(1-6) drops wing pylons. (7) drops centerline ECM pod. VTOL for flaps.

The A-9 Shirke is a Paternian ground attack aircraft designed by Paternian Defense Industries to fulfill a 1973 Paternian Air Force requirement to develop a replacement for the aging A-1 Pummeler. While the A-1 Pummeler was a powerful and reliable type, the fleet was over 20 years old by then, and maintenance costs grew dramatically. The A-9 features several improvements over the A-1, such as heavy nose-mounted armament, greater payload, integrated targeting, improved protection for pilot and critical systems, and two engines.

The result was a simple, but powerful, ground attacker akin to a flying tank. However, the type would not see much combat in the Paternian Air Force; the Huntsville Peace Accords were signed in 1979, months before the type entered service.

The type would serve in various Paternian conflicts, with very high success. The A-9 was retired in 2016 after dismal performance against Soviet air defense systems in the Southeast Asia Conflict. This decision was rather controversial, mostly due to the information various sides used to justify their point. Fans of the A-9 pointed out that the type was brought down far less than fast jets such as the F-7, F/A-17, and F-6E, while suffering far less casualties than it's AT-5 and AT-39 replacements. The Paternian Air Force notes that while the attack trainers suffered a loss rate of 22%, the A-9 suffered a loss rate of 15%. This loss rate is over double that of the F-7 at 7%.

This disrepancy is because of how losses are judged; aircraft which are damaged beyond economic repair are considered a "loss," while others only include aircraft that were brought down.

The A-9 would later serve in the African Union Air Force, with mixed success; while vulnerable to Federation, Awwami, and Prussian air defense systems and fighters, they were very successful when blunting offensive formations which strayed outside of their air defense curtain.