I was crew chief on one of those A-7's stationed at Nellis. My old jet crashed about a year after I left the AF, but I still check tail numbers whenever I see a video like this.
My dad spent more than 25 years in the USAF and AZ ANG. He worked on planes from the B-47 to the F-16 but the A-7 was his favorite. Thanks for reminding me of all the great conversations we had about this plane.
corsairs and skyraiders were once an infantry mans favorite sight, when they were overhead you knew you had pilots wanting to get down and dirty against the enemy. the skyraider was an amazing weapons platform that doesn't get the recognition it deserves.
The US Navy and the USAF literally flew the A-1 till they wore the airframes wore out. By the 1960s most of the US A-1s had bad and shorted wiring (wing cannons jamming or exploding was a concern). The planes also had stress fractures in the wings. The USAF took over Navy A-1s that had lower maintenance hours and flew them until they had no choice but to replace them with A-7Ds.
I know nobody wants to give up the A-10 (except some brass) but the ideas for replacing it were worth discussing. One of the proposals was to bring back a single prop airplane like the A-1. For the cost of operating one A-10 the AF could operate more than four of these (there were also four different planes being considered, I forget their names). They could get down in the dirt even more than the A-10, believe it or not, and have excellent endurance. None of the proposals carried as much as the A-10, though (only bombers can). Anyway, that is what the whole discussion was about in regards to obsoleting the A-10. (There is also a stealthy CAS proposal that seems pretty cool.)
@@eb3279 You don't want to get down in the dirt even more unless you're avoiding radar. The requirement to get low is entirely based on older aircraft forcing pilots to visually acquire ground targets when they were flying too fast and too high for it. Now with targeting pods the need to get low has been reduced, and in fact its undesirable to make yourself an easy target.
I was on USS Kitty Hawk from 1969-72. Quite often, our Airdales would load up the A-7s with bombs and rockets, but little fuel, then immediately after takeoff, refuel from A-6 tankers before heading off to drop weapons. That allowed them to take off with more ordinance.
As a Forward Air Controller, I controlled many an A7 doing Close Air Support training. Was always impressed by the accuracy of ordnance delivery. It was especially impressive the day a pilot inadvertently dropped his whole bomb load at once, instead of making multiple passes dropping one bomb at a time. The noise monitoring station freaked out, but it was a sight to see.
While returning from Med cruise, we did a family cruise (Sons & Fathers) from Spain to Florida. We did an airshow for the folks. During the show a lone S-3 Viking started approaching the ship... I was thinking "This is so LAME! What's he gonna do, wiggle his radar???" (Because I never saw the Viking do anything...!) And then he releases this bomb load (What? 20 bombs or more?) that looked like a miniature Armageddon! So.....Once I peeled my jaw off the deck...😮
Tough bird, nice plane to work on as long as you keep your distance from it’s intake. They were Maneaters I was trained in A-7Es. Maintenance, served US Navy 73-76 damn good jet
My first Navy tour was in an A-7 squadron out of Lemoore, CA in '79. I took that excellent airplane for granted back then, but would love to work on it again. The good old days! I can even still smell the cockpit!
I remember as a kid, during my summer holidays in Evoia island (Greece), these planes to appear from nowhere, flying just above the tree tops, disappearing towards the sea flying sharp just above the water. Year after year, some times we briefly had the opportunity to see the pilot and wave hands. I loved that plane (contrary to the screaming f104s)...
Going from Scooters (A-4) to the A-7B, what impressed me was how much fuel the A-7 could carry. The A-4 carried 5,200 pounds internal and a pair of 300 gallon drops for 7,200 pounds. The A-7 carried a hair over 10,000 pounds fuel internal and could carry up to four, drop tanks. When VA-305 went aboard Ranger, no surprise we configured aircraft as tankers.
Was stationed at Pt Mugu, and worked in the IMA/AIMD in shop 65G. Think I was the very last person to go through most of the FRAMP schools at Lemoore for AQ's supporting A7's. Did heads up displays, projected map displays, inertial measurement unit, armament station control units, doppler radar and all the test benches used for that.
We worked on A7's in Cecil field back in the 80's. I remember transitioning to the F/A18 and everyone was concerned about the payload differences... at the time the A7 could carry a boat ton of different ordinance and a lot of it.
As a kid during the Persian Gulf War I really liked seeing this plane on the news. For some reason I just like its aesthetic. Cool little attacker. Old but cool and reliable.
I was a crew chief on the A-7 from 1975 through 1979 at England AFB in Alexandria Louisiana. Many aircraft scenes in this video showing the EL tail letters came from there. The A-7 won many bombing competitions and participated in the first Red Flag at Nellis AFB in Nevada in 1976.
When I was little my dad was a teacher and flew A7s for the ANG on the weekend. One time he snuck me into a simulator at Wright-Patterson. This was about 1983. It was basically a big room full of '80s computer equipment and the disembodied cockpit section of an A7. My feet couldn't reach the rudder pedals, and they were super hard to push. It didn't exactly have advanced graphics. Firing an AIM-9 wasn't spectacular. But it was a real military simulator, and I was in a real A7 cockpit with the actual HUD. And a laser HUD was a pretty badass thing in 1983. As a 7-year-old I thought it was the coolest thing ever. My dad always had two big bullets on his bookshelf - a 20×102mm that his A7 shot, and a 30×173mm from an A-10. The 20mm one was kinda old and beat up, and I could take the bullet out of the casing and put it back in. The 30mm had a plastic ring (like really smooth nylon) on the top and a lot of interesting details. He told me it had a depleted uranium core and if you shot a tank with it the uranium would go through the armor and get white hot and bounce around like a pinball machine inside the tank. There was a GI Joe toy A-10 but they wouldn't get it for me. Then when I was in about 3rd grade they got GPU-5/A gun pods at the Air Guard. They were huge pods that hung under the wings of the A7 and fired the 30mm shells from the A-10. He said they tried them out, but it was pretty dangerous to have just one because it would make the plane yaw too much, so they put them under both wings, and the first time they tried shooting them when they came back the crew said it cracked the wing spar, so they didn't get to shoot the big bullets anymore.
