Amped Up and Combat Capable
The A-37B had a higher G-load rating, longer airframe structural fatigue life, uprated and even more powerful GE J85 engines, improved control surfaces resulting in better handling, armored ejection seats, self-sealing fuel tanks, and flak curtains installed in the cockpit for crew added crew protection. A refueling probe was added to the nose. The instrument panel was optimized for flight from either seat, avionics were improved, and the landing gear was strengthened again to handle the higher weight of the aircraft. The second seat often went unoccupied in Air Force A-37Bs.
Making a Stellar Name for Itself
The A-37B’s ability to lug 5,800 pounds of ordnance while attacking targets at slower speeds added up to an excellent COIN asset with the ability to loiter in the vicinity of action on the ground; albeit not as long as the venerable Skyraider, but for a long time compared to its contemporaries. The straight wings and maneuverability of the Super Tweet allowed it do its job effectively in tight spaces the faster jets could not enter. Close air support and Air Commando pilots would shut down one of the two J85s in flight to stretch endurance even more- a decidedly unnatural act but it worked. The USAF 6th, 8th, 24th 90th, 317th, and 604th SOSs all operated A-37Bs in Vietnam.
Left in a Lurch
Cessna built 577 A-37Bs in Wichita. The South Vietnamese Air Force took delivery of 254 of them. When the war in Vietnam ended the A-37Bs had done many jobs well and often, flying more than 160,000 combat sorties. American A-37B losses totaled 22 aircraft (all causes). The South Vietnamese lost roughly three times that many of their A-37Bs. When the North Vietnamese finally came south in numbers roughly half of the surviving A-37Bs in South Vietnamese service were recovered by American forces. The rest were captured.
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To the Guard They Went
Air National Guard (ANG) and Air Force Reserve squadrons became the new owners of the USAF A-37Bs after the war in Vietnam ended. These former Tactical Air Command (TAC) airframes had service life remaining and were utilized as FAC aircraft under the designation OA-37B. The Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Michigan, and Wisconsin Air National Guard all operated the OA-37B for a period of time during the 1970s and 1980s after Air Force Reserve Squadrons exchanged them for other aircraft. Each state in turn eventually replaced their OA-37Bs with Fairchild Republic OA-10 Thunderbolt IIs.
Captured Jets Show Up in the Weirdest Places
Remember those A-37Bs that were captured when the North came south near the end in Vietnam? The North Vietnamese used them against Cambodia and during their 1979 conflict with China. After being removed from service during the late 1970s and early 1980s, several of the airplanes were shipped to exotic places like Czechoslovakia, Poland, East Germany, and the Soviet Union. Several now reside in museums within those countries, or what’s left of them, today. A few were also sold to private foreign owners.
Another Combat Dragon
With all the talk about replacing the superbly built-for-task A-10 with a “light attack” aircraft these days, the parallels between the development of the A-37 from the T-37 and the various turboprop trainers in use being developed into light attack aircraft are striking. Remember the name used for the original combat evaluation of the A-37? It was Combat Dragon. A similar combat evaluation of the latest upgraded old-school cool North American OV-10G+ Bronco light attack COIN aircraft was recently conducted under the moniker Combat Dragon II. What goes around comes around.
Little Workhorses
Air Force records indicate that the A-37 Dragonfly flew 68,741 missions (not sorties- missions) between 1967 and 1974, which works out to an average of 818 missions per month. The Air Force pilots who flew many of those missions take exception to the Air Force numbers. Understandably so, because many of their squadrons logged 1,000 missions per month. Several times.
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Bowing Out and Going Down South
Either way the Air Force definitely got its money’s worth out of the Super Tweet long before they started retiring them. The last active duty OA-37Bs were flown by the 24th Composite Wing down in Panama until 1992. The 169th Tactical Air Support Squadron with the Illinois National Guard also retired their OA-37Bs in 1992. Several Central and South American countries still operate Super Tweets. Current and former operators of the Cessna A-37 Dragonfly include Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, South Korea, Thailand, the United States, and Uruguay.
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Bonus Videos!
The two videos below give you a double shot of the Super Tweet experience. The first vid is a flight recorded from inside the cockpit. The second is a flight demonstration recorded from the ground. Enjoy!