A-7 Corsair II
by Staff EditorThe A-7 Corsair II was built on the F-8 Crusader airframe, and was a subsonic attack version of this fighter. It was exceptionally accurate, and was purchased by the US Navy and Marines, and later on by the US Air Force. The single-seat, tactical close air support A-7D fleet was battle-tested in Southeast Asia in 1972 and used against enemy targets along the Ho Chi Minh trail, a supply route that twisted through Cambodia and Laos to support North Vietnamese forces. It also was the last Air Force aircraft to fly an airstrike against the Cambodian Khmer Rouge regime in August 1973. The Corsair II was retired from U.S. service in 1991, replace by the F/A-18 Hornet.
A-7D Specifications
| Manufacturer: | Ling-Temco-Vought |
| First Flight: | 9/1965 |
| Wingspan: | 38.7 ft. (11.8 m) |
| Height: | 16.1 ft. (4.7 m) |
| Length: | 46.1 ft. (14.1 m) |
| Max Take-off Weight: | 39,325 lbs. (17,838 kg) |
| Thrust: | 14,250 lbs. (6,464 kg) |
| Top Speed at Altitude: | Mach 0.94 |
| Ceiling: | 33,500 ft. (10,210 m) |
| Range: | 2,645 nm (4,899 km) |
| Crew: | One |