I work for a jet engine manufacturer during the 80's and heard that the marine corps did not want to give up the close air support of the A7. We had put out a plan to rengine the plane to extend it's life.
Excellent summary of the A-7. Well done. One niggle, pylon count. 1,2 & 3 was one wing, then 4 & 5 the fuselage Sidewinder rails, then 6, 7, 8 on the other wing. This means the inboard fuel tank hung on pylons 3 & 6.
In 1987, our carrier air wing included two squadrons of A-7s, along with A-6 Intruders, & F-14 Tomcats. The flight deck crew nicknamed the A-7, the "gator", from it's intake at the front of the fuselage. The F-8 Crusader was a fighter version of the Corsair II, having an afterburner (making it look like a stretched Corsair II), and a "tilt" wing. Until the Tomcat came along, the previous Navy fighter with a built in gun was the F-8. The F-4 used a gun pod, as an attempt to correct the mistake McDonnell Douglas made by not including a gun in the Phantom II. Note: the A-7 Corsair required a trap, while landing in the rain, at NAS Memphis in the late 80s. A single arresting wire were stretched across each end of the runway for their traps on the runway. The approach speed of an A-7 Corsair II back aboard ship was 145 kts. The first two aircraft of the returning strike package were always A-7s, at least until we got to Gonzo station.
I want to commend you for a great presentation. Well researched and the footage of the Air Force A7 ( F model concept version with a afterburning engine ) is the first video ive seen. Ive seen photos and had the pleasure in 1988 of actually doing a walk around and getting a peak inside the concept F model . I lived in the Dallas Fort Worth ( DFW ) area as young man. Several friends parents and friends worked at Vought LTV at the time. My time out at Vought and living in a Air Force family influenced me in my military career as a combat controller. Thanks again for sharing this video.
Long before the A-10 Thunderbolt, the A-7 performed the same mission. The dual 20MM cannons had the same throw weight as the A-10s single 30MM cannon, minus the now prohibited use of depleted uranium ammunition. The post Vietnam War, anti-armor, close air support doctrine we still use today used the A-7. Excellent video..!
MuscleDad420 Might want to brush up on policy. The 30MM Depleted Rounds used by the A-10:have been prohibited since 2017 and are prohibited from using the.on ALL Allied weapon ranges in Europe and elsewhere. Exceptions can be made in war time but no new stocks of 30MM DU rounds have been produced in over 10 years and the politics of environmentalists make it unlikely in war time. There was one “recent” exception however and in included the like. www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/02/16/the-pentagon-said-it-wouldnt-use-depleted-uranium-rounds-against-isis-months-later-it-did-5265-times/
We had one at the air show in Duluth back in the day. On the final day of the show the jets were leaving for their home bases and guys being guys they would scoot down the run way then launch vertically. It was impressive. Until it was the A-7's turn. That poor guy kept the A-7 on the deck until the very last moment then pulled back. It rose. Like a gooney bird. Hey, he made the effort!
In the late 80’s there was a proposed upgrade to the airframe to add an afterburner to make it supersonic capable. The proposal was declined as the Navy favored continuity in their carrier air wings electing to develop the F/A-18 Super Hornet to replace aging airframes to carry out a number of roles (fighter/attack/light bomber).
You could always tell when they were recovering the A7s on Nimitz, even when below deck. They land like bricks falling from the sky, just slamming the deck and arresting gear above.... But very effective planes. I always liked them.
Es que el Corsair ll cumplió siempre con las misiones de combate para las que fue construido. En aquellos tiempos de 1996 era muy conocido como el jet lento .
My grandfather was in the A-7 project that flew from Nellis to Tonopah. Bandit153 was his callsign. He is a man I very much love and have so much respect for.
I used to work at the plant that built these. Talked with some old timers and one of the stores was about the 1st test fire of the M61. Vibrations caused panels and hatches to pop off like something out of a cartoon. Another involved a security guard convincing the janitorial staff that the assembly line was haunted. He would hide a radio in an intake and hide then start talking to the janitors as they were cleaning. And I saved a cutout line drawing of a D/E model from the trash while i was there. Now it is framed in my home office
I don't remember seeing or hearing this fact, the A-7 had one other benefit for a carrier and that was it was capable of an unassisted (no catapult) launch, so if the "cats" were down up to a pair of A-7s could be launched with AIM-9 Sidewinders for combat air patrol (CAP) to protect the carrier.
Tantas vezes patrulhou a minha casa em Portugal, fazendo voos rasantes. Que saudades. Agora só no museu da Força Aérea ou como gate guard nas bases aéreas. Parabéns pelo teu trabalho.
