Cessna A-37 Dragonfly

Summary

Category	Combat aircraft
Origin country	🇺🇸 United States
First flight	1 October 1964
Year of introduction	1967
Number produced	577 units
Average unit price	$0.2 million

Description

The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, also known as the Super Tweet, was a light attack aircraft conceived during the Vietnam War in response to the U.S. military's need for a capable counter-insurgency (COIN) platform. The aircraft manufacturer Cessna developed the A-37 from their existing T-37 Tweet basic trainer. A formal evaluation by the USAF in late 1962 determined that the T-37 could be modified for the COIN role. To meet mission demands, the attack-oriented A-37 roughly doubled the T-37's all-up weight and engine thrust, enabling it to carry a significant amount of munitions and mission avionics, along with increased flight endurance. The prototype YAT-37D's first flight occurred in October 1964. Despite positive test results, a production contract was not immediately issued until the increase in combat intensity and aircraft losses became apparent.

The A-37 attack aircraft was derived from the T-37 trainer, with modifications to enhance its combat capabilities. These included strengthened wings, larger wingtip fuel tanks with a capacity of 360 liters each, and additional avionics tailored for battlefield communications, navigation, and targeting. The landing gear was toughened to withstand rough-field operations. For armament, a General Electric GAU-2B/A 7.62 mm "Minigun" was installed in the right side of the nose, providing a high rate of fire of 3,000 rounds per minute, complemented by 1,500 rounds of ammunition and an accompanying gunsight and camera. Furthermore, the aircraft was equipped with three stores pylons on each wing to carry a variety of munitions. Later A-37B models featured further improvements, including updated avionics, a redesigned instrument panel, an automatic engine inlet de-icing system, and revised landing gear, and were powered by General Electric J85-GE-17A engines, canted slightly outward and downward to improve single-engine handling. Pilot and aircraft survivability was improved through redundant elevator control runs, armored ejection seats, nylon flak curtains lining the cockpit, and foam-filled self-sealing fuel tanks.

The A-37B featured eight underwing hardpoints, with the inner four capable of carrying 860 lb (390 kg), the two intermediate 600 lb (270 kg), and the two outer 500 lb (230 kg) each of ordnance, to a total external stores capacity of 5,800 lb (2,600 kg). For self-defense, it housed a GAU-2B/A 7.62 mm (0.300 in) "Minigun" in the nose with 1500 rounds, and could carry SUU-11/A gun pods under the wings. The aircraft was also cleared to carry LAU-3/A rocket pods, AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, 250 lb (110 kg) Mark 81, 500 lb (230 kg) Mark 82 or 750 lb (340 kg) M117 bombs, BLU-32B or BLU-1C/B fire bombs, and CBU-12, CBU-22 or CBU-24 cluster bombs. It could also utilize SUU-14 bomb dispensers. While 20 mm (0.787 in) GPU-2/A and AMD 30 mm (1.18 in) cannon pods were tested, reports indicate that such pods were either seldom or never used in operation.

In August 1967, 25 A-37As were deployed to Vietnam under the "Combat Dragon" evaluation program, operating from Bien Hoa Air Base on USAF missions that included close air support, helicopter escort, FAC, and night interdiction, armed with high-explosive bombs, cluster munition dispensers, unguided rocket packs, napalm tanks, and the SUU-11/A Minigun pod. The A-37As flew thousands of sorties during this period; while none were lost to enemy fire, two were wrecked in landing accidents. Though formally named the "Dragonfly", it was often referred to as the "Super Tweet" by many pilots. The USAF signed a contract with Cessna in early 1967 for an improved Super Tweet, designated the "A-37B", primarily intended to be supplied to the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) as replacements for their A-1 Skyraiders, with deliveries to the South Vietnamese beginning in 1968. A total of 577 A-37Bs were constructed, 254 of which being delivered to the RVNAF and, by the war's end, the A-37 had flown over 160,000 combat sorties, during which only 22 USAF aircraft were recorded as lost due to combat, operating in the south, as well as in neighboring Laos and Cambodia, where it was typically used to support US ground forces. Following the conflict's end, the USAF opted to transfer their A-37Bs from the USAF Tactical Air Command (TAC) to TAC-gained units in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. A-37Bs were used extensively by the Salvadoran Air Force during the Salvadoran Civil War and the A-37B was also exported to Latin America.

Main Variants:

YAT-37D: Two former T-37C trainer prototypes converted for counter-insurgency operations, serving as prototypes for the A-37 series with enhanced engines and six underwing pylons.
A-37A: A rebuilt T-37B variant featuring two J-85-GE-5 engines, a 7.62 mm Minigun in the nose, and eight underwing stores pylons, with 39 conversions made.
A-37B: The primary production model incorporating two J-85-GE-17A engines, in-flight refueling capabilities, increased fuel capacity, and a strengthened airframe, with 577 units constructed.
OA-37B: A specialized armed observation aircraft adapted during the Vietnam War, designed for forward air control and reconnaissance missions.
B.J.6: The Thai designation for the A-37B variant, indicating its service within the Royal Thai Air Force.

Technical specifications

Version: A-37B
Maximum speed	816 km/h (507 mph)
Wing area	17.1 m² (184.0 sqft)
Wingspan	10.9 m (35.9 ft)
Height	2.7 m (8.9 ft)
Length	8.6 m (28.3 ft)
Service ceiling	12730 m (41765 ft)
Empty weight	2817 kg (6210 lbs)
Max. takeoff weight	6350 kg (13999 lbs)
Climb rate	35.5 m/s (116.5 ft/s)
Powerplant	2 × turbojets General Electric J85-GE-17A delivering 1293 kgp
Ejection seat	Weber M2F2