The story
The US Air Force needed a cheap jet for close air support in Vietnam, so Cessna took its T-37 Tweet trainer, more than doubled the thrust, added bigger tip tanks, a minigun in the nose and eight underwing pylons, and called it the Dragonfly. It flew thousands of sorties from short, rough fields, and air forces across Latin America kept flying it for decades afterward. A few survive today as civilian-registered warbirds.
The A-37B weighed almost twice as much as the T-37 trainer it grew from, and could hang 5,800 lb of bombs, rockets and fuel tanks on its eight wing pylons.
Quick answers
How do you identify a A-37 Dragonfly?
A stubby, wide fuselage with the two pilots side by side under one canopy, big tip tanks, and the engines tucked into the wing roots. Short and chunky for a jet, with a refuelling probe on the nose of later models.
What does a A-37 Dragonfly sound like?
Two J85s screaming at full power — even louder than the shrieking T-37 that earned the family the name Tweet.
How fast is the A-37 Dragonfly?
Top speed is 440 kts.
How many people does the A-37 Dragonfly carry?
Typical configuration: Side-by-side two-seat attack.
How far can the A-37 Dragonfly fly?
Range is about 880 nmi (ferry).
How big is the A-37 Dragonfly?
It is 28 ft 3 in long and 35 ft 10 in across the wings.
When did the A-37 Dragonfly first fly?
Its first flight was in 1964.
How many A-37 Dragonflys have been built?
577 A-37B (plus 39 A-37A conversions) built.
What do crews call the A-37 Dragonfly?
The Super Tweet.
How rare is a A-37 Dragonfly in Bogey?
RARE. A good day. Most spotters go weeks between sightings of something this rare. Your first A-37 Dragonfly catch is worth 250 points.
