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Subject: Cessna A-37 Dragonfly
Date: 14 May 2017 06:52:33 -0700
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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: T-37s with modifications that included:
Stronger wings.
Three stores pylons on each wing.
Larger wingtip fuel tanks of 360 litre (95 US gallons) capacity.
A General Electric GAU-2B/A 7.62 mm "Minigun" Gatling-style machine gun, with a
rate of fire of 3,000 rounds/minute and 1,500 rounds of ammunition. The weapon
was fitted in the right side of the aircraft's nose behind a large, convenient
access panel.
A gunsight and gun camera were also fitted.
Better avionics for battlefield communications, navigation, and targeting.
Tougher landing gear for rough-field operation.
The war in Southeast Asia, however, continued to escalate. Losses of Douglas A-1
Skyraider close-support aircraft in USAF, United States Navy, and South
Vietnamese 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.
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.
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.
Post-Vietnam era
A total of 577 A-37Bs were built, with 254 delivered to the South Vietnamese 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.
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)
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)
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)
Thrust/weight: 0.47
Armament
Hardpoints: 8 under-wing with a capacity of 1,230 kg
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
Other: Napalm tanks, SUU-25/A Flare Dispenser
*
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