The A-37 Super Tweet was one
of the few American aircraft that was first tested during actual combat. As the Vietnam War escalated in 1963 and American
aircraft losses were higher than expected, the US Air Force desperately needed a counter-insurgency
aircraft to fill the gap between support and offensive vehicles for military
operations coordinated with ground forces. The main aircraft companies that built
warplanes during the Vietnam War were Bell, Lockheed, Northrop, McDonnell, or Boeing. Other manufacturers provided the United States
with aircraft such as the Huey helicopter, the AH1 Cobra, the AC130, the F4 Phantom, and the
F5 Tigers, some of which are still used today. But lesser-known civilian companies also
participated in the 20-year conflict. When the US Air Force issued
a request for proposal, commercial airplane-manufacturer
Cessna Aircraft Company came through. The Kansas-based company produced one of the lesser-known but most
effective aircraft of the war. The A-37 Dragonfly, nicknamed the Super Tweet
because of the peculiar sound it produced, was a light attack warplane
based on the T37 trainer. Two prototypes were initially created, but because
of the urgent need for night interdiction and close air support missions in Vietnam, the
Super Tweet was hastily sent into combat... Light Attack Aircraft During the Korean War in the early
1950s, the United States Air Force began experimenting with new aviation
concepts for future operational use. The light attack and counter-insurgency
aircraft were thus born. Their mission was to serve as
armed reconnaissance, air support, and escort for ground troops.
These aircraft were not meant to sustain the sheer firepower or
supersonic speeds of jet aircraft. Instead, the light aircraft would fill
the gap between the functions of a helicopter and a warplane, reaching
a middle ground in speed and power. As Communism began to spread over Southern Asia,
including in Vietnam and Laos, American officials realized the importance of light attack aircraft
for operational use in guerrilla-style warfare. As US military support increased in Vietnamese
soil to push back the Viet Minh guerrilla led by Ho Chi Minh, the Air Force began testing modified
versions of the North American T-28 Trojan and Douglas A-1 Skyraider aircraft
for counter-insurgency purposes. Both warplanes flew successfully, but US
engineers were hard at work developing an original light attack aircraft suited for
the Vietnamese geography and the imminent war. A Trainer Request As part of Project Long Arm, the US Army
oversaw several aircraft between 1956 and 1958 to evaluate if they fitted the light attack
concept that the armed forces required. Among them was the Cessna T37 trainer aircraft
that was flown from Salinas, California, to Fort Ord to simulate close air support attacks. This
small aircraft was produced by the Cessna Aircraft Company, which had a long tradition of developing
civilian airplanes as far back as the 1910s. In 1940, before the United States joined World War
II, Cessna produced their first military aircraft, the T50. But when the war ended, the
company refocused on commercial airplanes, except for the observation
O1 Bird Dog aircraft in 1949. After the US Air Force put a request for
proposal to develop a trainer that could help novice pilots transition into US-produced
jet aircraft, Cessna launched the T37 in 1952. The aircraft was equipped with
two French Turbomeca J69 engines, straight wings, training landing gear, and side
by side seating for a rookie pilot and a teacher. The T37 trainer quickly became
known as the Tweety Bird because of the curious squeal that its
French turbine blades produced. As the Vietnam conflict escalated after
President John F. Kennedy's death, the Air Force's need for a counter-insurgency
aircraft became a top priority. Another T37 test took place at Eglin Air Force
Base's Hurlburt Field in Florida, and Cessna was finally awarded a contract in 1963. The agreement
stipulated that the company would produce two updated versions of the aircraft to carry weapons
and ordnance, as well as better engines and range. While the old Douglas A1 Skyraider aircraft
started to show its age during air combat in Vietnam, Cessna got to work in a more powerful
version of its T37 suited for military use. The Super Tweet The modifications on the T37 prototypes included
upgraded landing gear for rough terrain, communications, targeting
assistance, navigation panels, and stronger wings with three store pylons each. In addition, 95-gallon wingtip fuel tanks
were required to increase range and loiter. A General Electric GAU-2B 7.62-millimeter
machine gun with 1,500 rounds of ammunition was mounted on the right side of the
aircraft's nose behind an access panel. The upgrades added more weight to the aircraft
than their J69 engines could handle. Cessna then replaced them with two General Electric
J85-J2 turbojet engines with 2,400 thrust. In October of 1964, the first prototype flew
successfully, followed shortly by the second one in 1965. But the US Air Force suddenly
lost interest in counter-insurgency aircraft. For almost two years, the modified
Tweets were disregarded, and one of them was even sent to the National Museum
of the United States Air Force in Ohio. But as the Vietnam War escalated and the
loss of aircraft was higher than expected, the US Air Force revived the project and signed
a contract with Cessna for 39 upgraded Tweets, now designated A-37A. By 1967, 25 A-37A’s equipped
with 500-pound Mark 82 bombs and General Electric's 7.62-millimeter machine
guns were sent to Asia aboard Lockheed C141s. When the Tweets were assembled and placed
next to bigger and more imposing aircraft, pilots were skeptical about their
potential endurance in Vietnam. Lon Holtz, a silver star recipient and Vietnam War
veteran, later told Air Space Magazine (QUOTE): "We took a whole bunch of crap from them
at the officers' club. The fighter got a moniker upgrade from Tweet to Super Tweet.