Também fazia rasantes sobre a minha terra natal (Peniche). Lembro-me que era bastante barulhento... mais do que os F-16. Nos anos 80, um A-7 teve o azar de "atropelar" uma gaivota perto do Cabo Carvoeiro e acabou por despenhar-se no mar, perto do Baleal. O piloto ejetou-se e não sofreu nada. (A minha paixão por aviões começou em Beja quando era muito miúdo e vi passar um Panavia Tornado Alemão rente ao telhado da casa onde estava... lol)
Absolutely love almost all your videos. And especially like the opening that you have on this video. I've seen others that don't have this opening. I like this one the best.
Yeah just to add a wee bit of info to your great and most impressive presentation on the the SLUF, Thailand also operated the type.Again most enjoyable.
In the early 80's I was assigned to the 9th AF IG team. We inspected ANG and AFR units. Some of the best Air Guard maintenance units were SC ANG and MI ANG, with a really good unit at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Those folks could generate sorties at an astounding rate and were a match for any of the active USAF units I was ever assigned to. Good video!
Some of that video at the end, appeared to be from Selfridge ANG in Michigan. I remember watching the A7's and F4's as a kid there. I still live walking distance. I was fortunate to spend a lot of time in the A7 Simulator until they retired the planes and brought in F16's. I also remember reading a supersonic version of the A7 was developed. But, it never saw service. Currently Selfridge ANG is home to A10's
I was assigned to an A7-B Attack Squadron VA-155 based out of NAS Lemoore CA. from 1971-1974 made 3 Vietnam West Pac tours aboard the USS Oriskay. I was a Jet Mechanic but also was a Plane Captain and worked as an ordnance loader. I thought it was a great aircraft in that it could carry a variety of weapons. The Pratt&Whitney TF-30 P408 was what power our A7s. It was a great engine over the A models in that it did not smoke as much as the A7A. The last 6 months of my service I worked in the AIMD jet shop rebuilding TF30s. That engine was used for many years there after in slightly modified versions.
My father was an aircraft mechanic in the army with a staff sergeant rank, he was just fixing these kind of planes like duaglas, F5, A-7 and some other things . I’m kinda proud I’m his son... I know that isn’t smth but still I love planes
This was one of the best CAS/attack aircrafts in aviation's history, in the'Nam had one of the lower ratio losses, it was a worth successor of the A4. It's a pity didn't had the success in exports it deserved.
I worked on A7-E variant I was an Aviation Fire Control Technician (AQ) as such when assigned to a VA 122 I was designated as a weapons system specialist. I got put on Check Crew doing every scheduled inspection, 10 day, all the way through the the 180 day inspections, I worked on almost all systems on the aerocraft, from tip to tail, ray dome to tail pipe. The A7-E could carry Nukes, it had a blast shield to protect the pilot's eyes. One interesting with 6 Multi Ejection Racks, MER, attached 36 500lb bombs could be carried but only 32 could be dropped because the 4 inboard bombs hit the wheel doors and jammed them, Pilots did not like that. The normal load out was, 1100 rounds of 20mm, two drop tanks, two Side Winders, plus 2 1000 lbs or 750 lbs bombs, or a MER or TER (Triple Ejection Rack), The SLUF could carry all sorts of other ordnance as needed. and the F in SLUF did not stand for Fellow, you can figure out what it did stand for, hint it was one of George Carlin's 7 words you can't say on TV. It, the A7 was a good bomb truck. Using the dive toss release a bomb could be slung over 20 miles, the over the shoulder release was also used, as will. after that I was reassigned to the Coral Sea, CVA 43 and worked of A6A search radar. That's enough proabaly too much.
Was an A7 plane captain. loved the A-7, transitioned to the f/a-18. Didn't have the range of the A-7e. You need long legs to be a successful naval aircraft in times of war.
Hornet A’s and C’s were pretty dang successful for 30 years in a lot of combat for having such “short” legs. After launch, everyone hit the tanker outbound to the target inbound back to mother.
I feel like I’m the only one who love the look of the Corsair ! Lol I just love the giant intake under the nose of the plain , it always looked cool to me as a kid !
My uncle is an officer of the Greek Air Force and was one of the last to fly them. They were superb aircraft and perfect at their role. He has around 2.5 k flight hours with the A-7H and his descriptions are amazing. They would take these planes a couple of meters over the treetops of a valley, then climb out of them and strike targets without any warning. I used to think they are ugly, but they've really grown on me.
I remember when i saw one flying over my house in the city of komotini unfortunately it crashed 😢😢 and that was the reason that Greece retired them from service in 2015
Used to watch the documentaries in Greece on the government channel. Corsair pilots were crazy to fly so low! Remembering how the home windows used to clatter!
The F-8 was easily one of the most underrated aircraft of the era. The Royal Navy was offered a Spey powered version as an alternative to the Phantom. For a number of reasons, I think it actually would have been a better choice. For the FAA at least, not sure about the RAF.
Personally I always loved the look of the A-6 and A-7. The only other aircraft I've liked the look of, is the F-4 Phantom-II, because it's just such a huge beast, like a muscle car of the skies.
Wuh? The A-7 is easily one of the ugliest planes the US Navy put to service (in my opinion). Not saying it's bad, but it's just so damn ugly. The only thing that comes close is the F4U Corsair.
@@jamesshelley4865 the Starfighter that thing was a long tube with two wings bolted on it was ugly as hell the now f3h demon that's a cool locken plane
The A-7 was one of my favorite jets, however, I talked to an A-7 pilot on the USS Forrestal (CV-59). (Sometimes called "The FID" *First in Defense*... Or other times as the Firestall, Forrest Fire, USS Zippo...) *I digress*.... The pilot mentioned that as good as the jet was, that at higher speeds that great big air scoop would make the nose yank down and could be unnerving...
