Cessna A-37 Dragonfly

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_A-37_Dragonfly

The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is an American light attack aircraft
developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s by Cessna of
Wichita, Kansas. The A-37 was introduced during the Vietnam War and remained in
peacetime service afterward.

The growing American military involvement in Vietnam in the early 1960s led to
strong interest in counter-insurgency (COIN) aircraft. In late 1962, the U.S.
Air Force's Special Air Warfare Center at Eglin Air Force Base's Hurlburt Field
in Florida evaluated two T-37Cs for the role.

The Air Force found the T-37 promising, but wanted an improved version of the
aircraft that could carry a much larger payload, and had much greater endurance
and better short-field performance. This meant a heavier aircraft with more
powerful engines. In 1963, the Air Force awarded a contract to Cessna for two
prototype YAT-37D aircraft.

These changes meant a drastic increase in aircraft weight and the aircraft now
had to carry a significant payload as well. Cessna, therefore, doubled the
engine power by replacing the two Continental J-69 engines with General Electric
J85-J2/5 turbojet engines with 2,400 lbf (10.7 kN) thrust each.

The first YAT-37D flew in October 1964, followed a year later by the second
prototype. The second prototype had four stores pylons under each wing, rather
than three, and the first prototype was upgraded to this configuration as well.

Test results were good, but USAF interest in counter-insurgency (COIN) aircraft
had faded for the moment. The program went into limbo for a time, with the
second prototype "put out to pasture" at the National Museum of the United
States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

The war in Southeast Asia, however, continued to escalate. Losses of Douglas A-1
Skyraider close-support aircraft in USAF, United States Navy, and Republic of
Vietnam Air Force service proved greater than anticipated and USAF interest in
COIN aircraft was revived. The YAT-37D seemed like a promising candidate for the
job, but the Air Force felt that the only way to be sure was to evaluate the
aircraft in combat.

As a result, the USAF issued a contract to Cessna for a pre-production batch of
39 YAT-37Ds, with a few minor changes relative to the prototypes, to be rebuilt
from existing T-37Bs. These aircraft were initially designated AT-37D, but the
designation was quickly changed to A-37A. The second prototype YAT-37D was
pulled out of the Air Force Museum and upgraded to A-37A standards as part of
the test program.

The A-37A had a gross takeoff weight of 12,000 lb (5,440 kg), of which 2,700 lb
(1230 kg) was ordnance. The A-37A retained the dual controls of its T-37B
ancestor, allowing it to be used as an operational trainer.

In combat "forward air control (FAC)" operations, the second seat was occupied
by an observer. Only one crewman normally flew in the aircraft for close support
missions, permitting a slight increase in ordnance.


Role
Light ground-attack aircraft

National origin
United States

Manufacturer
Cessna

First flight
October 1964

Status
Limited service in South American air forces

Primary users
United States Air Force (historical)
Republic of Vietnam Air Force (historical)
Chilean Air Force (historical)
Peruvian Air Force

Produced
1963–1975

Number built
577

Developed from
Cessna T-37 Tweet

Vietnam War

In August 1967, 25 A-37As were sent to Vietnam under the "Combat Dragon"
evaluation program, and flew from Bien Hoa Air Base on USAF "air commando"
missions, including close air support, helicopter escort, FAC, and night
interdiction. Combat loads included high-explosive bombs, cluster munition
dispensers, unguided rocket packs, napalm tanks, and the SUU-11/A Minigun pod.
For most missions, the aircraft also carried two additional external fuel tanks
on the inner stores pylons.

During this period, the A-37As flew thousands of sorties. None were lost to
enemy fire, although two were wrecked in landing accidents. The A-37A was
formally named the "Dragonfly", but most pilots called it the "Super Tweet". The
Combat Dragon program was successful, but unsurprisingly the combat evaluation
revealed some of the deficiencies of the A-37A. The most noticeable problem was
that the aircraft lacked range and endurance. Other concerns were heavy control
response during attack runs (the flight controls were not power-boosted) and the
vulnerability of the aircraft's non-redundant flight control system.

