A-10 Warthog Stats

[Moonsword]

A-10 Thunderbolt II
Craft: A-10A CAS attack jet aircraft; Class: Air (jet); Cost: To be determined by the GM; Size: Gargantuan (16.16m long, 17.42m wide); Crew: +2 (1 pilot); Cargo Capacity: Varies, can carry external stores; Speed: 257 (Max Speed: 770) Max Altitude: 44,000 ft.; Defense: 20 (-4 size, +14 armor); Hull Points: 50; DR: 8; Init -3; Maneuver -4
Weapon: 30mm GAU-8 “Avenger” Cannon; Fire Arc: Front; Attack Bonus: 0 (-4 size, +2 crew, +2 wire control); Damage: 4d8; Ammo: 24 bursts; Range: 600 ft. increments
Armament Stations: 11 (8 under-wing, 3 under-fuselage), 16,000 lbs.
Pylon Loadouts: (from left to right)
1- 2xAIM-9 or jammer package
2- 3xMk. 81 or 3xAGM-65 or 1xM261 Rocket pod
3- 4xMk. 81 or 3xMk. 82 or 2xMk. 83 or 1xM261 or 2xCBU or 1xAGM-12 or 1xAGM-154
4- 5xMk. 81 or 3xMk. 82 or 2xMk. 83 or 1xMk. 84 or 2xCBU or 2xAGM-12 or 1xAGM-154
5- 5xMk. 81 or 3xMk. 82 or 2xMk. 83 or 1xMk. 84 or 1xCBU or 3xAGM-12 or 1xAGM-154 or 1x280 gal. Fuel tank
6- Jammer package or 600 gal. fuel tank or other systems as determined (ask GM, be creative)
7- As #5
8- As #4
9- As #3
10- As #2
11- As #1

Notes: This is a conversion of the USAF A-10A Thunderbolt II, nicknamed the Warthog. The A-10 is a close air support (CAS) jet aircraft, and as such requires a certain minimum lift. It is strictly subsonic, and is often employed at low-level strikes against enemy forces, aided by the tremendous power of it’s main cannon. The A-10’s armor is quite strong, and is able to stand up to multiple hits from fairly large guns. It carries a large payload of conventional munitions, which should be cross-referenced against a following list of munitions with range, damage, special characteristics, etc. Some of the weapons provided on the pylons are theoretical guesses, and are neither deployed nor are they planned to be deployed. In the real world, the AGM-12 was retired before the A-10 was designed.

Stat Notes: Thanks must go to the creator of the Pylon Rules for the Star Wars D6 system for an established set of guidelines for pylons weapons. No descriptions and/or captions from that work appear in my work, however. All data was generated by me, only the numbers from the original are used, and those have been converted to d20. All descriptions, manufacturers, etc., are either based on real-world companies and systems, or put in an alternate setting. This equipment can all be used within Star Wars 3rd Edition as well as d20 Modern. I have the Star Wars ranges, if anyone wants them, I will post them as well. In fact, the stats were originally written for Star Wars. Feedback appreciated.

 

[Moonsword]

Munitions

Unguided Bombs- Blast Radius: 10/50/100 ft. Range Increment: 3000 ft. per 1000 ft. of altitude, roughly 1 round to surface per 2000 ft. During this time, the bomb travels at the speed of the releasing aircraft.
This entire series of bombs is old, but is the basis for a variety of variants through the use of strap-on kits containing guidance systems, see below.
Mk. 81 (Rarely used, 250 lbs.)
Damage: 3d10x2/2d10x2/1d10x2
Mk. 82 (500 lbs.)
Damage: 5d10x2/3d10x2/1d10x2
Mk. 83 (1000 lbs.)
Damage: 7d10x2/5d10x2/2d10x2
Mk. 84 (2000 lbs.)
Damage: 10d10x2/7d10x2/4d10x2
-Guidance Systems: These consist of strap-on kits containing both a guidance system of a varying type (typically GPS- or laser-guided) and a set of fins that provide steering and increase range considerably. Range is approximately tripled.
These systems are mostly applied to the Mk. 80-series bombs.
Paveway I (Laser)
Fire Control: +2, laser is jammed in bad weather.
Paveway II (Laser)
Fire Control: +4, laser is jammed in bad weather.
Paveway III (Laser)
Fire Control: +6, +3 in bad weather or when using a low-power emitter.
Electro/Optical Guidance System I
Fire Control: Add gunner’s BAB-2 a second time.
Special: Requires a dedicated gunner.
Electro/Optical Guidance System II
Fire Control: Add gunner’s BAB a second time.
Special: Requires a dedicated gunner.
GPS Guidance System
Fire Control: +4 to +8 depending on the accuracy of GPS coordinates and seeker GPS system.
-Air to Ground Munitions (AGMs): These are missiles or augmented bombs that include small rocket motors to increase their range. They vary widely in damage, range, and fire-control systems.
AGM-12 Bullpup
Damage: 7d10x2/5d10x2/2d10x2; Blast Radius: 10/50/80 ft.; Range: 3900 ft. increments; Fire Control: +2
Notes: First mass-produced AGM, rarely employed (read: now scrapped in favor of more modern systems.) Never actually deployed on A-10.
AGM-65 Maverick
Damage, A-E: 3d12/2d12/1d12; Damage, G, F: 3d10x2/2d10x2/1d10x2; Blast Radius: 10/15/35 ft.; Range: 4900 ft. increments; Fire Control, A, others: +2, +4
Notes: Deployed on a variety of aircraft, including the A-10, F-15, F-16, AV-8, and F/A-18. Can be used as a poor man’s FLIR for night operations.
AGM-154C JSOW
Damage: 5d10x2/3d10x2/1d10x2; Blast Radius: 15/35/50 ft.; Range: 13,000 ft. increments; Fire Control: +6
Notes: Rarely deployed off of the A-10, but commonly deployed on other platforms, including F-16, F/A-18, B-1B, B-52, F-35, and F-15E.