I flew A7s on the FID, and it wasn’t me that told you that. I think that pilot was messing with you because that definitely did not happen at high speeds.
I can't wait either but I'm not interested in the early access. I'm sick of DCS modules selling off of hype and getting stuck in early access for years.
Interesting fact: A-7 was nearly bought back in the days by Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was maybe the only communist country that had some of western weapons and equipment (for example, F-86 and 104, a bit of artillery as well as some other small equipment). However, it was decided not to go with this in favor of development of domestic attack aircraft. The program was later completed in cooperation with Romania and it is now known as J-22 Orao. Unfortunately... Later, when a new fighter was to be taken, almost the same thing happened and Yugoslavia was considering the licence for making the F-20 after it was not accepted by US armed forces. Once again, they went with getting a few MiG-29 (which YU got instead of money for a debt USSR had) as temporary solution until domestic fighter could be made. Yugoslav fighter development was known as Project "Novi Avion" or short NA (meaning literally "New Aircraft"). But Yugoslav wars and Yugoslavia falling apart stopped it all in development phase (only cockpit was partially completed for testing).
I remember that. My country - Greece - sold to the communist Yugoslavia their F-84G when they have replaced them with F-84F ( back in 1958 ). This transaction was met with the consent of the U.S. government.
@@catfood_03_4stray Some of it were given directly by USA after a break-up with Stalin and his threats to invade Yugoslavia. However, Tito and Stalin later became friends again and that was it.
I pumped a LOT of fuel (JP-5) into A-7's aboard the USS Coral Sea during my Navy time, never heard a bad word about it from the people that worked on it or operated it. Thanks for the little trip down memory lane... even though there were more green machines than white and gray ones. LOL
I was crew chief on one of those A-7's stationed at Nellis. My old jet crashed about a year after I left the AF, but I still check tail numbers whenever I see a video like this.
My dad spent more than 25 years in the USAF and AZ ANG. He worked on planes from the B-47 to the F-16 but the A-7 was his favorite. Thanks for reminding me of all the great conversations we had about this plane.
corsairs and skyraiders were once an infantry mans favorite sight, when they were overhead you knew you had pilots wanting to get down and dirty against the enemy. the skyraider was an amazing weapons platform that doesn't get the recognition it deserves.
rigsby556 I think the Tucano should be scrapped and bring the Skyraider back with updated systems
@@MeanLaQueefa ability to take off from carriers and short roads made it an awesome platform. carried everything but the kitchen sink
The US Navy and the USAF literally flew the A-1 till they wore the airframes wore out. By the 1960s most of the US A-1s had bad and shorted wiring (wing cannons jamming or exploding was a concern). The planes also had stress fractures in the wings. The USAF took over Navy A-1s that had lower maintenance hours and flew them until they had no choice but to replace them with A-7Ds.
I know nobody wants to give up the A-10 (except some brass) but the ideas for replacing it were worth discussing.
One of the proposals was to bring back a single prop airplane like the A-1. For the cost of operating one A-10 the AF could operate more than four of these (there were also four different planes being considered, I forget their names).
They could get down in the dirt even more than the A-10, believe it or not, and have excellent endurance. None of the proposals carried as much as the A-10, though (only bombers can).
Anyway, that is what the whole discussion was about in regards to obsoleting the A-10.
(There is also a stealthy CAS proposal that seems pretty cool.)
@@eb3279 You don't want to get down in the dirt even more unless you're avoiding radar. The requirement to get low is entirely based on older aircraft forcing pilots to visually acquire ground targets when they were flying too fast and too high for it. Now with targeting pods the need to get low has been reduced, and in fact its undesirable to make yourself an easy target.
I was on USS Kitty Hawk from 1969-72. Quite often, our Airdales would load up the A-7s with bombs and rockets, but little fuel, then immediately after takeoff, refuel from A-6 tankers before heading off to drop weapons. That allowed them to take off with more ordinance.
As a Forward Air Controller, I controlled many an A7 doing Close Air Support training. Was always impressed by the accuracy of ordnance delivery. It was especially impressive the day a pilot inadvertently dropped his whole bomb load at once, instead of making multiple passes dropping one bomb at a time. The noise monitoring station freaked out, but it was a sight to see.
I think it's definitely 1 of the most under appreciated aircraft of it's time, likely due to the other aircraft flying during the same period.
Damn, I wonder how the pilot felt! (Y'know, in the few seconds it took for him to realize what had happened and be overcome with glee!)
@@AnimeSunglasses 🤣🤣👍👍
While returning from Med cruise, we did a family cruise (Sons & Fathers) from Spain to Florida. We did an airshow for the folks. During the show a lone S-3 Viking started approaching the ship... I was thinking "This is so LAME! What's he gonna do, wiggle his radar???" (Because I never saw the Viking do anything...!) And then he releases this bomb load (What? 20 bombs or more?) that looked like a miniature Armageddon! So.....Once I peeled my jaw off the deck...😮
My grandfather flew the A-7 in Vietnam as part of the U.S. Navy, it’s always been a fascinating jet to me.
Robert Carlson tf I’d wrong with u
Pussy Consumer One-upmanship. He’s now one up apparently.
