The A-10 also was not designed with MANPAD's in mind, because they didn't exist then. Nonsense on stilts. US production of Redeyes was ended, at about 85,000

The A-10 also was not designed with MANPAD's in mind, because they didn't exist then. Nonsense on stilts. US production of Redeyes was ended, at about 85,000 total produced, a year before the detailed specifications of the A-10 were finished. The Soviet equivalent went into service a couple years before the latter. As for penetrating MBT frontal armor, I was always under the impression that top hits were the objective if trying to destroy one without using a missile, which the A-10 can carry a lot of. Airplanes do have the advantage of being above land vehicles after all.