-Air-to-Air Missiles: These are rockets with a guidance head attached, either infrared- or radar-based.
AIM-9A/E/M/X Sidewinder
Damage: 2d8+2/3d8/3d8+2/3d8+4; Range (all): 4000 ft. increments; Fire Control: +2/+4/+4/+6
Notes: The AIM-9X is almost never off of the A-10A, though remaining F-15s of all models will be fitted to deploy this weapon, as will some F-16s and all F-18s. A few experimental prototypes might be employed off of a modified A-10 for testing purposes. Feel free to ham it up. The Sidewinder is the longest-serving AAM in service, and is typically deployed on the A-10 for anti-helicopter work and self-defense if they stumble onto enemy fighters.


General notes: The Federation of American Scientists site at www.fas.org was instrumental in researching these stats.

 

[Kesh]

Very nice! My only adjustment might be to give the main rotary cannon the ability to bypass a small amount of DR, due to the armor-peircing nature of the rounds.

 

[Moonsword]

Thanks! I needed some input. How does bypassing DR 5 sound to you? I think that's perhaps a bit high, but... Ideas?

 

[Moonsword]

This is going to be a nightmare. Just 'dumb' bombs are going to drive everyone nuts. Their range varies depending on the velocity and altitude of the launching vehicle. I've hashed together some rough rules in munitions. The whole situation will turn nasty if someone tries to dogfight, as even the larger scale quickly breaks down at the speeds involved in air-to-air combat between anything larger than helos. If anyone has any ideas, I welcome them, as I'm going to try and incorporate it into the rules. Ideas?

 

[Pagan priest]

If you really need air to air combat with modern jets, I'd say that you have gone well beyond the scope of D20 Modern. Either abstract it, or find a good tactical board game dealing with the subject. If I still had a copy, I think I'd use Air War by SPI for this type of thing, even with the work needed to convert a 25 year old war game into a RPG supliment.

Also, I didn't see any reference to retarded bombs. (And for those of you who don't know what I am talking about, no these aren't increadibly stupid, they have air brakes on them. After release, they lose a lot of speed. This allows them to hit the ground much closer to the release point.) As a guess, I'd give a retarded bomb about a +2 to hit. Any one that has more actual knowledge one this please feel free to correct me.

 

[Moonsword]

There's a good reason they aren't there: I ahven't heard of them before now. I guess I would note that as another 'guidance' package. Let's see:

Air-Brake System (retarded bombs)
-Grants a +2 on attack rolls

I don't need air-to-air combat, all I'm saying is that if anyone tries it, things get messy. Sorry if I made that impression. The SW system doesn't handle it any better than this (actually, it's worse). The best option is, I guess, to abstract it, and not worry about things. Any GM that needs it can look up what they need online (as before, www.fas.org is a good source), and make their own adjustments accordingly.

New Systems:
Air-to-ground missiles:
AGM-88 HARM High Speed ARM
Damage: 4d10/2d8; Blast Radius: 5/15 ft.; Range: 16000 ft. increments; Fire Control: +6 (can only be targeted on an active radar site)
Notes: Used by specially equipped F-16s and F/A-18s to suppress enemy radar and engage SAM sites. Also deployed off the A-6E and F-4G, both now retired.

-Rockets: Unguided projectiles used for suppression, marking targets, and attacking ‘light’ targets.
Hydra 2.75” Rocket Pod
Damage: 2d8+2 (HE) or 2d8/1d8/1d6 (flechette); Blast Radius: 5/10/15 ft. (flechette only); Range: 400 ft. increments; Fire Control: What fire control?;
Notes: Deployed in either 9- or 17-tube configurations, and can be carried on A-10s, AV-8s, and several helicopters, including the AH-64 and RAH-66. A smoke version is also used to mark targets.

 

[Moonsword]

New Helos

Military Helicopters Crew Pass Cargo Init Maneuver
RAH-66 Commance 2 0 50 lbs. -2 -2
AH-1W ‘Whiskey’ Cobra 2 0 150 lbs. -4 -4

(cont.) Top Speed Defense Hardness HP Size
RAH-66 360 (36) 12 5 35 H
AH-1W 375 (37) 8 7 41 H

RAH-66 Commanche: The US Army's new stealth attack helicopter. A light attack model, with advanced avionics and an integrated 20mm, 3-barrel gun (use stats below).

AH-1W Cobra: An older attck helo still used by the USMC. Armed to the teeth. Armed with an M197 onderneath the nose and hardpoints on the wings.

M197 3-barrel 20 mm gun: Damage: 3d10; Type: Ballistic; Range: 150 ft. inc.; Automatic rate of fire; Large gun with 24-burst magazine.