The Air Force A-7s were derived from the Corsair developed for the Navy and were ordered virtually off the shelf, the only significant differences being in the engine and the addition of a 20-mm cannon, which the Navy adopted for later models. The aircraft were universally known as SLUFs, an acronym for Short Little Ugly Feller (polite form). The first Air Force YA-7D prototype was flown for the first time at NAS Dallas, Tex., by John W. Konrad on April 5, 1968. The type achieved high accuracy with bomb drops by the aid of an automatic electronic navigation and weapons delivery system. The first operational wing was the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing at Myrtle Beach AFB, S. C. A-7s were sent to Vietnam in October 1972 and were used for a number of missions, most extensively as support aircraft for search-and-rescue missions. The A-7 replaced the A-1 on these "Sandy" missions. In 1973, the Air Force began assigning A-7Ds to Air National Guard units. On August 15, 1973, Maj. John J. Hoskins and Capt. Lonnie O. Ratley flew the last US bombing mission of the Vietnam War when they bombed targets near Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Air Force A-7s were also used to support the rescue of the SS Mayaguez on April 30, 1975, after it was seized by Cambodian forces. The YA-7F was the Corsair II fitted with an F100 engine in an attempt to breathe new life into the type, but it never went beyond test flight. The Navy used some of their Corsairs in Desert Storm. All A-7s were phased out of Air National Guard service by the end of 1993.
| Contractors: | Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc. (LTV) |
| Locations Built: | Dallas, Tex. |
| Number Built: (USAF) | 1,551 (484) |
| First Flight: | September 27, 1965 |
| First Flight Model: | YA-7A |
| First Flight Location: | NAS Dallas, Tex. |
| First Flight Pilot: | John W. Konrad |
| Models/Variants: | A-7D, K |
| Powerplant: | One Allison TF41-A-1 nonafterburning turbofan of 14,500 lb thrust |
| Wingspan: | 38 ft 9 in. |
| Length: | 46 ft 11/2 in. |
| Height: | 16 ft 03/4 in. |
| Weight: | 42,000 lb gross |
| Armament: | One General Electric M61A1 Vulcan 20-mm cannon and up to 15,000 lb of bombs, missiles, mines, rockets, or gun pods on six underwing and two fuselage hardpoints. |
| Accommodation: | Pilot only (student and pilot on A-7K) |
| Cost: | $2.86 million |
| Max. Speed: | 698 mph |
| Range: | 2,871 mi. |
| Ceiling: | 51,000 ft. |
Copyright Air Force Association. All rights reserved.