not only my full consent, but even my undivided support and blessing on this project, and I can't wait to see it come alive my friend!

 The Thunderblow happens to be one of my all-time favorite re-creations. Thanks to you all for your support!