AIDC XA-3 Thunder - Armed to the teeth!

[firedjs]

[Would you like to see this in-game?]

• Yes
• No

AIDC XA-3

Background and History

Spoiler

Introduction
Hello! I’d like to suggest the AIDC XA-3 “Lei Ming” (Thunder) for the Chinese tree. The XA-3 was Taiwan’s first indigenously developed jet attack aircraft — a single-seat development of the AT-3 trainer so in some sourses it was described as “AT-3A”. It is built under the Thunder Project (1979–1983). Two flying prototypes (0901 and 0902) were completed and used extensively as testbeds for new weapons and avionics, including the air-launched Hsiung Feng II (HF-2) anti-ship missile and TC-1L IR guided missile. It offers the Chinese tree a unique low-altitude CAS package: bombs, rockets, wingtip IR missiles mounted on a subsonic but agile platform with relatively advanced avionic suite including pulse doppler radar and RWR.

History
The Thunder Project was approved on 7 July 1979 with a budget of NT$340 million (later raised to NT$500 million). Using the AT-3 as a baseline, the design was changed to a single-seat attack aircraft with a strengthened structure, composite materials and an internal 30 mm cannon on the forward right side of the nose. The first prototype (0901) flew on 8 July 1982, and the 30 mm cannon was successfully test-fired in flight on 22 October 1982; the second prototype (0902) followed on 17 February 1983. The program was cancelled in July 1983 — the Air Force had already bought over 200 F-5s and nearly two wings of F-104s, and the Navy’s air wing plans were shelved — but both aircraft continued to serve as testbeds for the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, successfully launching the air-launched HF-2 anti-ship missile. In August 1987, prototype 0902 was further upgraded to the AT-3B standard with an AN/APG-66 radar, multi-function displays and a MIL-STD-1553B data bus. The test mission was reported completed in 1992.
During the 1996 Taiwan Strait Missile Crisis, both XA-3s were reportedly assigned to combat-alert duty carrying HF-2 missiles. Although the Lei Ming program had been cancelled in July 1983 and the two airframes (0901 and 0902) had since served primarily as weapons and avionics testbeds, they remained airworthy and were readied during the crisis. Today 0901 is preserved at the ROCAF Academy and 0902 is on open display at Chengkungling.

Technical data

Specifications

• Crew: 1

• Engines: 2 × Garrett TFE731-2-2L non-afterburning turbofans, 31.1 kN (7,000 lbf) total

• Max speed: 0.76 Mach at altitude; Service ceiling: 14,021 m; Max range: 3,037 km

• Weapons payload: 2,727 kg (A-3 specification 3,000 kg+)

• Hardpoints: 7 (4 underwing + 1 belly + 2 wingtip)

• Armament: 1 × 30 mm cannon

• Avionics: UHF/IFF/TACAN/VOR/ILS, HUD, gunsight, bombsight, gun camera; RWR antennas documented on 0901; AN/APG66 RADAR on 0902. Rocket/Bomb/Guns CCIP

Spoiler

---

Armament

• 1 × 30 mm cannon (in-flight test 1982-10-22)

  Spoiler

  

  
  

  

• 7 hardpoints:

  • 2 × Hsiung Feng II (HF-2) air-launched anti-ship missiles
    
    
  Spoiler

  

  • 2 × Tien Chien I (TC-1) IR AAMs (wingtip)

  • 2 × AIM-9 Sidewinders, incl. AIM-9P4 (wingtip)

  Spoiler

  

  
  
  • 1 × Mk 84 2,000 lb bomb (belly)
    
    
  Spoiler

  

  
  

  

  • 1 × AN-M3 twin 12.7 mm machine-gun pod (belly)

  • 5 × MK 81/82 & Snake-eye bombs

  • 3 × M117 750 lb bombs / 3 × Mk 20 cluster bombs / 3 × 150 US gal tanks (Wing)

  Spoiler

  

  
  

  • 3 × BLU-1 Fire Bombs

  • 4 × rocket pods — 5-in (127 mm) or 2.75-in LAU-3 (70 mm) (Wing)
    
    

  Spoiler

  

  
  

  

  • 20 mm gun pods (AT-3 family loadout)

  • 4 × AGM-65B AGMS

  • SUU-25 Flare Dispenser
    
    
    

    

loadouts gallery

---

Avionics

AN/APG-65 RADAR (0902)

CCIP/CCRP for Bombs Rockets Guns

SUU-25 Flare/Chaff pod

RWR(0901)

Air-to-air ballistic computer

Spoiler

Photos

Spoiler

Sources

Sources

1. AIDC (Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation), official product page, “AT-3” (XA-3/Lei Ming development) — 漢翔航空工業股份有限公司
2. Aerospace Education Exhibition Hall (R.O.C. Air Force), XA-3 “Lei Ming” display panel (incl. 1996 crisis alert duty record) — https://www.aeeh.com.tw/tw/index.asp?au_id=1&sub_id=11&id=14
3. R.O.C. Air Force Academy Museum, XA-3 “Lei Ming” display panel — https://museum.rocafa.edu.tw/tour/index-1.asp?Parser=14,20,701,698,717,,509
4. GlobalSecurity.org, “XA-3 Thunder Project” — XA-3 "Thunder Project"
5. taiwanairpower.org, “AIDC AT-3 Tzu Chiang” (A-3 0901/0902, AT-3B modifications) — http://www.taiwanairpower.org/af/at3.html
6. Air Defense News, “雛鷹利刃—AT-3武器掛載發展簡介” (AT-3/XA-3 armament and loadout development) — https://www.airdefensenews.com/post/雛鷹利刃-at-3武器掛載簡介
7. EyeMilitary, “驚鴻一瞥的AT-3A雷鳴式攻擊機” (2016; 0902/AT-3B avionics upgrade, 1992 test) — 驚鴻一瞥的AT-3A雷鳴式攻擊機 | 國防新聞網 - Eye軍事
8. Formosa Air & Military Image News, “IDF戰機正式執行實彈射訓拖靶勤務” (A-3 0901 / 71-7001 tow-reel validation, 1998) — IDF戰機正式執行實彈射訓拖靶勤務 - 福爾摩沙航空與軍事影像通訊社
9. YouTube — 國防新聞網 (ewdefense), “AT-3自強號教練機首次升空卅週年回顧（三）” (contains the 30 mm cannon footage) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uBLa79R500
10. Wikipedia, “AIDC AT-3” — AIDC AT-3 - Wikipedia

[Headnaught]

SUU-25 is not a countermeasures pod unfortunately. The plane would not have flares/chaff. Other than that +1

[Venndigo7192]

I’m confused, does the last picture not say “SUU-25 Flare Dispensers”?

[Nostalgistic]

It’s a different type of flare dispenser pod used to deploy illuminating flares, not decoy flares.

OMI-SUU-25 Dispenser, Flares Illuminating - Ordtech Military Industries

[CharAznable3]

+1 never knew this thing existed. Have to say this is the most Soviet vibe western style plane out there if that makes sense. Would be awesome to see as a unique aircraft that is more then capable of being effective without it falling into prototype syndrome (limited ground attack).

Anyway Bombs Away!!!

[firedjs]

Thanks for the correction! I’m still an amateur at this so feel free to share more info if I’m wrong. I will not remove SUU25 from loadout list since it’s still a historical loadout.