Profile image

A-37B Dragonfly RVNAF

116k Inuyasha8215  2.5 years ago

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.

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. 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. Like its predecessors, the A-37B was not pressurized. The A-37 excelled at close air support. It could engage targets at speeds 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. 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.

Controls:
AG2: Jettison bombs
AG3: Jettison rocket pods
VTOL: Flaps
Trim: Adjust trim

General Characteristics

  • Successors 1 airplane(s) +28 bonus
  • Created On Windows
  • Wingspan 30.1ft (9.2m)
  • Length 25.0ft (7.6m)
  • Height 8.0ft (2.4m)
  • Empty Weight N/A
  • Loaded Weight 5,135lbs (2,329kg)

Performance

  • Power/Weight Ratio 1.312
  • Wing Loading 28.0lbs/ft2 (136.6kg/m2)
  • Wing Area 183.6ft2 (17.1m2)
  • Drag Points 878

Parts

  • Number of Parts 305
  • Control Surfaces 8
  • Performance Cost 1,037