| A-37 Dragonfly | |
|---|---|
 An OA-37B Dragonfly aircraft from the Illinois Air National Guard during Exercise GRANADERO I (14 May 1984) |
|
| Type | light attack aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Cessna |
| Primary users | United States Air Force Vietnam Air Force Chilean Air Force Colombian Air Force |
| Developed from | T-37 Tweet |
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is a United States light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s. The Air National Guard ( ANG), often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the several states and An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. History The VNAF (abbreviation for V iet N am A ir F orce Vietnamese is "Không Quân Việt Nam" started off as a few hand The Chilean Air Force ( Spanish: Fuerza Aérea de Chile, FACH) is the Air force of Chile, a branch of the Chilean military The Colombian Air Force or FAC (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana is the Air Force of The Republic of Colombia. For the Soviet light tank see T-37 tank WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For the Soviet light tank see T-37 tank WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. The A-37 served with distinction during the Vietnam War and in peacetime service afterwards. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
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Design and development
The growing American military involvement in Vietnam in the early 1960s led to strong interest in counter-insurgency (COIN) aircraft. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially See also Insurgency In the context of an occupation or a Civil war, counter-insurgency (abbreviated COIN is a military term for the combat 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. Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States Hurlburt Field is a US Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County Florida, immediately west of the Town of Mary Esther and is part of the Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the
The Air Force found the T-37 promising, but wanted an improved version of the aircraft that could carry a much larger warload, and had much greater endurance, as well as better short-field performance. This meant a heavier aircraft with more powerful engines. specific --->A jet engine is a Reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet of Fluid to 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. A hardpoint is any part of an Airframe designed to carry an external load
- Larger wingtip fuel tanks of 360 litre (95 US gallons) capacity.
- A General Electric GAU-2B/A 7. The minigun is a multi-barrel Machine gun with a high rate of fire (several thousand Rounds per minute) employing Gatling -style rotating barrels and an 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. In Aviation, the undercarriage or landing gear is the structure (usually wheels that supports an Aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi
These changes meant a drastic increase in aircraft weight, and the aircraft now had to carry a serious warload as well, so Cessna replaced the two Continental J-69 engines with General Electric J85-J2/5 turbojet engines with 10. 7 kN (2,400 lbf) thrust each, twice as powerful as the old Continental J-69s.
The first YAT-37D flew in October 1964, followed a year later by the second prototype. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. 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 National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official National Museum of the United States Air Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Greene and Montgomery counties eight miles (13 km) northeast of Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads
However, the war in Southeast Asia continued to escalate. Losses of Douglas A-1 Skyraider close-support aircraft in US and South Vietnamese hands proved greater than anticipated, and so USAF interest in COIN aircraft revived. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout "RVN" redirects here RVN is also the former callsign of a TV station in Wagga Wagga New South Wales Australia The YAT-37D seemed like a promising candidate for the job, but the Air Force felt 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 preproduction 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 5,440 kg (12,000 lb), of which 1230 kg (2,700 lb) was warload. The A-37A retained the dual controls of its T-37B ancestor, allowing it to be used as an operational trainer. Dual Control are Mike Ball (also known as Bally and Phil Davis (also known as DJ Styles from Manchester, England.
In combat "forward air control (FAC)" operations, the second seat was occupied by an observer. A forward air controller (FAC is a qualified individual who from a forward position on the ground or in the air directs the action of Military aircraft engaged Only one crewmember normally flew in the aircraft for close support missions, permitting a slight increase in warload.