Tough bird, nice plane to work on as long as you keep your distance from it’s intake. They were Maneaters I was trained in A-7Es. Maintenance, served US Navy 73-76 damn good jet
VA 147 81 to 83. Good times.
VA-174 / VA-37
@@joebarber4030 same-same '81 - '84
My first Navy tour was in an A-7 squadron out of Lemoore, CA in '79. I took that excellent airplane for granted back then, but would love to work on it again. The good old days! I can even still smell the cockpit!
I remember as a kid, during my summer holidays in Evoia island (Greece), these planes to appear from nowhere, flying just above the tree tops, disappearing towards the sea flying sharp just above the water. Year after year, some times we briefly had the opportunity to see the pilot and wave hands. I loved that plane (contrary to the screaming f104s)...
I built so many model planes as a kid and my mom would throw them away secretly...
@@JeremyShibby what you expect? Shelves in dinning room and sitting room, are for funcy colourfool staff and flower vases, not ugly Grey planes!!!
Going from Scooters (A-4) to the A-7B, what impressed me was how much fuel the A-7 could carry. The A-4 carried 5,200 pounds internal and a pair of 300 gallon drops for 7,200 pounds. The A-7 carried a hair over 10,000 pounds fuel internal and could carry up to four, drop tanks. When VA-305 went aboard Ranger, no surprise we configured aircraft as tankers.
Buddy system stores
Was stationed at Pt Mugu, and worked in the IMA/AIMD in shop 65G. Think I was the very last person to go through most of the FRAMP schools at Lemoore for AQ's supporting A7's. Did heads up displays, projected map displays, inertial measurement unit, armament station control units, doppler radar and all the test benches used for that.
We worked on A7's in Cecil field back in the 80's. I remember transitioning to the F/A18 and everyone was concerned about the payload differences... at the time the A7 could carry a boat ton of different ordinance and a lot of it.
Did maintenance on A-7E's in the late 70's then F-4J/S before the F-18. 22 years USMC aviation.
As a kid during the Persian Gulf War I really liked seeing this plane on the news. For some reason I just like its aesthetic. Cool little attacker. Old but cool and reliable.
I've always loved the A-7
Agreed, this and the F8 Crusader are two of my favorite military aircraft
That entire era of aircraft look so cool and specialized
The f8 had some classy lines too! Love the both!
Eh my favorite navel fighter will always be the f/a18 superhornet
I thought the A-7 was an outstanding aircraft with a no-nonsense design. A good looking plane!
I was a crew chief on the A-7 from 1975 through 1979 at England AFB in Alexandria Louisiana. Many aircraft scenes in this video showing the EL tail letters came from there. The A-7 won many bombing competitions and participated in the first Red Flag at Nellis AFB in Nevada in 1976.
When I was little my dad was a teacher and flew A7s for the ANG on the weekend. One time he snuck me into a simulator at Wright-Patterson. This was about 1983. It was basically a big room full of '80s computer equipment and the disembodied cockpit section of an A7. My feet couldn't reach the rudder pedals, and they were super hard to push. It didn't exactly have advanced graphics. Firing an AIM-9 wasn't spectacular. But it was a real military simulator, and I was in a real A7 cockpit with the actual HUD. And a laser HUD was a pretty badass thing in 1983. As a 7-year-old I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
My dad always had two big bullets on his bookshelf - a 20×102mm that his A7 shot, and a 30×173mm from an A-10. The 20mm one was kinda old and beat up, and I could take the bullet out of the casing and put it back in. The 30mm had a plastic ring (like really smooth nylon) on the top and a lot of interesting details. He told me it had a depleted uranium core and if you shot a tank with it the uranium would go through the armor and get white hot and bounce around like a pinball machine inside the tank. There was a GI Joe toy A-10 but they wouldn't get it for me.
Then when I was in about 3rd grade they got GPU-5/A gun pods at the Air Guard. They were huge pods that hung under the wings of the A7 and fired the 30mm shells from the A-10. He said they tried them out, but it was pretty dangerous to have just one because it would make the plane yaw too much, so they put them under both wings, and the first time they tried shooting them when they came back the crew said it cracked the wing spar, so they didn't get to shoot the big bullets anymore.
Such a beautiful aircraft! I had see many being scrapped in a salvage yard in new Jersey years ago it broke my heart.
A flyingtank❗
Thanks for this video👍🧐
The Corsair was the Crusader's TOUGH kid brother!
Hell yeah brother
Hell yeah brother
they look like damned twins
I work for a jet engine manufacturer during the 80's and heard that the marine corps did not want to give up the close air support of the A7. We had put out a plan to rengine the plane to extend it's life.
Absolutely one of my favorite aircraft and it didn't see the love like the F- 4. Outstanding information about the Corsair 2.
Excellent summary of the A-7. Well done.
One niggle, pylon count. 1,2 & 3 was one wing, then 4 & 5 the fuselage Sidewinder rails, then 6, 7, 8 on the other wing. This means the inboard fuel tank hung on pylons 3 & 6.
The A-7 Corsair despite being underated as combat aircraft has proved its great effectivity in battle.
This plane was my first 1/144 model, and hell did I loved the plane.
I enjoyed watching this tear things up in Area 88 before getting replaced.
You mean the F-8U Crusader?
F-8, not A-7. They look a lot alike. I loved Area-88.
