The Forgotten Grandfather Of The A-10 Thunderbolt: Beechcraft XA-38 Grizzly

In this video, we take a look at the Beechcraft XA-38 Grizzly, a late World War II American ground attack aircraft. We first talk about a similar-looking plane in the A-10 Thunderbolt / A-10 Warthog, a close air support aircraft and ground attacker. We talk about why the A-10 was created, what makes it such a good plane, and why I like it (because it looks cool). We then talk about how the A-10 and XA-38 look pretty similar.

We talk about the muddled beginnings of the XA-38, how it was to replace the Douglas A-20 Havoc, and how despite the fact that it was bigger and heavier, the XA-38 performed excellently, with fantastic control and speed for its large size. We talk about its performance in comparison to the P-51 Mustang, and why, despite such solid performance, the XA-38 never advanced past the prototype stage.

And yes, the P-47 Thunderbolt is technically the grandfather of the A-10, but just play along. Have some fun.