Amid the Cold War, the US Air Force called for a new, faster ground attack and close air support aircraft. One proposed answer to this call was the YA-7F. A heavily modified A-7, the YA-7F could cruise at the speed of sound due to its design changes that included a longer fuselage to better fit the stronger engine. Manufacturers modified only two A-7s before the US Air Force selected to invest in the new, faster F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.
Before the aircraft on display was modified to a YA-7, it served in various tactical fighter wings near the end of the Vietnam War. When the call for modified A-7s went out, this airframe became one of the two YA-7Fs. As the US Air Force ended the modification program, this airframe was promptly turned over to the US Air Force Museum Program because of its unique nature. This Corsair II then made its way to the Hill Aerospace Museum in 1991.
During the classified development of the F-117 Nighthawk in the 1980s, Airmen used the A-7 to distract the public from the real operations of the world’s first stealth fighter. Rumor spread that the the F-117 flight test unit was flying the outdated A-7s to test advanced avionics, rather than the world’s first stealth fighter.
This aircraft is on loan from the U.S. Air Force Heritage Program.
Serial Number: 70-1039
Manufacturer: Ling-Temco-Vought
Primary Function: Attack Bomber
Crew: One
Engines: One Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 turbofan
Wingspan: 38 ft 9 in
Length: 49 ft
Height: 17 ft 6 in
Weight: Empty: 21,800 lbs.; Maximum Takeoff Weight: 46,000 lbs. Thrust: 26,000 lbs. with Afterburner
Speed: Maximum: 920 mph; Cruising Speed: 550 mph
Range: 2,302 miles (w/four 300-gallon external tanks)
Service Ceiling: 55,000 ft
Armament: One M61A1 20mm rotary cannon;
Payload: Over 17,000 lbs external ordnance
Years of Service: 1987 – 1990