Huzzah! A internet user of culture!
i actually simped for Shin for a while lol
Area 88 is amazing. I loved Shin's F-8
In 1987, our carrier air wing included two squadrons of A-7s, along with A-6 Intruders, & F-14 Tomcats. The flight deck crew nicknamed the A-7, the "gator", from it's intake at the front of the fuselage. The F-8 Crusader was a fighter version of the Corsair II, having an afterburner (making it look like a stretched Corsair II), and a "tilt" wing. Until the Tomcat came along, the previous Navy fighter with a built in gun was the F-8. The F-4 used a gun pod, as an attempt to correct the mistake McDonnell Douglas made by not including a gun in the Phantom II. Note: the A-7 Corsair required a trap, while landing in the rain, at NAS Memphis in the late 80s. A single arresting wire were stretched across each end of the runway for their traps on the runway. The approach speed of an A-7 Corsair II back aboard ship was 145 kts. The first two aircraft of the returning strike package were always A-7s, at least until we got to Gonzo station.
I want to commend you for a great presentation. Well researched and the footage of the Air Force A7 ( F model concept version with a afterburning engine ) is the first video ive seen. Ive seen photos and had the pleasure in 1988 of actually doing a walk around and getting a peak inside the concept F model . I lived in the Dallas Fort Worth ( DFW ) area as young man. Several friends parents and friends worked at Vought LTV at the time. My time out at Vought and living in a Air Force family influenced me in my military career as a combat controller. Thanks again for sharing this video.
Long before the A-10 Thunderbolt, the A-7 performed the same mission. The dual 20MM cannons had the same throw weight as the A-10s single 30MM cannon, minus the now prohibited use of depleted uranium ammunition.
The post Vietnam War, anti-armor, close air support doctrine we still use today used the A-7. Excellent video..!
it had a 20mm gatling cannon, so close to the A-10's
Prohibited? First I’ve heard. We still use DU rounds
MuscleDad420 Might want to brush up on policy. The 30MM Depleted Rounds used by the A-10:have been prohibited since 2017 and are prohibited from using the.on ALL Allied weapon ranges in Europe and elsewhere. Exceptions can be made in war time but no new stocks of 30MM DU rounds have been produced in over 10 years and the politics of environmentalists make it unlikely in war time. There was one “recent” exception however and in included the like. www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/02/16/the-pentagon-said-it-wouldnt-use-depleted-uranium-rounds-against-isis-months-later-it-did-5265-times/
Frank Cessna That is good news.
Frank Cessna What about SABOT rounds used in modern tanks? I’m assuming those were exempt?
Thank you matt for including this aircraft in your show. It may be an old aircraft but it has a history.
We had one at the air show in Duluth back in the day. On the final day of the show the jets were leaving for their home bases and guys being guys they would scoot down the run way then launch vertically. It was impressive. Until it was the A-7's turn. That poor guy kept the A-7 on the deck until the very last moment then pulled back. It rose. Like a gooney bird. Hey, he made the effort!
It always amazed me the A-7D could get itself off the runway, much less loaded up.
In the late 80’s there was a proposed upgrade to the airframe to add an afterburner to make it supersonic capable. The proposal was declined as the Navy favored continuity in their carrier air wings electing to develop the F/A-18 Super Hornet to replace aging airframes to carry out a number of roles (fighter/attack/light bomber).
You could always tell when they were recovering the A7s on Nimitz, even when below deck. They land like bricks falling from the sky, just slamming the deck and arresting gear above.... But very effective planes. I always liked them.
Es que el Corsair ll cumplió siempre con las misiones de combate para las que fue construido.
En aquellos tiempos de 1996 era muy conocido como el jet lento .
We have one at England Air Park in Alexandria, LA. It always caught my eye every time we drove past it when I was a kid.
The A-7 was a cool old plane! I had a sweet 1/48 scale Revel model of the A-7 when I was a kid. The big front scoop reminded me of a shark!
like a phantom pilot would say, "If it ain't square, I don't care."
My grandfather was in the A-7 project that flew from Nellis to Tonopah. Bandit153 was his callsign. He is a man I very much love and have so much respect for.
I worked on SLUF (169 TFW SCANG)from 1973 to 1979 as INS/Doppler tech. Much enjoyed the association.
A model of one of these is in my war room. I love gun planes with lots of hard points.
I used to work at the plant that built these.
Talked with some old timers and one of the stores was about the 1st test fire of the M61. Vibrations caused panels and hatches to pop off like something out of a cartoon.
Another involved a security guard convincing the janitorial staff that the assembly line was haunted. He would hide a radio in an intake and hide then start talking to the janitors as they were cleaning.
And I saved a cutout line drawing of a D/E model from the trash while i was there. Now it is framed in my home office
One of my favorites! Thanks for doing this video.
Always has been one of my favorite planes
I don't remember seeing or hearing this fact, the A-7 had one other benefit for a carrier and that was it was capable of an unassisted (no catapult) launch, so if the "cats" were down up to a pair of A-7s could be launched with AIM-9 Sidewinders for combat air patrol (CAP) to protect the carrier.
Tantas vezes patrulhou a minha casa em Portugal, fazendo voos rasantes. Que saudades. Agora só no museu da Força Aérea ou como gate guard nas bases aéreas. Parabéns pelo teu trabalho.
Também fazia rasantes sobre a minha terra natal (Peniche). Lembro-me que era bastante barulhento... mais do que os F-16.
Nos anos 80, um A-7 teve o azar de "atropelar" uma gaivota perto do Cabo Carvoeiro e acabou por despenhar-se no mar, perto do Baleal. O piloto ejetou-se e não sofreu nada.
