Cessna A-37 Dragonfly
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s. The A-37 was introduced during the Vietnam War and remained in peacetime service afterwards.
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.
General characteristics
Crew: 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)
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 knots, 816 km/h) at 16,000 ft
Cruise speed: 489 mph (425 knots, 787 km/h) at 25,000 ft
Range: 800 nm (920 mi, 1,480 km)[citation needed]
Combat radius: 400 nm (460 mi, 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)
Armament
Guns: 1× .308 in (7.62 mm) GAU-2B/A minigun (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), GPU-2/A (1× 20 mm M197 cannon), 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 (×4 on multiple ejector racks), SUU-14 bomblet dispenser
Other: Napalm tanks, SUU-25/A Flare Dispenser