A-37 Dragonfly Stars & Stripes Rocks Glass

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The A-37 Dragonfly, a compact but heavily armed light attack jet, played a vital role during the Vietnam War as a close air support and counter-insurgency workhorse. Based on the T-37 trainer, the A-37 was redesigned for combat with upgraded engines, a reinforced airframe, armour plating, self-sealing fuel tanks, and eight wing pylons capable of carrying up to 6,000 lbs of ordnance—including bombs, rockets, napalm, and gun pods.

Despite its small size, the Dragonfly packed a punch. It was nimble, stable at low speeds, and ideal for pinpoint strikes in rugged terrain. A nose-mounted 7.62mm minigun and the ability to loiter over battlefields longer than faster jets made it highly effective in the close air support role. The A-37 flew over 160,000 combat sorties during the Vietnam War, primarily with the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing and the South Vietnamese Air Force. Its missions included close air support, convoy escort, and armed reconnaissance across Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

Approximately 577 A-37Bs were built, including conversions. Though designed for ground attack, the Dragonfly achieved at least one confirmed air-to-air kill—on April 28, 1975, during the final defence of Saigon. A South Vietnamese A-37 pilot shot down another A-37 that had been captured and flown by a defector under North Vietnamese command. This rare engagement—between identical aircraft - is sometimes misreported as an A-37 shooting down a MiG-21, but reliable sources, including military aviation historians and Vietnamese-language accounts, confirm it was A-37 vs. A-37.