Operational History

Pilots of the early A-7s lauded the aircraft for general ease of flying, with the exception of poor stability on cross-wind landings, and excellent forward visibility, but the engine thrust was lacking. This was addressed with A-7B and more thoroughly with A-7D/E. The turbofan engine provided a dramatic increase in fuel efficiency compared with earlier turbojets -- the A-7D was said to have specific fuel consumption six times less than F-100 Super Sabre at equivalent thrust. An A-7D carrying 12x 500 lb (227 kg) bombs at 480 mph (775 km/h) at 33,000 ft (10,000 m) used only 3,350 lb (1,500 kg) of fuel per hour. The integrated weapons computer provided highly accurate bombing with CEP of 60 ft (20 m) regardless of pilot experience. The doppler navigation system required a mere 2.5 minutes on the ground for partial alignment, a big improvement over 13 minutes required in F-4 Phantom II. In addition, the A-7 required only 11.5 man hours of maintenance per mission resulting in quick turnaround and high number of combat-ready aircraft. In Vietnam, the hot, humid air robbed even upgraded A-7D and A-7E of power. Takeoff rolls were lengthy and fully-armed aircraft struggled to reach 500 mph (800 km/h). Pilots quipped that the Corsair "is not very fast, but it sure is slow" (Higham 1978).

The first US Navy A-7As were deployed to Vietnam in 1967 with VA-147 Argonauts aboard USS Ranger (CVA-61). The aircraft made their first combat sortie on 4 December 1967. In the following months, VA-147 made around 1,400 flights losing only one aircraft. In January 1968, USS Ranger participated in the incident surrounding the capture of USS Pueblo (AGER-2) in the Sea of Japan by North Korea. Improved A-7B arrived in Vietnam in early 1969, with A-7E following in 1971.

The USAF A-7Ds were also widely used in Vietnam with 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, Korat RTAFB, Thailand, entering action in October 1972. The aircraft attacked targets as far as 500 mi (800 km) from airbases, extensively utilizing mid-air refueling. The A-7Ds were quickly assigned the "Sandy mission" of providing air cover for rescue of downed pilots. Taking over for A-1 Skyraiders (hence the name "Sandy"), the A-7's higher speed was somewhat detrimental for escorting the helicopters but the aircraft's high endurance and durability were an asset and it performed admirably. On 18 November 1971, Major Colin A. Clarke led a successful mission near Thanh Hoa to rescue a downed F-105 Wild Weasel crew. The mission lasted a total of 8.8 hours during which Clarke and his wingman took a number of hits from 13 mm (0.51 cal) anti-aircraft fire. For his actions in coordinating the rescue, Clarke was awarded the Air Force Cross, the USAF's second-highest medal. The A-7D flew a total of 12,928 combat sorties during the war with only 4 losses -- the lowest of any US fighter in the theatre. The aircraft was second only to B-52 Stratofortress in the amount of ordnance dropped on Hanoi and dropped more bombs per sortie with greater accuracy than any other US attack aircraft.

USAF Corsair IIs were phased out of front-line service by the late 1970s, many aircraft passing to the Air National Guard. The 4450th Tactical Group stationed at Nellis AFB, NV had the unique distinction of being the last active USAF unit to operate the A-7D Corsair II. Navy aircraft were gradually replaced by the F/A-18 Hornet in the 1980s. The last US Corsairs were retired not long after the 1991 Gulf War, with some surplus aircraft passed to Greece and Portugal, where they remain in service.

The A-7 Corsair II was tagged with the nickname "SLUF" (Short Little Ugly Fucker) by pilots.