Sixty-seven examples of the A-7C model followed and these carried a TF30-P-408 engine of 13,400lb thrust output. They were eventually featured with the avionics/armament suite of the upcoming A-7E model. A trainer form emerged as the TA-7C and this featured a two-seat cockpit for student and instructor while being forged from 24 examples of the existing A-7B stock as well as 36 pulled from the A-7C total.
The United States Air Force (USAF) realized the value of the A-7 as a strike platform and ordered its own batch from Vought as the A-7D. These were fitted with the license-built Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan (as the local Allison TF41-A-1) and gave up the 2 x 20mm cannon approach for a simplified 1 x 20mm M61 "Vulcan" internal "Gatling-style" cannon arrangement. They carried AN/APN-185 nav radar and AN/APG-126 terrain-following radar. The "Pave Penny" laser tracker and maneuvering flaps were also part of the product. Serial manufacture became an impressive 459 total example of which many were handed to Air National Guard (ANG) units and saw their combat debut over Vietnam in 1972.
The USN followed the USAF and adopted the A-7D model as the A-7E with modifications to suit carrier-based operations. The nav radar became the AN/APN-190 kit and the terrain-following radar was the AN/APQ-128 series. Its engine was the Allison TF41-A-2 of 15,000lb thrust and Forward-Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) was standard. Production was an even more impressive 529 units for the service.
There were several other less-notable marks to emerge. The YA-7F "Strikefighter" - also known as the A-7D "Plus" - was a proposed upgrade which included a Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan (the same as featured in the McDonnell Douglas F-15 "Eagle" and General Dynamics F-16 "Fighting Falcon" offerings) which would have given the line a supersonic capability. Its fuselage was stretched for more internal space. This program only netted two prototypes before the endeavor was given up for good.
The A-7G was a proposed mark for export to Switzerland though none were realized before the end. The A-7H was exported to Greece through 60 examples and lacked the in-flight refueling capability of its American brethren. Its two-seat trainer model was the TA-7H. The EA-7L was a two-seat "electronic aggressor" platform serving squadron VAQ-34 and pulled from the TA-7C stock to become eight examples. These were later upgraded to the A-7E standard. The A-7K were thirty airframes used as trainers by the ANG. Portugal received some 44 ex-USN A-7A models fitted with TF30-P-408 series engines and A-7E avionics. Trainer forms followed as TA-7P and were pulled from USN A-7A stocks numbering six total examples. The YA-7E and YA-7H were two-seat private venture products offered by LTV but fell to naught.
As a combat platform, the A-7 series succeeded its expectations. Of the nearly 13,000 sorties flown over Vietnam by the aircraft, just six were counted lost in the whole of the war. It proved itself one of the most accurate bomb-delivery platforms during the conflict. The line saw additional combat service in the Grenada invasion (1983) and in actions over Lebanon that same year. During 1986, the aircraft was used against Libyan in targeting Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) positions. The aircraft was then featured in the 1991 Gulf War where its precision strike capabilities were used to good effect. During the contest, the aircraft also flew as converted aerial refueling tankers with success. Some of its final service with American forces came in the training role for the Lockheed F-117 "Nighthawk" stealth fighter program where its subsonic qualities were equal to that of the next-generation, radar-evading bomber.
Final A-7s in American service were retired during 1993 and the Portuguese Air Force gave up use of the type in 1999 followed by the Hellenic Air Force in 2014. Thai A-7s are under a "non-operational" status and can be presumed officially retired bringing an end to the operational service life of this fine aircraft. Many have survived as preserved museum showpieces.
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