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Only holds 3000 lbs of munitions?

That's not much at all

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This also seems like something Iran would design - it tries to look high-tech with canted verticals, etc. but has traditional control surfaces and a straight wing.  



It seems like a fun alternative to a Citation Mustang though.

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The ENTIRE point of the straight wing & traditional controls surfaces is for slow speed maneuvers which is what is needed for CAS.  You also want to be able to glide around at altitude and loiter over the field for long periods, you need efficient wings and deltas & swept wings are not remotely efficient at low speeds.  


The design is purposeful for the stated mission type.


In the age of our High Tech AirForce, I doubt they'll be impressed though; and I'll surely miss the A-10 and it's GAU-8...
 

He indicated that worldwide fleets of A-37s, as well as the US Air Force’s fleets of A-10s and F-15Cs, could be platforms replaced by the Scorpion. Both those Air Force platforms are potentially on the cutting block due to sequestration.

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http://i.imgur.com/nhoeIqJ.jpg

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Sounds like about the same mission as this...

Crop dusters go to war

http://www.aopa.org/-/media/Images/AOPA/Home/News/All%20News/2013/September/0910_ga_warplaneswideaspectratio.jpg?w=640&h=374

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Considering they were going for as cheap as possible, the fact that it'd a twin really surprises me.  I guess engineers consider redundancy to be critical on aircraft that will be subjected to potential ground fire...small arms and such.

I do not see this thing surviving in SAM territory, and if a current generation first-world enemy fighter gets near it, goodbye.  It won't be put into that environment, though.

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Considering they were going for as cheap as possible, the fact that it'd a twin really surprises me.  I guess engineers consider redundancy to be critical on aircraft that will be subjected to potential ground fire...small arms and such.

I do not see this thing surviving in SAM territory, and if a current generation first-world enemy fighter gets near it, goodbye.  It won't be put into that environment, though.

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Sounds like about the same mission as this...

Crop dusters go to war

http://www.aopa.org/-/media/Images/AOPA/Home/News/All%20News/2013/September/0910_ga_warplaneswideaspectratio.jpg?w=640&h=374

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Oh yeah, forgot to add twin engine would be nice when the occasional manpad gets used.

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What ever happened to the BD-10?

http://www.bd5.com/brothers2.jpg

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517mph and a 3000 pound load?

What is the price of a P-51 adjusted for inflation?

ETA: $50,945 in 1945 unit cost
CPI adjusted for inflation: $661,936.88 in 2013

Vietnam

25 A-37As were sent to Vietnam in August 1967 under the "Combat Dragon" evaluation program, and flew from Bien Hoa Air Base on USAF "Air Commando" missions, including close air support, helicopter escort, FAC, and night interdiction. Combat loads included high-explosive bombs, cluster munition dispensers, unguided rocket packs, napalm tanks, and the SUU-11/A Minigun pod. For most missions, the aircraft also carried two additional external fuel tanks on the inner stores pylons.

A-37As flew thousands of sorties. None were lost to enemy fire, although two were wrecked in landing accidents. The A-37A was formally named the "Dragonfly", but most pilots called it the "Super Tweet". The Combat Dragon program was successful, but unsurprisingly the combat evaluation revealed some deficiencies. The most noticeable problem was that the aircraft lacked range and endurance. Other concerns were heavy control response during attack runs (the flight controls were not power-boosted) and the vulnerability of the aircraft's non-redundant flight control system.


An OA-37 Dragonfly aircraft armed with bombs over Edwards AFB, California

The USAF signed a contract with Cessna in early 1967 for an improved Super Tweet, designated the "A-37B". The initial order for 57 aircraft was quickly increased to 127. The A-37Bs were primarily intended to be supplied to the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) as replacements for their Skyraiders. The A-37B prototype was rolled out in September 1967, with deliveries to the South Vietnamese beginning in 1968.

The A-37Bs were all newly built airframes. These were stronger than those of the A-37A, capable of pulling 6 g instead of 5, and were built to have a longer fatigue life of 4,000 hours. Field experience would demonstrate that 7,000 hours between overhauls could be tolerated.

The A-37B weighed almost twice as much as the T-37C. A remarkable fraction of the loaded weight, 5,800 lb (2,600 kg), could be external stores. In practice, the A-37B usually operated with at least two and sometimes four underwing fuel tanks to improve combat endurance.

To get this increased weight off the ground, the A-37B was fitted with General Electric J85-GE-17A engines, providing 2,850 lbf (12.7 kN) thrust each. These engines were canted slightly outward and downward to improve single-engine handling. Vietnam Air Commando pilots operating the A-37A found single-engine cruise an effective means of improving their flight endurance.

Modifications were made to control surfaces to improve handling. To improve aircraft and crew survivability, the A-37B was fitted with redundant elevator control runs that were placed as far apart as possible. The ejection seats were armored, the cockpit was lined with nylon flak curtains, and foam-filled self-sealing fuel tanks were installed.

The A-37 excelled at close air support. Its straight wings allowed it to engage targets 100 miles per hour slower than swept-wing fighters. The slower speed improved bombing accuracy, enabling pilots to achieve an average accuracy of 45 feet.

The A-37B added a refueling probe to the nose, leading to pipes wrapped around the lower lip of the canopy, for probe-and-drogue aerial refueling. This was an unusual fit for USAF aircraft, traditionally configured for boom refueling. Other improvements included updated avionics, a redesigned instrument panel to make the aircraft easier to fly from either seat, an automatic engine inlet de-icing system, and revised landing gear. Like its predecessors, the A-37B was not pressurized.

The A-37 required a relatively low amount of maintenance compared to contemporary fighters—only two hours of maintenance for each hour of flight time. This was partially due to multiple access panels in strategic locations.

The 20 mm GPU-2/A and AMD 30 mm cannon pods were tested with favorable results on the A-37B but reports indicate that such pods were either seldom or never used in operation.