Northrop YA-9

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A-9

Type	Attack aircraft
Manufacturer	Northrop
Maiden flight	1972-05-20
Status	Cancelled
Primary user	NASA
Number built	2

The Northrop YA-9 was a prototype attack aircraft developed for the USAF, but passed over in preference for the Fairchild YA-10 that became the A-10 Thunderbolt II in service.

[edit] History

Both aircraft were designed in response to an air force requirement for a Close Air Support (CAS) aircraft that could operate from forward positions on a battlefield. This meant an aircraft that would need to be able to operate from relatively rough fields, carry heavy armour, and be able to loiter over target areas. The YA-9 saw its first flight May 20, 1972.

Apart from aircraft themselves, the A-X program was also developing a powerful cannon for the winning plane to carry. Eventually, this would result in the GAU-8 Avenger, but for trials, the YA-9 and YA-10 were both equipped with the smaller M61 Vulcan Gatling gun.

It is alleged that the YA-9 more strongly impressed the Soviets than the US Air Force, and the Sukhoi Su-25 was largely based on spy footage of this aircraft. However, actual resemblance is very superficial and at any rate, work on what later became the Su-25 began in 1968, four years before YA-9's first flight.

A fly-off of the two prototypes took place October 10 and December 9 1972, with the YA-10 declared the winner on January 18 1973. The two YA-9 prototypes were subsequently relegated to NASA for continued flight testing before being quickly retired. One is preserved at the March Field Air Museum at March Air Force Base. When retired, the YA-9s' custom-built engines were removed and were later mated to a C-8 Buffalo airframe as part of the NASA-Boeing joint QSRA study into a quiet short-haul commercial aircraft.