(A minha paixão por aviões começou em Beja quando era muito miúdo e vi passar um Panavia Tornado Alemão rente ao telhado da casa onde estava... lol)
It was a beautiful little beast.
The A7 was a heavy hitter for almost 30 years
Again thank you for showing this aircraft.
Always loved the attack roll.
I always get the A7 and the F8 mixed up, both are beautiful, the last few gunfighters.
Basically the same airframe
Absolutely love almost all your videos. And especially like the opening that you have on this video. I've seen others that don't have this opening. I like this one the best.
Yeah just to add a wee bit of info to your great and most impressive presentation on the the SLUF, Thailand also operated the type.Again most enjoyable.
In the early 80's I was assigned to the 9th AF IG team. We inspected ANG and AFR units. Some of the best Air Guard maintenance units were SC ANG and MI ANG, with a really good unit at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Those folks could generate sorties at an astounding rate and were a match for any of the active USAF units I was ever assigned to. Good video!
Another excellent overview ! Definitely a workhorse for the Vietnam air campaign. Good job M !
fun fact: it has the same engine as an f 14 but without an afterburner
@Brian Coley only in the later models, the early models didn't use the roles royce engine
Wtf?
This engine had bad performance. Allison engine.
It had multiple variants and early engines were troublesome as all early jet engines were.
@Brian Coley yes the later models used the british engine the earlyer models used the pratt and whitney tf 30-8
My favourite Hellenic (Greek) Airforce plane! It was sad to see it retired but it was time!
Image how many soilders would hoot and holler when this bad boy appeared above the battlefield providing close air support.
Love the SLUF, it all business
I always loved that plane, I remember buzzing over Vietnam in it.
THANKS for your service sir
My ex-wife was a lot like the A-7. She was kinda chunky and not all that much to look at, but her performance was outstanding.
From Greece loved the A7!
The A-7 was a favorite when I was a kid, mostly due to the Navy E Model on display at my hometown's Veterans Memorial Park.
Some of that video at the end, appeared to be from Selfridge ANG in Michigan. I remember watching the A7's and F4's as a kid there. I still live walking distance. I was fortunate to spend a lot of time in the A7 Simulator until they retired the planes and brought in F16's. I also remember reading a supersonic version of the A7 was developed. But, it never saw service. Currently Selfridge ANG is home to A10's
I was assigned to an A7-B Attack Squadron VA-155 based out of NAS Lemoore CA. from 1971-1974 made 3 Vietnam West Pac tours aboard the USS Oriskay. I was a Jet Mechanic but also was a Plane Captain and worked as an ordnance loader. I thought it was a great aircraft in that it could carry a variety of weapons. The Pratt&Whitney TF-30 P408 was what power our A7s. It was a great engine over the A models in that it did not smoke as much as the A7A. The last 6 months of my service I worked in the AIMD jet shop rebuilding TF30s. That engine was used for many years there after in slightly modified versions.
When I got to England AFB Louisiana in 1980 we had the A-7d. Great bird.
How do you find these opening music tracks?
All these century series and Vietnam era platforms are works of art and should be preserved in flying condition for future generations to see.
the music had me 80s head bobbing lol sweet into played it twice
My father was an aircraft mechanic in the army with a staff sergeant rank, he was just fixing these kind of planes like duaglas, F5, A-7 and some other things . I’m kinda proud I’m his son... I know that isn’t smth but still I love planes
A number were used in Desert Storm to carry HARM missiles. They were then retired shortly thereafter.
@Nonya Business And this humble aircraft can carry a B 61 Model MK 7 dial yield device capable of carrying a 10 to 340 KT device.
Love videos on these older, more obscure jets!
This was one of the best CAS/attack aircrafts in aviation's history, in the'Nam had one of the lower ratio losses, it was a worth successor of the A4. It's a pity didn't had the success in exports it deserved.
I worked on A7-E variant I was an Aviation Fire Control Technician (AQ) as such when assigned to a VA 122 I was designated as a weapons system specialist. I got put on Check Crew doing every scheduled inspection, 10 day, all the way through the the 180 day inspections, I worked on almost all systems on the aerocraft, from tip to tail, ray dome to tail pipe. The A7-E could carry Nukes, it had a blast shield to protect the pilot's eyes. One interesting with 6 Multi Ejection Racks, MER, attached 36 500lb bombs could be carried but only 32 could be dropped because the 4 inboard bombs hit the wheel doors and jammed them, Pilots did not like that. The normal load out was, 1100 rounds of 20mm, two drop tanks, two Side Winders, plus 2 1000 lbs or 750 lbs bombs, or a MER or TER (Triple Ejection Rack), The SLUF could carry all sorts of other ordnance as needed. and the F in SLUF did not stand for Fellow, you can figure out what it did stand for, hint it was one of George Carlin's 7 words you can't say on TV. It, the A7 was a good bomb truck. Using the dive toss release a bomb could be slung over 20 miles, the over the shoulder release was also used, as will. after that I was reassigned to the Coral Sea, CVA 43 and worked of A6A search radar. That's enough proabaly too much.
Was an A7 plane captain. loved the A-7, transitioned to the f/a-18. Didn't have the range of the A-7e. You need long legs to be a successful naval aircraft in times of war.
Hornet A’s and C’s were pretty dang successful for 30 years in a lot of combat for having such “short” legs. After launch, everyone hit the tanker outbound to the target inbound back to mother.
I feel like I’m the only one who love the look of the Corsair ! Lol I just love the giant intake under the nose of the plain , it always looked cool to me as a kid !
