The Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-based subsonic light attack aircraft design that was introduced to replace the A-4 Skyhawk in US Naval service and based on the successful supersonic F-8 Crusader aircraft produced by Chance Vought. The A-7 was one of the first combat aircraft to feature a head-up display (HUD), doppler-bounded inertial navigation system (INS), and a turbofan engine. It initially entered service with the United States Navy during the Vietnam conflict and was then adopted by the United States Air Force to replace their A-1 Skyraiders that were borrowed from the Navy as well as with the Air National Guard. It was exported to Greece (in the 1970s), Portugal and Thailand (in the late 1980s).

In 1962, the United States Navy began preliminary work on VAX (Heavier-than-air, Attack, Experimental), a replacement for the A-4 Skyhawk with greater range and payload. A particular emphasis was placed on accurate delivery of weapons to reduce the cost per target. The requirements were finalized in 1963 and in 1964, the Navy announced the VAL (Heavier-than-air, Attack, Light) competition. Contrary to USAF philosophy, which was to employ only supersonic fighter bombers such as the F-105 Thunderchief and F-100 Super Sabre, the Navy felt that a subsonic design could carry the most payload the farthest distance. One story illustrated that a "slow fat duck" could fly nearly as fast as a supersonic one, since carrying dozens of iron bombs also restricted its entry speed, but a fast plane with small wings and an afterburner would burn up a lot more fuel. To minimize costs, all proposals had to be based on existing designs. Vought, Douglas Aircraft, Grumman, and North American Aviation responded. The Vought proposal was based on the successful F-8 Crusader fighter, having an identical configuration, but more short and stubby, with a rounded nose. It was selected as the winner on February 11th, 1964, and on 19 March the company received a contract for the initial batch of aircraft, designated A-7. In 1965 the aircraft received the popular name Corsair II, after Vought's highly successful F4U Corsair of World War II.

Compared to the F-8 Crusader fighter, the A-7 had a shorter, broader fuselage. The wing was made larger, and the unique variable incidence wing of the F-8 was deleted. To achieve the required range, A-7 was powered by a Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-6 turbofan producing 11,345 lbf (50.5 kN) of thrust, the same innovative combat turbofan produced for the F-111, but without the afterburner needed for supersonic speeds. Turbofans achieve greater efficiency by moving a larger mass of air at a lower velocity.

The aircraft was fitted with an AN/APQ-116 radar which was integrated into the ILAAS digital navigation system. The radar also fed a digital weapons computer which made possible accurate delivery of bombs from a greater stand-off distance, greatly improving survivability compared with faster platforms such as the F-4 Phantom II. It was the first US aircraft to have a modern Heads-Up Display, now a standard instrument, which displayed information such as dive angle, airspeed, altitude, drift, and aiming reticle. The integrated navigation system allowed for another innovation - the projected map display system (PMDS) which accurately showed aircraft position on two different map scales.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a US Air Force A-7D Corsair II attack aircraft that was piloted by Captain Colin Clarke who was attached the 352nd Tactical Fighter Squadron "Yellow Jackets", 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, which was deployed to Phu Cat AB, Vietnam, during November 1972. First in the series! Pre-order! Ship Date: November 2026.

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 6-1/2-inches
Length: 7-3/4-inches

Release Date: ?

Historical Account: "Valor in Combat" - Arnie Clarke enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve on January 3rd, 1954, and was trained as an Electronics Technician. Clarke completed his bachelor's degree in Marketing from the University of Washington in 1958, and received an honorable discharge from the Naval Reserve on May 3rd, 1960, in order to attend Air Force Officer Training School. He was commissioned a 2d Lt in the U.S. Air Force at Lackland AFB, Texas, on August 9th, 1960, and completed Undergraduate Pilot Training and was awarded his pilot wings at Williams AFB, Arizona, in September 1961.

Lt Clarke next completed F-100 Super Sabre Combat Crew Training and then served with the 522nd Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, from October 1962 to May 1965. During this time, he deployed to Southeast Asia in support of the Vietnam War two times, first from December 1962 to February 1963, and then again from August 1964 to February 1965, flying 27 combat missions in the process.

Captain Clarke then transferred to the 77th TFS at RAF Wethersfield, England, where he served until July 1968, when he again deployed to Southeast Asia. He flew 285 combat missions with the 352nd TFS at Phan Rang AB and later from Phu Cat AB in the Republic of Vietnam between July 1968 and July 1969, flying the F-100, O-1 Bird Dog, OV-10 Bronco, OH-6 Cayuse, and one mission in a Navy F-4J Phantom II flying off the USS Ranger (CV-61). During this time, Clarke volunteered as a Misty FAST FAC from January to July 1969.

After returning from Vietnam, Maj Clarke served as an Air Liaison Officer with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from August 1969 to May 1971. He then completed A-7 Corsair II Combat Crew Training and served with the 356th TFS of the 354th TFW at Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina, from May 1971 to March 1974. During this time, he deployed to Southeast Asia as an A-7 Sandy pilot, where he flew an additional 73 combat missions from Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, between October 1972 and March 1973.

During his 385 combat missions in Southeast Asia, Clarke was shot down and rescued twice, first on August 18th, 1964, and a second time while flying as a Misty FAC on January 22nd, 1969. His next assignment was as an Air Force Advisor to the 185th Tactical Fighter Group of the Iowa Air National Guard from March 1974 to July 1978, and then as Chief of the Joint Operations Branch, Air Force Operations and Training Division, of the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Tehran, Iran, from July 1978 to February 1979, when he was evacuated due to the Iranian Revolution.