Military
The U.S. Air Force adopted the LTV A-7 on December 23, 1968, and ordered 645 of the single-seat subsonic tactical fighters, which were designed to deliver weapon loads with pinpoint accuracy. Originally designed for the U.S. Navy, the prototype first flew on September 27, 1965, at Dallas, Texas. The USAF A-7D began arriving at Korat Air Base, Thailand, during the late summer of 1972, and by the end of October 1972 it had taken over the close air support Sandy mission from the Douglas A-1E Skyraider. During operations in southeast Asia, A-7s flew more than 100,000 sorties and earned the respect of those who flew them. In the late 1970s, significant numbers were delivered to U.S. Air National Guard units, where improvements to weapons systems included the Pave Penny laser target designation pod and advanced maneuvering flaps. The last model series, the A-7K two-seat strike trainer, was affectionately known as the SLUF, or Short Little Ugly Fella. All A-7s were decommissioned from the USAF inventory in 1992.
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Lackland AFB, Texas · United States
