Chicagoland's Only Aviation Museum
LTV A-7E Corsair II
The A-7E is a single-seat, tactical close air support aircraft.
Although designed primarily as a ground attack aircraft, it also has limited
air-to-air combat capability. It was derived from the basic A-7 originally
developed by LTV for the U.S. Navy. The first A-7 made its initial flight on
September 27, 1965. Four were released to the Navy's Flight Test Center at
Patuxent River, Maryland, in September, 1966, as A-7A's. The Corsair can carry
up to 15,000 pounds of externally mounted mounted bombs, rockets and missiles on
six underwing pylons and two stations on the fuselage sides. The aircraft also
has an internally mounted 20mm six-barrel cannon on the left side of the nose
near the intake. The 199 A-7A's were built with a Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-6
turbofan engine with deliveries of production models beginning on Dec. 23, 1968.
US NAVY A-7E Corsair II
The A-7B was an upgraded version with a stronger TF30-P-8 engine with 12,200
pounds of thrust. A total of 196 A-7B were produced from February 1968 to April
1968. The 387 production A-7D's used the TF41-A-2 engine with 15,000 pounds of
thrust. When A-7D production ended in 1976, 459 had been delivered to the USAF.
In July, 1969 deliveries of the A-7E began to the US Navy. The E version was
similar to the D version with more advanced avionics than earlier Navy models.
When loaded with six Mk 82 bombs and 1,000 rounds of 20mm ammo the A-7E could
achieve a top speed of 650 mils per hour. Later E models were equipped with a
FLIR (Forward Looking InFrared) pod for improved nighttime operation and
furthering its all-weather capability.
US NAVY A-7E Corsair II Side View
The museums A-7E on display was delivered to the Navy in December, 1973.
Throughout its life it was based at Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Jacksonville,
FL, with a variety of squadrons starting with VA-174, the A-7 training squadron
for the Navy's East Coast based squadrons. (VA is the Navy code for [V}
fixed-wing [A] attack). The markings that are currently displayed on the
aircraft are those of VA-72 nicknamed the "Bluehawks".
This squadron and sister squadron VA-46 were the last two active duty Navy
A-7 squadrons and participated in Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1991 while
operating from the USS John F Kennedy (CV-67). When the ship returned to the US
the two squadrons were disbanded and the aircraft was sent to NAS Memphis,
Millington, TN for Storage.
Actual A-7 Strike Photo From Desert Storm
Description:
- Type - Carrier borne and land based attack and strike warplane
- Manufacturer - LTV later Vought Corporation
- Designation - A-7E
- Nickname - Corsair II
- Dimensions
- Span - 38 ft. 8 in., with wings folded 23 ft. 9 in.
- Length - 46 ft. 1 in.
- Height - 16 ft. 1 in.
- Weight - 39,325 lbs. loaded
- Armament - One M61A1 20mm rapid-fire cannon plus 15,000 lbs. of mixed
ordnance
- Engine - One Allison TF41-A-2 turbofan engine of 15,000 lbs. thrust
- Maximum speed - 698 mph.
- Cruising speed - 545 mph.
- Range - 3,044 miles
- Max Rate of Climb - 15,000 ft/min
- Service Ceiling: 42,000 ft.
- Crew - One
- Cost - $2,860,000
Air Classics Museum of Aviation
43W776 US Route 30
Sugar Grove, IL 60554
Phone: (630) 466-0888
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E-Mail: webmaster@airclassicsmuseum.org
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URL: http://www.airclassicsmuseum.org
