A-37 Dragonfly

[Alboy]

Served around these aircraft while at Forbes AFB near Topeka Kansas 72-73. Helped close the base as a matter of fact. The reserves flew these. Regular AF were flying C-130's, trash haulers and a special radar camera bird.
 
I was green as grass but made my second stripe at Forbes before transfering to Hurlburt Field in the summer of '73.

[RatherBHuntin]

Odd looking bird, how long were they around?

[Alboy]

HERE IS A CUT AND PASTE FROM THE A-37 DRAGONFLY WEB SITE

A Tribute to The A-37

"Smallest Fighter, Fastest Gun"

Page by Dennis Selvig

This aircraft was brought into service in a rush by the USAF during the Viet Nam war.  It was the only aircraft to undergo operational testing in actual combat (Combat Dragon).

 Nicknamed "The Dragonfly" the aircraft nobly served the United States Air Force, Republic of Viet Nam Air Force, US Air Force Guard and Reserve units, and several Air Forces of Central and South America.  Its reliability, agility, and accuracy made it the perfect close air support aircraft for low intensity conflict.  It served those who were involved with her very well and we still admire and respect her.

Versions
The A-37 started out life as a re-make or upgrade of the Cessna T-37 trainer aircraft.  The plane was fitted with hard points on the wings, a weapons panel, gunsight, and T-38 engines.  It became the A-37/A.   Although many pilots felt this version was the best, the Air Force thought it was lacking in several areas and made a newer, upgraded version.

The next version had improved aileron booster tabs to increase control, a far better armament panel, and F-5 engines, sans the afterburners.   It also had a thicker, more camberous wing and was fitted with an air refueling probe.  This version was the A-37/B.

Later in life, as the aircraft assumed different roles for various Air Forces , it became the OA-37B although it was essentially unchanged from the A-37/B.

Combat Record
During the SouthEast Asian War it served mostly in the III and IV Corps areas of South Viet Nam.  It was especially well suited for troops in contact situations where its accuracy and loiter time made it a favorite of the FAC's as well as ground troops and commanders.   Its achievements in combat were recognized by awarding A-37 units the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.  It flew over 165,000 sorties in Viet Nam!

The Dragonfly pulled alert duty at Bien Hoa Air Base (about 30 miles from Saigon) and from there was able to reach into most of the southern areas of South Viet Nam.  It flew both day and night missions in visual meteorological conditions.

The moderate speed of the aircraft gave it much greater accuracy than other fighters of that time.  The speed caused experienced enemy gunners to overlead the aircraft and shoot in front of it.  The A-37's small size also reduced its vulnerability and increased survivability.  It did not go through the war without losses, but its survivability surprised many.

One of the few aircraft made with an unusual ability, it could carry its own weight.  This meant a combat configuration of 4 Mk82 500 lb bombs, 2 pods of rockets, and a load of gun ammo.   This was equivalent to the load carried by the F-100 Super Saber (not counting the 20MM gun).  In close range missions, the A-37 could actually get bombs on target faster than the F-100 since the "Hun" had to burn off some fuel before it could go to work.  It could also hit the target, climb up to pattern altitude and return to make another pass quicker than any other fighter.

Training the USAF and VNAF
Upgrade training took place at England AFB, Alexandria, Louisiana.   Initially, USAF pilots went through the course enroute to Viet Nam, but eventually many of the pilots returned to England to train the Viet Nam Air Force pilots.  Guard and Reserve pilots also began to be trained there.  During the Dragonfly's tour of duty at Alex, it shared airspace with C-47's, F-100s, and A-7Ds.

The fall of South Viet Nam
By the time Viet Nam fell, the VNAF had several squadrons of A-37s in operation, manned by our student trainees from England AFB.  As these bases were taken over by North Viet Nam forces, several of our students managed to fly south and later evacuated South Viet Nam.  Some of the pilots eventually made their way to the States

Southern and Overseas Air Forces.   Comments by John Lamb
Chile, Equador, Peru, possibly Paraguay, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic are the countries that I know for sure have flown and are still flying to A-37.  I have flown with Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, and have honorary wings of the Dominican Air Force.  They have a web site with an A-37 photo.   My last flight in the USAF was with the Dominicans in 1994.  The Ecuadorians bought a special package from Israel and modified a few of their jets to carry the Shafir II heat seeking air-to-air missile.  I taught their pilots BFM in the spring/ their fall of 1994.  The best A-37 pilots in that region were the El Salvadorians because they were the only ones with real combat experience and the maturity that comes with it.   The ones in Thailand were abandoned by the VNAF at the end of the war.  I think Korea also inherited a few when the 19th TASS finally quit flying them in the mid 80's.  LAMBO

What was it like to fly?
See Flying and Operating the A-37

SPECIFICATIONS
Span: 35 ft. 10 in.
Length: 29 ft. 4 in.
Height: 8 ft. 2 in.
Weight: 11,700 lbs. max.
Armament: Max. of 3,000 lbs. including one GAU-2/A 7.62mm "Gattling" gun, plus additional gun pods, high-explosive bombs, fire bombs, rockets, grenades, and/or missiles
Engines: Two General Electric J85s of 2,400 lbs. thrust each
Cost: $161,000

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 485 mph.
Cruising speed: 425 mph.
Range: 270 miles with 3,000 lb. load
Service Ceiling: 36,000 ft.

The YA-37A shown at right is at the
Air Force Museum,
Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.
United States Air Force Museum