The LTV A-7 Corsair II is an American carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV). The A-7 was developed during the early 1960s as replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Its design was derived from the Vought F-8 Crusader; in comparison with the F-8, the A-7 is both smaller and restricted to subsonic speeds, its airframe being simpler and cheaper to produce. Following a competitive bid by Vought in response to the United States Navy's (USN) VAL (Heavier-than-air, Attack, Light) requirement, an initial contract for the type was issued on 8 February 1964. Development was rapid, first flying on 26 September 1965 and entering squadron service with the USN on 1 February 1967; by the end of that year, A-7s were being deployed overseas for the Vietnam War. Initially adopted by USN, the A-7 proved attractive to other services, soon being adopted by the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Air National Guard (ANG) to replace their aging Douglas A-1 Skyraider and North American F-100 Super Sabre fleets. Improved models of the A-7 would be developed, typically adopting more powerful engines and increasingly capable avionics. American A-7s would be used in various major conflicts, including the Invasion of Grenada, Operation El Dorado Canyon, and the Gulf War. The type was also used to support the development of the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk. The A-7 was also exported to Greece in the 1970s and to Portugal in the late 1980s. The USAF and USN opted to retire their remaining examples of the type in 1991, followed by the ANG in 1993 and the Portuguese Air Force in 1999. The A-7 was largely replaced by newer generation fighters such as the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The final operator, the Hellenic Air Force, withdrew the last A-7s during 2014. In 1960, officials within the United States Navy (USN) began to consider the need to replace its existing fleet of Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, a light attack aircraft.At that time, it was not clear that the A-4 would eventually remain in production until 1979; furthermore, according to aviation authors Bill Gunston and Peter Gilchrist, some figures believed there to be an unmet requirement for a more capable attack platform that could routinely attain supersonic speeds, carry heavier payloads, and fly further than its predecessors. Proponents of a new attack aircraft included Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, who urged the Navy's consideration on the matter. General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 46 ft 2 in (14.06 m) Wingspan: 38 ft 9 in (11.8 m) Width: 23 ft 9 in (7.24 m) wings folded Height: 16 ft 1 in (4.9 m) Wing area: 374.9 sq ft (34.83 m2) Airfoil: NACA 65A007 root and tip Empty weight: 19,127 lb (8,676 kg) Max takeoff weight: 41,998 lb (19,050 kg) overload condition. Fuel capacity: 1,338 US gal (5,060 l; 1,114 imp gal) (10,200 lb (4,600 kg)) internal Powerplant: 1 × Allison TF41-A-2 non-afterburning turbofan engine, 15,000 lbf (66.7 kN) thrust Performance Maximum speed: 600 kn (690 mph, 1,100 km/h) at sea level 562 kn (1,041 km/h; 647 mph) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) with 12x Mk82 bombs 595 kn (1,102 km/h; 685 mph) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) after dropping bombs Range: 1,070 nmi (1,231 mi, 1,981 km) maximum internal fuel Ferry range: 1,342 nmi (1,544 mi, 2,485 km) with maximum internal and external fuel Service ceiling: 42,000 ft (13,000 m) Rate of climb: 15,000 ft/min (76.2 m/s) Wing loading: 77.4 lb/sq ft (378 kg/m2) Thrust/weight: 0.50 (full internal fuel, no stores) Sustained maneuvering performance: 5,300 ft (1,600 m) turning radius at 4.3g and 500 kn (930 km/h; 580 mph) at an All Up Weight (AUW) of 28,765 lb (13,048 kg) Take-off run: 1,705 m (5,594 ft) at 42,000 lb (19,000 kg) Armament Guns: 1× M61A1 Vulcan 20 mm (0.79 in) rotary cannon with 1,030 rounds Hardpoints: 6× under-wing and 2× fuselage pylon stations (for mounting AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs only) with a capacity of 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) total capacity, with provisions to carry combinations of: Rockets: 4× LAU-10 rocket pods (each with 4× 127 mm (5.00 in) Zuni rockets) Missiles: *** 2× AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile 2× AGM-45 Shrike anti-radiation missile 2× AGM-62 Walleye TV-guided glide bomb 2× AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile 2× AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile 2× GBU-8 HOBOS electro-optically guided glide bomb Bombs: *** Up to 30× 500 lb (230 kg) Mark 82 bombs or Mark 80 series of unguided bombs (including 6.6 lb (3 kg) and 31 lb (14 kg) practice bombs) Paveway series of laser-guided bombs Up to 4× B28, B43, B57, B61 or B83 nuclear bombs Other: up to 4 × 300 US gal (1,100 l; 250 imp gal), 330 US gal (1,200 l; 270 imp gal), or 370 US gal (1,400 l; 310 imp gal) drop tanks #corsair #a7 #A7corsair