A-10 Tires

[cav58d]

If you look at this picture, and any other belly shots of the A-10, you will notice that the main wheel bays only houses a little more than 50% of the wheel, with no doors...Anyone know why this design was used with of all airplanes, a close air support attacker?  Has there ever been instances of the wheels being shot out?

[Maverick]

It's my understanding the bird was designed that way to enable it to land without significant fuselage damage in the event the gear won't go down. Don't know for sure.

[Airscrew]

The forward retracting tricycle landing gear incorporates short struts and a wide tread. The nose wheel retracts fully into the fuselage nose. The main gear retracts into streamlined fairing on the wing with the lower portion of the wheel protruding to facilitate emergency gear-up landings.

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/a-10.htm

its one source, sounds possible i guess, I wonder if it also wasnt because of space requirements in the wing for fuel, hardpoints, and wing structure

[Shuffler]

I think it is moot since most enemy in the area are turned the other way running

[Sandman]

A sheet of aluminum doesn't offer much protection anyway.

[Dux]

They said it, pretty much... it can still do a gear-up landing without causing too much damage. All 3 gears are forward retracting, which means that even without hydraulics, gravity and the slipstream will put the gear down, but even if that fails, the main wheels will still be useful.

As simple as the A-10 seems compared to other aircraft, it always impresses me just how much thought and ingenuity went into that "simple" plane.

[moneyguy]

Originally posted by Sandman
A sheet of aluminum doesn't offer much protection anyway.

thats just what i was thinkin

[Spikes]

Originally posted by cav58d
If you look at this picture, and any other belly shots of the A-10, you will notice that the main wheel bays only houses a little more than 50% of the wheel, with no doors...Anyone know why this design was used with of all airplanes, a close air support attacker?  Has there ever been instances of the wheels being shot out?

I believe with its close air support if it were to get severe damage and not enough time for gear down. it was 50% out so it would not dentonate fuel tanks [right above tires in wings]

[Gumbeau]

The only reason to retract the gear is for speed.

In the A-10 I suspect they actually considered faired fixed gear but ultimately compromised by building the structures you now see.

Fixed gear would reduce the level of complexity significantly.

The exposed gear means a gear up landing is not a major damage event. That means the designers can reduce the backup gear extension systems to the bare minimum. This saves weight (and complexity) and that weight can go directly to armor.

Of course this is all speculation but it makes sense when considering the A-10.

The A-10 was designed for one purpose. It was designed to carry the 30MM gatling gun. The aircraft was designed AROUND that gun. All design considerations were to build an aircraft that would be most effective in employing that gun against armor. So it had to be tough, simple and survivable in a war that would be very short lived. In the scenario the A-10 was originally built for the war would be over before replacement aircraft made it to the front.

[Halo]

Yeah, the A-10 was part of the renaissance trio of F-15, F-16, and A-10 where USAF applied Vietnam lessons and developed classics that still endure today.  

That gear like the old DC-3 gear was just part of the innovation that makes the A-10 supreme in down and dirty close air support.

[Halo]

Incidentally, I should have mentioned the obvious: that is a gorgeous perfect photo.  Thanks for posting it.