The A-37 excelled at close air support. It could engage targets 100 miles per
hour slower than swept-wing fighters. The slower speed improved bombing
accuracy, enabling pilots to achieve an average accuracy of 45 feet (13.7 m).

The A-37 required a relatively low amount of maintenance compared to
contemporary fighters—only two hours of maintenance for each hour of flight
time. This was partially due to multiple access panels in strategic locations.

The 20 mm GPU-2/A and AMD 30 mm cannon pods were tested with favorable results
on the A-37B, but reports indicate that such pods were either seldom or never
used in operation.

A total of 577 A-37Bs were built, with 254 delivered to the Republic of Vietnam
Air Force. At war's end, the A-37 had flown over 160,000 combat sorties with
only 22 USAF losses. Approximately 187 A-37Bs were in South Vietnamese service
when the country fell. Ninety-two were recovered by the US, while the other 95
were later used by the Communist Vietnamese in missions over Cambodia and during
the China conflict in 1979. These "renegade" aircraft were phased out of service
in the late 1970s or early 1980s, in all probability due to lack of spares. Some
of the aircraft were shipped to Vietnam's then-Communist allies such as
Czechoslovakia, Poland, the Soviet Union and East Germany. Others were sold to
private foreign owners. Six examples of the A-37B became property of American
warbird fans, while four A-37Bs are now privately owned in Australia and New
Zealand.

After the war, the USAF passed their A-37Bs from the USAF Tactical Air Command
(TAC) to TAC-gained units in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. In
the early 1980s these aircraft were assigned to the FAC (Forward Air Control)
role and given the designation OA-37B. The OA-37Bs were eventually phased out in
the 1980s and 1990s and replaced in the FAC mission by the much more formidable
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II in Air Force, Air National Guard and Air
Force Reserve service.

Specifications (A-37B Dragonfly)

General characteristics
Crew: 1-2
Length: 28 ft 3.4 in (8.62 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 10.3 in (10.93 m (including tip tanks))
Height: 8 ft 10.3 in (2.70 m)
Wing area: 183.9 ft² (17.09 m²)
Empty weight: 6,211 lb (2,817 kg)
Loaded weight: 11,994 lb (5,440 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 14,000 lb (6,350 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric J85-GE-17A turbojet, 2,850 lbf (12.7 kN) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 507 mph (440 kn, 816 km/h) at 16,000 ft
Cruise speed: 489 mph (425 kn, 787 km/h) at 25,000 ft
Stall speed: 113 mph (98 kn, 182 km/h)
Range: 920 mi (800 nmi, 1,480 km)
Combat radius: 460 mi (400 nmi, 740 km) with 4,100 lb warload
Service ceiling: 41,765 ft (12,730 m)
Rate of climb: 6,990 ft/min (35.5 m/s)
Wing loading: 65 lb/ft² (318 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.47

Armament

Guns: 1× .308 in (7.62 mm) GAU-2B/A minigun with 1500 rounds (mounted in nose)
Hardpoints: 8 under-wing with a capacity of 1,230 kg
Gun pods: SUU-11/A (1× 7.62 mm M134 minigun per pod), GPU-2/A (1× 20 mm M197
cannon per pod), 30 mm DEFA cannon
Rockets: four pods, each with seven 70 mm/2.75-inch rockets (Mk 4/Mk 40 FFAR
rockets in a LAU-32/A, LAU-59, or LAU-68 launcher) or (Mk 66/WAFAR rockets in a
LAU-131 launcher)
Missiles: AIM-9 Sidewinder
Bombs: 500 lb (241 kg) Mk.82 (×8), SUU-14 bomblet dispenser
Other: Napalm tanks, SUU-25/A Flare Dispenser


*