A- (plane)

The prefix A-, in US military aviation, refers to a type of plane generally considered an attack plane. Currently, the most famous attack plane is the A-10 Thunderbolt II.Since World War II, there have been two major, broad types of aircraft: fighter aircraft and bomber aircraft. However, between them were classes commonly known as fighter-bombers, including heavy fighters (notably the P-38 Lightning) and attack aircraft.There were two distinct time periods in which attack aircraft were designated by the A- prefix: 1926-1947 had periods monthly. (mainly Army/Air Force) and 1962-present (the unified system). The first ranged from the A-3 Falcon (only counting those that made it past the experimental stage) to the A-36 Apache. These ranged from biplanes to bomber-like monoplanes.
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