Operational history
In August 1967, 25 of the 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. Biên Hòa is a city in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam, about 20 miles (30 kilometers east of Ho Chi Minh City, to which Bien Hoa is linked by Vietnam History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. Air interdiction (AI is the use of aircraft to attack tactical ground targets that are not in close proximity to friendly ground forces Warloads included high-explosive bombs, cluster munition dispensers, unguided rocket packs, napalm tanks, and the SUU-11/A Minigun pod. A bomb is any of a range of devices that typically rely on the Exothermic Chemical reaction of an Explosive material to produce an extremely A missile (see also pronunciation differences) is a self-propelled explosive Projectile used as a weapon towards a target Napalm is the name given to any of a number of Flammable Liquids used in Warfare often jellied Gasoline. The idea of the Gun pod as a concept largely came into its prime during and period following World War II. The minigun is a multi-barrel Machine gun with a high rate of fire (several thousand Rounds per minute) employing Gatling -style rotating barrels and an For most missions, the aircraft also carried two additional external tanks on the inner stores pylons.
The A-37As flew thousands of sorties. None were lost to enemy fire, though 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 USAF signed a contract with Cessna in early 1967 for an improved Super Tweet, designated the "A-37B". Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County California in the Antelope The initial order was for 57 aircraft, but this was quickly increased to 127. The A-37Bs were primarily intended to be supplied to the South Vietnamese Air Force VNAF as replacements for their Skyraiders. History The VNAF (abbreviation for V iet N am A ir F orce Vietnamese is "Không Quân Việt Nam" started off as a few hand The A-37B prototype was rolled out in September 1967, with deliveries to the South Vietnamese beginning in 1968. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
The A-37Bs were all newly built airframes. These were stronger than those of the A-37A, capable of pulling 6 g instead of 5, and were built to have a longer fatigue life of 4,000 hours. g-force (also G-force, g-load) is a measurement of an object's Acceleration expressed in g s Field experience would demonstrate that 7,000 hours between overhauls could be tolerated.
The A-37B weighed almost twice as much as the T-37C. A remarkable fraction of the loaded weight, 2. 67 tonnes (5,880 lb), could be comprised of external stores. In practice, the A-37B usually operated with at least two and sometimes four underwing fuel tanks to improve combat endurance.
To get this increased weight off the ground, the A-37B was fitted with General Electric J85-GE-17A engines, providing 12. 7 kN (2,850 lbf) thrust each. These engines were canted slightly outward and downward to improve single-engine handling. Air commando pilots in Vietnam operating the A-37A had found single-engine cruise an effective means of improving their flight endurance.
Modifications were made to control surfaces to improve handling. To improve aircraft and crew survivability, the A-37B was fitted with redundant elevator control runs that were placed as far apart as possible. The ejection seats were armored, the cockpit was lined with nylon flak curtains, and foam-filled self-sealing fuel tanks were installed.
The A-37B added a refueling probe to the nose, leading to pipes wrapped around the lower lip of the canopy, for probe-and-drogue aerial refueling. The minigun is a multi-barrel Machine gun with a high rate of fire (several thousand Rounds per minute) employing Gatling -style rotating barrels and an Aerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling ( IFR) air-to-air refueling ( AAR) or tanking, is This was an unusual fit for USAF aircraft, which traditionally are configured for boom refueling. Other improvements included updated avionics, a redesigned instrument panel to make the aircraft easier to fly from either seat, an automatic engine inlet de-icing system, and revised landing gear. De-icing is the process of removing Ice from a Surface. Anti-icing is the process of Preventing ice from forming on a surface Like its predecessors, the A-37B was not pressurized.
The 20mm GPU-2/A and AMD 30mm cannon pods were tested with favorable results on the A-37B to give it more punch, [1] but reports indicate that such pods were rarely or never used in operation. The idea of the Gun pod as a concept largely came into its prime during and period following World War II.
