A-10 question

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

hi

can an A-10 expert look at the following image and tell me if its an early ot late LASTE aircraft?

http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA---Air/Fairchild-A-10A-Thunderbolt/1516000/L/

cheers, chris

2

Hi Chris,

I’m not A-10 expert, but from the 2-tone Grey with false canopy scheme, I would have thought that it would have been pre- LASTE at the time the photo was taken.

EDIT: I should have looked at the additional info on that page accompanying the photo, which was taken in 1979 so that definitely makes it pre-LASTE.

A search reveals that 77-0245 was sent to storage at AMARC in August 1992, Given that the LASTE upgrade program began in 1990 and the aircraft was sent to storage in 1992, I would make a guess that this aircraft didn’t receive the LASTE upgrades.

However, as always, I’m happy to be corrected if I’m wrong.

3

personally i think the 1979 date is wrong as im sure woodbridge A-10’s were euro 1 scheme until quite late in there life, the other thing that makes me think its a LASTE is the lack of gas vent covers forward of the ladder hatch!

cheers, chris

4

This is the early 2-tone grey scheme which pre-dates Euro 1/Charcoal Lizard and almost certainly makes it earlier than about 1981/82.

5

i stand corrected, must be a pre laste machine then! so the next question is, did the woodbridge/bentwaters A-10’s receive the laste updates??

cheers, chris

6

It’s really hard to tell from just that view. If I had other shots of the Hog I could tell you.

7

thats the problem im having! seems its pre LASTE though, and from what i can find WR coded A-10’s were all pre LASTE