A-37 Dragonfly | Cessna's forgotten fighter
Australian Military Aviation History
117,072 views
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly earned a reputation as one of the most effective close-support and counter-insurgency aircraft of the Vietnam war.
From a small jet trainer, the “Super Tweet” was transformed into a heavily armed CAS aircraft capable of carrying thousands of pounds of weapons. When the first A-37s arrived in Vietnam for the experimental Combat Dragon program, their crews were about to discover just how capable the little aircraft really was.
Flying thousands of sorties in some of the war’s most dangerous low-level missions, the Dragonfly proved remarkably accurate, rugged and reliable. Yet despite its extraordinary combat record, it remained largely overshadowed by aircraft like the F-4 Phantom and A-1 Skyraider. We think the A-37 Dragonfly was one of the most underrated attack aircraft of the Vietnam War.
CONTENTS:
00:00 Introduction
01:25 Background
05:25 Tweet history
07:37 A-37 Development
10:37 Vietnam – Combat Dragon
14:09 A-37B
18:21 End of the program
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____________ Disclaimer ____________
Some original footage and recreated scenes (using simulators like DCS and War Thunder) may not be 100% accurate to the events depicted but have been used for illustrative and dramatic purposes where archival footage was unavailable or restricted by copyright. We aim to remain as historically accurate as possible given the available resources. Our documentaries are researched, written, fact-checked and edited by our production team. Narration is performed by a combination of human presenters and Charles, our signature digital narrator. Charles reads scripts written entirely by our team and is used to provide a consistent narration style across our documentaries.
Copyright Notice:
This video may contain copyrighted material used under the "fair dealing" provisions (ss 40/103C, ss 41/103A, ss 42/103B) of the Australian Copyright Act for purposes of research, study, criticism, review, and news reporting.
All copyrights remain with their respective owners.
Our videos are created for educational and historical documentation purposes.
About Us:
We are three aviation enthusiasts who create documentaries, interviews, and video essays focused on Australian and international military aviation history. Our channel explores the stories of military aircraft, fighter pilots, air battles, and the evolution of air power from WWI to today. We do our own research but are not experts in any particular area, so corrections and suggestions are welcome.
20 Comments
It's a shame that it got so little recognition when surrounded by flashier, more expensive platforms.
Always had a soft spot for the aggressive trainer aircraft around the world.
A-37 Dragonfly | Cessna's forgotten fighter
Australian Military Aviation History
117,072 views
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly earned a reputation as one of the most effective close-support and counter-insurgency aircraft of the Vietnam war.
From a small jet trainer, the “Super Tweet” was transformed into a heavily armed CAS aircraft capable of carrying thousands of pounds of weapons. When the first A-37s arrived in Vietnam for the experimental Combat Dragon program, their crews were about to discover just how capable the little aircraft really was.
Flying thousands of sorties in some of the war’s most dangerous low-level missions, the Dragonfly proved remarkably accurate, rugged and reliable. Yet despite its extraordinary combat record, it remained largely overshadowed by aircraft like the F-4 Phantom and A-1 Skyraider. We think the A-37 Dragonfly was one of the most underrated attack aircraft of the Vietnam War.
CONTENTS:
00:00 Introduction
01:25 Background
05:25 Tweet history
07:37 A-37 Development
10:37 Vietnam – Combat Dragon
14:09 A-37B
18:21 End of the program
Made possible by our members—this is what keeps the channel independent and ongoing ✔ Merch & Members ► https://peacemaker.net.au
✔ Website ►https://militaryaviationvideos.com/
✔ Twitter ► https://x.com/MilAviationHist
✔ Instagram ► Instagram: peacemaker.aviation
✔ Fashion ► https://peacemaker.fashion
✔ Substack ► https://militaryaviationvideos.substa...
✔ AMAHA ► https://raafdocumentary.com/
✔ Podcast ► https://open.spotify.com/show/0DhHwTS...
____________ Disclaimer ____________
Some original footage and recreated scenes (using simulators like DCS and War Thunder) may not be 100% accurate to the events depicted but have been used for illustrative and dramatic purposes where archival footage was unavailable or restricted by copyright. We aim to remain as historically accurate as possible given the available resources. Our documentaries are researched, written, fact-checked and edited by our production team. Narration is performed by a combination of human presenters and Charles, our signature digital narrator. Charles reads scripts written entirely by our team and is used to provide a consistent narration style across our documentaries.
Copyright Notice:
This video may contain copyrighted material used under the "fair dealing" provisions (ss 40/103C, ss 41/103A, ss 42/103B) of the Australian Copyright Act for purposes of research, study, criticism, review, and news reporting.
All copyrights remain with their respective owners.
Our videos are created for educational and historical documentation purposes.
About Us:
We are three aviation enthusiasts who create documentaries, interviews, and video essays focused on Australian and international military aviation history. Our channel explores the stories of military aircraft, fighter pilots, air battles, and the evolution of air power from WWI to today. We do our own research but are not experts in any particular area, so corrections and suggestions are welcome.