A total of 577 A-37Bs were built, with 254 delivered to the South Vietnamese Air Force. History The VNAF (abbreviation for V iet N am A ir F orce Vietnamese is "Không Quân Việt Nam" started off as a few hand They reportedly performed well in actions against Communist forces. Before South Vietnam fell in early April 1975, a South Vietnamese Air Force officer, Captain Nguyen Thanh Trung, defected to the Communists in his F-5E and then led strikes against South Vietnamese government positions, with NVAF pilots flying in two squadron of A-37B based at Phuoc Long airbase. Phuoc Long can refer to Phước Long Bac Lieu, a district in Bac Lieu Province in Vietnam Phước Long Binh Phuoc
There were about 187 A-37Bs in South Vietnamese hands when the country fell. "RVN" redirects here RVN is also the former callsign of a TV station in Wagga Wagga New South Wales Australia Ninety-two were recovered by the Americans, while the other 95 were later used by the Communist Vietnamese in missions over Cambodia and during the China conflict in 1979. The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East 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 allies like Poland, the Soviet Union, and East Germany. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state 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. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island
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. Tactical Air Command (TAC it an inactive United States Air Force organization The Air National Guard ( ANG), often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the several states and The Air Force Reserve Command ( AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM of the U In the early 1980s these aircraft were assigned the FAC role and given the designation OA-37B. The OA-37Bs were eventually phased out and replaced in the FAC mission by the much more formidable Fairchild OA-10A Warthog in Regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve service.
The A-37B was also exported to Latin America, mostly during the 1970s. It was well suited to their needs because of its simplicity, low cost, and effectiveness for insurgent warfare. Most of the A-37Bs exported south had the refueling probe shortened to act as a single-point ground refueling probe, or deleted completely.
Concept aircraft
Cessna also proposed enhanced strike variants of the T-37. Lackland Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force operated by the Air Education and Training Command ( AETC) The AT-37E/STOL (short takeoff & landing) concept incorporated more powerful engines, thrust reversers, and big flaps. Side-by-side and tandem seating versions were offered.
The A-37D also had more powerful engines, a centerline gun pod, and a single-seat configuration based on the TNT fuselage. As with the improved trainer concepts, the improved strike versions never flew.
Variants
- YAT-37D
- Two former T-37C trainer prototypes converted for counter-insurgency operations with two J-85-GE engines and six underwing pylons as prototypes for the A-37 series, redesignated YA-37A.
- YA-37A
- Two YAT-37D prototypes redesignated.
- A-37A
- (Cessna Model 318D) T-37B rebuilt with two J-85-GE-5 engines, a 7. 62mm minigun in nose and eight underwing stores pylons, 39 conversions.
- A-37B
- (Cessna Model 318E) Production version with two J-85-GE-17A engines, provision for inflight refuelling, increased fuel capacity and strengthened airframe, 577 built.
- OA-37B
- The OA-37B Dragonfly was an armed observation aircraft developed during the Vietnam War. The OA-37B Dragonfly replaced the aging O-2A Skymaster in the early 1980s. It continued in use with Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units as an observation platform until the 1980s.
Operators
- Chilean Air Force received 44 aircraft - 14 are currently operational. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the The Chilean Air Force ( Spanish: Fuerza Aérea de Chile, FACH) is the Air force of Chile, a branch of the Chilean military
- Colombian Air Force received 32 aircraft - 13 are currently in service(to be withdrawn by 2008)
- Dominican Air Force received 8 aircraft - all units had been written off or destroyed in accidents by March 2001. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. The Colombian Air Force or FAC (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana is the Air Force of The Republic of Colombia. The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with The Military of the Dominican Republic —or Fuerzas Armadas de la República Dominicana consists of approximately 44000 active duty personnel about 35 percent
- Ecuadorian Air Force received 28 aircraft - 20 are still operational. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Ecuador topics. The Ecuadorian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana FAE is the Air arm of the Military of Ecuador.
- El Salvador Air Force received 15 aircraft - 9 are currently in service. El Salvador ( República de El Salvador,) is a country in Central America.
