Cessna A-37 Dragonfly (Model 318E)
The A-37 Dragonfly was a rugged strike and Close Air Support(CAS) aircraft in the Vietnam War. It was developed from the T-37 basic jet trainer.
The A-37 is as deadly as it is ugly. A pilot and bombardier dish out death by minigun while seated side by side in an armor bathtub that surrounds the cockpit. The Dragonfly flew CAS , or Close Air Support. That meant flying about 100 feet over the jungle and re-arranging some real estate close to your own troops while every North Vietnamese and his brother shot at you. The A-37 was very good at its job, was reliable, and brought home a lot of pilots from one of the most hazardous mission an airplane can undertake. The A-37 could haul ungodly amounts of deadly napalm, miniguns or other fuel air explosives. The A-37 was developed from the T-37 Tweet, which is the basic jet trainer for the U.S. Air Force. Both planes seat two pilots side by side and run on two jet engines. The two engines are each powerful enough to allow the aircraft to limp home on one, if necessary.