And they called us Mattel Marauders too." Air Combat Lieutenant Colonel Lou Weber assembled the 604th
Air Commando Squadron at Bien Hoa Air Base in South Vietnam and prepared a battle
plan called Operation Combat Dragon. Its objective was to send A37As directly into
combat as part of their operational testing. The Super Tweets provided close air
support over South Vietnam during 1967. The aircraft quickly proved capable of
outstanding aim while in combat zones, and no friendlies were injured
or lost during their run. Ground troops knew that they could rely
on a Super Tweet when it gave them cover. Retired Colonel Hank Hoffman, a pilot from the
604th Air Commando Squadron, told Defense Media Network (QUOTE): "The easiest mistake to make
in bombing is the 'long-short error.' You never attack by flying over the friendlies. You fly
parallel to the battle line on the enemy's side." Hoffman recalled that it was customary for Super
Tweet pilots to drop their bombs when they saw Viet Cong troops approaching American units
and then come around and release the napalm. The pilot recounted how he rarely used
their 7.62-millimeter machine gun because they were not that effective against enemy
targets (QUOTE): "It was like using a hose. You could walk your rounds where you
wanted them to go but it wasn't easy." On occasions, pilots would get so
focused on their targets during low-level missions that they would
fly exceedingly close to the ground. During maintenance rounds, engineers would find
grass and tree limbs underneath the aircraft. One great benefit the Super Tweet had was its
size. American pilots quickly realized that despite flying considerably slower than other
aircraft, the enemy struggled to hit them. Captain Ollie Maier, who flew
more than 300 missions in Vietnam, would later tell Air Space Magazine (QUOTE):
"The Viet Cong were accustomed to leading a certain amount in their aim because the
F-4s and F-100s came in high and fast… We'd come in and see their tracers way out
in front. They often tended to over-lead us." Super Tweet pilots were also grateful
for its pole-vaulting climb-out rate. Sometimes they were leveling off up to 1,000
feet before approaching the end of the runway, which made it difficult for
infiltrated Viet Cong shooters to aim. Cessna eventually developed an A-37B prototype.
This upgraded aircraft had more thrust and newer J85 engines with refueling capabilities. Out of
577 A-37Bs that were built by September of 1967, the US Air Force handed over 254
to the South Vietnamese Air Force. After five months of intense action and
roughly 19,000 bomb load deliveries, Operation Combat Dragon finally
ended in December of 1967. Post-Vietnam When North Vietnamese forces invaded
South Vietnamese territories in 1975, they took almost 200 A-37s and shared them
with the Soviet Union and other allies. Around 92 Tweets were eventually recovered
by the US, but the Vietnam People’s Air Force used the rest in missions over
Cambodia and the China conflict in 1979. After the war, most of the surviving American
aircraft were incorporated into the US Air National Guard and sold to countries
with underdeveloped military technology. Some A-37Bs were sold to the armed forces
of El Salvador during its decade-long civil war in the 1980s. Other aircraft were
operated by Guatemala, Peru, Honduras, and Colombia to fight counter-narcotic
operations against drug cartels. Many of the surviving Super
Tweets can be appreciated today at several national museums in Hispanic countries. One aircraft can also be found at the National
Museum of the United States Air Force in Ohio. When interviewed by American author Robert F.
Dorr about the A37's performance in Vietnam, retired Staff Sergeant Fredric Neumann, from
the 604th squadron, said that the A-37 (QUOTE): “Was well-equipped for operations from
primitive airfields and required little of the fancy, high-tech maintenance needed by more
sophisticated warplanes like the F-4 Phantom II." In short, the Super Tweet (QUOTE): “followed
the KISS principle: 'keep it simple, stupid.'