My uncle is an officer of the Greek Air Force and was one of the last to fly them. They were superb aircraft and perfect at their role. He has around 2.5 k flight hours with the A-7H and his descriptions are amazing. They would take these planes a couple of meters over the treetops of a valley, then climb out of them and strike targets without any warning.
I used to think they are ugly, but they've really grown on me.
They're ugly in a cute/intimidating way, sort of like a pitbull.
I remember when i saw one flying over my house in the city of komotini unfortunately it crashed 😢😢 and that was the reason that Greece retired them from service in 2015
On service in hellenic air force from 1975 to 2015, the tactical bomber with a pet degree!!!
Used to watch the documentaries in Greece on the government channel. Corsair pilots were crazy to fly so low! Remembering how the home windows used to clatter!
This plane and the f-8 are some of the sexiest planes ever built! Almost as sexy as daddy Matt!
Nothing will ever live up to daddy matt
The F-8 was easily one of the most underrated aircraft of the era. The Royal Navy was offered a Spey powered version as an alternative to the Phantom. For a number of reasons, I think it actually would have been a better choice. For the FAA at least, not sure about the RAF.
Personally I always loved the look of the A-6 and A-7. The only other aircraft I've liked the look of, is the F-4 Phantom-II, because it's just such a huge beast, like a muscle car of the skies.
We need an f 8 review now, pls matt!
Wuh? The A-7 is easily one of the ugliest planes the US Navy put to service (in my opinion). Not saying it's bad, but it's just so damn ugly. The only thing that comes close is the F4U Corsair.
Why do i have a sneaking suspicion that the 'F' in S.L.U.F. decidedly not stand for "fellow" ;)
Lol! That's classified info!
Late 50 early 60 aircraft had such beautiful lines my favorite was the f104d very sexy!!
@@jamesshelley4865 the Starfighter that thing was a long tube with two wings bolted on it was ugly as hell the now f3h demon that's a cool locken plane
Its fucker just so you know
I was just trying to be nice! Lol
The A-7 was one of my favorite jets, however, I talked to an A-7 pilot on the USS Forrestal (CV-59). (Sometimes called "The FID" *First in Defense*... Or other times as the Firestall, Forrest Fire, USS Zippo...) *I digress*.... The pilot mentioned that as good as the jet was, that at higher speeds that great big air scoop would make the nose yank down and could be unnerving...
I flew A7s on the FID, and it wasn’t me that told you that. I think that pilot was messing with you because that definitely did not happen at high speeds.
I’m so ready for the A-7E to come to DCS World. One of my favorite planes in my favorite game!
I can't wait either but I'm not interested in the early access. I'm sick of DCS modules selling off of hype and getting stuck in early access for years.
Never found them ugly :) but I liked the Crusader as well :)
The A-7 has only a face a mother could love.
I think this plane is adorable.
I am probably the only person who dose not think the A-7 Corsair 2 is ugly! I just love the jet.
No, you are not the only one. I’m with you a hundred percent
Looks like a mix between the g91 and bacl imo and I love it.
Portugal started using the A-7 in the early 80’s (1980 for a fact- one cannot be earlier than that!) not late 80’s
Vi passarem muitos A-7's.
The power plant was The TF41 was developed by Allison Engine Company and Rolls-Royce from the RB.168-25R Spey.
Great video about a great little plane! Thank you, brother!
The A-7 in my eyes still resembles the F-8,Crusader, both very good at what did.
Thanks for spotlighting a rather unrecognized aircraft!
For me, perhaps the most beautiful plane ever.
Great presentation.
Always happy to see more cold war carrier aircraft on the channel. Hope you make the next one the Buccaneer S.2.!
I love this play, ugly is sometimes just too endearing
Interesting fact:
A-7 was nearly bought back in the days by Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was maybe the only communist country that had some of western weapons and equipment (for example, F-86 and 104, a bit of artillery as well as some other small equipment). However, it was decided not to go with this in favor of development of domestic attack aircraft. The program was later completed in cooperation with Romania and it is now known as J-22 Orao. Unfortunately... Later, when a new fighter was to be taken, almost the same thing happened and Yugoslavia was considering the licence for making the F-20 after it was not accepted by US armed forces. Once again, they went with getting a few MiG-29 (which YU got instead of money for a debt USSR had) as temporary solution until domestic fighter could be made. Yugoslav fighter development was known as Project "Novi Avion" or short NA (meaning literally "New Aircraft"). But Yugoslav wars and Yugoslavia falling apart stopped it all in development phase (only cockpit was partially completed for testing).
I remember that. My country - Greece - sold to the communist Yugoslavia their F-84G when they have replaced them with F-84F ( back in 1958 ). This transaction was met with the consent of the U.S. government.
@@catfood_03_4stray Some of it were given directly by USA after a break-up with Stalin and his threats to invade Yugoslavia.
However, Tito and Stalin later became friends again and that was it.
Thank you to all those who have served. I love reading your personal stories in these comments.
The town in Nevada housing the base is pronounced "tone-ah-paw"
I pumped a LOT of fuel (JP-5) into A-7's aboard the USS Coral Sea during my Navy time, never heard a bad word about it from the people that worked on it or operated it. Thanks for the little trip down memory lane... even though there were more green machines than white and gray ones. LOL
Good attack aircraft and can also play the role of close air support
Was in VA 12 had a tee shirt that read "custom bombing and strafing available" great aircraft