Cessna A-37 Dragonfly (Super Tweet) Attack Jet With Deadly Weapons

The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly is a low-wing light fighter built in 1963 by modifying the fuselage of the T-37 Tweety Bird trainer. Although it looks similar, in reality not much equipment can be shared between the two models. The weapon stations were placed on the underside of the wings and the wingtips housed oil tanks. The cockpit was given more advanced AVIONICS equipment and rocking chairs, and the ability to refill oil during flight. A 20mm cannon was also installed.

As this modification involved adding weight to the aircraft, two more powerful General Electric J85-GE-17A engines were installed which provided 2,850 lbs of thrust. The aircraft has a wingspan of 35 feet 10 inches, a length of 29 feet 3 inches and a height of 8 feet 10 inches. The maximum weight of the aircraft is 7000 kg and it can fly at a maximum speed of 800 km/h. It can fly up to an altitude of 14,000 meters. The aircraft has a crew of 2. The armament of the A-37 Dragonfly aircraft includes one 7.62mm minigun in the muzzle and 2400 kg of war load that can be mounted on 8 weapon stations on the wings. Other layouts could involve mounting two machine gun pods, 2 2.75-inch rocket launchers and 4 bombs. A total of 577 A-37 aircraft were built by Cessna over a 10-year period. These aircraft were widely used during the Vietnam War and some were handed over to the Republic of Vietnam Air Force.