A - 7D Corsair II - Static Aircraft Displays on Waymarking.com

The A-7D 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 for the U.S. Navy. The first A-7D made its initial flight on April 5, 1968, and deliveries of production models began on Dec. 23, 1968. When A-7D production ended in 1976, 459 had been delivered to the U.S. Air Force.

The A-7D began to arrive in Thailand during the late summer of 1972. By the end of October, the A-7D had taken over the combat close air support mission from the A-1E Skyraider. The A-7D was also used during the closing months of the war as an escort on gunship missions and as a tactical bomber during the Linebacker II campaign. The development of the Head-Up Display allowed the pilot to view all steering and attack information on a small display mounted above the main instrument panel between the windshield and the pilot's line of sight.

In 1973, the Air Force began assigning A-7Ds to the Air National Guard, and by 1987 they were being flown by ANG units in 10 states and Puerto Rico. The A-7D demonstrated its outstanding capability to attack ground targets while flown by the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, during the closing months of the war in Southeast Asia. The Corsair II achieved its precise accuracy with the aid of an automatic electronic navigation and weapon delivery system.

The A-7 Corsair II was developed originally to meet Navy requirements for a carrier based, light attack aircraft able to carry more weapons than the earlier A-4E Skyhawk. To keep costs down and speed delivery, the A-7 design was based on the F-8 Crusader, which is no longer in the inventory. The A-7A flew for the first time in September 1965. Since then, other versions of the Corsair II have been produced for the Air Force and Navy, and the Greek and Portuguese air forces. The A-7D model, developed for the Air Force, was accepted in December 1968. While it was designed primarily for an air-to-surface attack role, its weapons delivery accuracy, extended range, ordnance payload and responsiveness also met requirements for close air support and air interdiction. Production of 459 A-7Ds was completed in December 1976. The aircraft first entered combat in the Vietnam War in October 1972. Deliveries of the A-7D to Air National Guard squadrons began in 1973; final deliveries were made in 1981.

The A-7 provides long range and battlefield interdiction. It can loiter for up to two hours and is capable of extended range with external fuel tanks or by inflight refueling.

Type of Aircraft: (make/model): A-7D Corsair II Light Attack Bomber Tail Number: (S/N): JH AF 71 347 Construction:: original aircraft Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): Memorial Park inside / outside: outside Other Information:: Not listed Access restrictions: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   02/29/2012 Corp Of Discovery visited it 03/15/2006 Special.Ed visited it

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