- Guatemalan Air Force received 13 aircraft - 2 remain in service. Guatemala (República de Guatemala) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west the Pacific Ocean to the southwest The Guatemalan Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca or FAG is a small and antiquated air force [2]
- Honduran Air Force received 17 aircraft - 10 remain operational. Honduras in Spanish, República de Honduras) is a democratic republic in Central America. Honduras
- Peruvian Air Force received 53 aircraft - only 10 remain operational. Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. The Peruvian Air Force ( Spanish: Fuerza Aérea del Perú, abbreviated FAP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces
- South Korean Air Force - all replaced by T-50 Golden Eagle. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː The Republic of Korea Air Force ( ROK Air Force, ROKAF, Hanglul: 대한민국 공군 Hanja: 大韓民國 空軍 is the Air force WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Also served with the ROKAF's aerial acrobatic team, the "Black Eagle", up until Seoul Air Show in 2007, the last show which the Black Eagle team used the A-37B.
- Vietnam Air Force received 254 aircraft. "RVN" redirects here RVN is also the former callsign of a TV station in Wagga Wagga New South Wales Australia History The VNAF (abbreviation for V iet N am A ir F orce Vietnamese is "Không Quân Việt Nam" started off as a few hand
- Royal Thai Air Force received 20 aircraft. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj The Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF ( Thai: กองทัพอากาศไทย Kong Thab Akat Thai is the Air force of the Kingdom of Thailand
- Uruguayan Air Force received 14 aircraft - 10 currently in service. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Uruguay.(official full name in República Oriental del Uruguay;, Oriental Republic of Uruguay) is a country located in the southeastern part of South America The Uruguayan Air Force ( Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya or FAU) is one of the three main branches of the Armed Forces of Uruguay under the Uruguayan Ministry of
- Vietnam People's Air Force captured 95 ex-South Vietnamese A-37B aircraft. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Vietnamese Air Force or Không Quân Nhân Dân Việt Nam is the Air force of Vietnam.
Super Tweets remain in service in some of these countries in slowly declining numbers.
Specifications (A-37B Dragonfly)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 32 ft 1 in (9. 79 m)
- Wingspan: 38 ft 5 in (11. The wingspan (or just span) of an airplane or a Bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip 71 m)
- Height: 9 ft 3 in (2. 82 m)
- Wing area: 184 ft² (17. 1 m²)
- Empty weight: 6,210 lb (2,815 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 15,000 lb (6,800 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× General Electric J85-GE-17A turbojets, 2,855 lbf (12. The Maximum Takeoff Weight or Maximum Takeoff Mass of an Aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot of the aircraft is allowed to attempt to take off J85 redirects here for the British Halcyon class minesweeper see HMS Seagull (J85, for the Abscess of lung and mediastinum ICD-10 code see ICD-10 Chapter X Diseases of the TurboJET (噴射飛航 is the brand name for the operations of the Hong Kong -based Shun Tak-China Travel Ship Management Limited (信德中旅船務管理有限公司 7 kN) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 480 mph (420 knots, 770 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 300 mph (260 knots, 480 km/h)
- Range: 800 nm (920 mi, 1,480 km)
- Service ceiling 41,800 ft (12,700 m)
- Rate of climb: 7,000 ft/min (35. In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such The maximal total range is the distance an Aircraft can fly between Takeoff and Landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft or cross-country In Aeronautics, a ceiling is the maximum Density altitude an aircraft can reach under a set of conditions In Aerodynamics, the rate of climb RoC is the speed at which an Aircraft increases its Altitude. 5 m/s)
Armament One GAU-2B/A 7. 62mm Minigun mounted in the nose. Four pylons under each wing can carry a range of weapons including 30mm DEFA-553 cannon, 20mm GPU-2/A cannon, the SUU-11/A 7. 62mm Minigun pod, 19 shot LAU-32A 2. 75 in. rocket pods, Mk. 82 bombs, napalm tanks, SUU-14 bomblet dispensers, multiple Ejection Racks with four 500 lb bombs, and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
References
The initial version of this article was based on a public domain article from Greg Goebel's Vectorsite. For the Soviet light tank see T-37 tank WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Saab 105 is an Aircraft developed in the early sixties as a private venture by Saab for the Swedish Air Force. * List of active United States military aircraft This is a list of currently-active Military aircraft in use by the United States The Guatemalan Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca or FAG is a small and antiquated air force The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
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