Flight Performance

[NoodI]

Just wondering how it will feel in the air with certain payloads and how agile it is

[Mig Fulcrum]

I think the answer is no 

[=DROOPY=]

2 hours ago, Mig Fulcrum said:

I think the answer is no 

      Solid answer.

@NoodI I am not a trained aviator, but it probably handles only just slightly better than a fully loaded tanker truck on an ice covered road. 

If only the A-7F would have came to be...  

[Stackup]

33 minutes ago, =DROOPY= said:

I am not a trained aviator, but it probably handles only just slightly better than a fully loaded tanker truck on an ice covered road. 

Honestly, that's probably pretty accurate with a full payload, but I expect it's more maneuverable than we think when it's only got the two Sidewinders.  Not that anyone should do any dogfighting with it because I doubt that would end well given it's purpose built for light attack.

[Dragon1-1]

It was somewhat maneuverable, but less than the A-4. As they used to say, the Corsair ain't fast, but it sure is slow.  I think that's the main problem with it when it comes to dogfighting, it can turn, but it'll have trouble catching faster jets. The SLUF could outrun the Skyrider, but that's about it.

[WinterH]

Loaded up to the brim, as it kinda was supposed to be, I expect it to feel rather trucky. But I'm almost sure it'll still be faster than A-10 anyway. Which, granted, isn't a huge bar to clear.

When it's lighter however, I'm pretty sure it'll be quite agile. This isn't me saying it'll be a great dogfighter for your average air quake server, because it won't be that. But I'd expect it to handle pretty good for a strike bird when it's light.

[yngvef]

Here's a good documentary/commercial for the A-7: 

Roll rate (clean I assume) of 200 degrees per second isn't bad.

It is no dogfighter, and that was never intended, but I don't think it will be like a cargo plane either. 

Sidenote: I never understood what makes it "light attack" when it can carry 30x mk-82 bombs. Three A-7s can carry more Mk-82 bombs than a B-52.

[western_JPN]

11 hours ago, yngvef said:

Sidenote: I never understood what makes it "light attack" when it can carry 30x mk-82 bombs. Three A-7s can carry more Mk-82 bombs than a B-52.

Their combat ranges were .....

A-7 with 30x mk82 means no external drop tanks ---- with heavy weight and high drag ---- might become very short combat range; one of the "light attack" essence.
And B-52 was designed for a strategic bomber; very long range flight with nukes or nuclear warhead ASMs instead of conventional bombs.

Btw, standard B-52s can carry 27x mk82 inside their fuserage bomb bays and after 1964, B-52s were modified to carry 24x external bombs via MERs --- so total 51x mk82 over A-7s. Current (old 3d model) DCS's B-52H AI simulates this style.
Another Big Berry modification was done on B-52D for Vietnam war making that fuserage bomb bays can carry 84x mk82. That was nearly 3x A-7's amount mk82. 

[Bremspropeller]

Never seen an A-7 with a wall-to-wall bomb loadout in theater. The entire point of the A-7D/E was to do more with less, so instead of dopping a huge stick of bombs, they'd deliver less bombs with a tighter CEP.

Most A-7A-E missions off Yankee Station didn't use any bags at all.

A-7Ds out of Thailand IIRC usually carried two bags.

 

FWIW: The aircraft will probably have the maneuvering flaps mod, so it should be okay'ish in AA unless you're expecting to win against the teen fighters most of the time.

[=DROOPY=]

On 1/19/2023 at 3:11 AM, Bremspropeller said:

Never seen an A-7 with a wall-to-wall bomb loadout in theater. The entire point of the A-7D/E was to do more with less, so instead of dopping a huge stick of bombs, they'd deliver less bombs with a tighter CEP.

Most A-7A-E missions off Yankee Station didn't use any bags at all.

A-7Ds out of Thailand IIRC usually carried two bags.

 

FWIW: The aircraft will probably have the maneuvering flaps mod, so it should be okay'ish in AA unless you're expecting to win against the teen fighters most of the time.

Now that I think about it, I don't think I have ever read anything about A-7's going into the merge against MiG-15/17's. So considering how much of a challenge they were against the Phantom driver's, I'd be willing to bet the A-7 guy's went *way* out of their way to avoid a fight. If there are any first-hand A-7 vs MiG-15/17 accounts, I'd love to read it. 

[Bremspropeller]

21 minutes ago, =DROOPY= said:

Now that I think about it, I don't think I have ever read anything about A-7's going into the merge against MiG-15/17's. So considering how much of a challenge they were against the Phantom driver's, I'd be willing to bet the A-7 guy's went *way* out of their way to avoid a fight. If there are any first-hand A-7 vs MiG-15/17 accounts, I'd love to read it. 

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/sluf-vs-fresco-unarmed-7-able-fend-off-mig-17-skies-north-vietnam/

 

The later jets with maneuvering-flaps supposedly weren't half bad in terms of turning and high AoA (which was dicey in the earlier A-7s due to their departure-chraracteristics). They'd just not have enough thrust to be a credible threat.

[=DROOPY=]

1 hour ago, Bremspropeller said:

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/sluf-vs-fresco-unarmed-7-able-fend-off-mig-17-skies-north-vietnam/

 

 

Thanks for sharing! Interesting read.

[Kev2go]

On 1/17/2023 at 5:33 AM, Dragon1-1 said:

It was somewhat maneuverable, but less than the A-4. As they used to say, the Corsair ain't fast, but it sure is slow.  I think that's the main problem with it when it comes to dogfighting, it can turn, but it'll have trouble catching faster jets. The SLUF could outrun the Skyrider, but that's about it.

 

It should outrun out accelerate and outclimb an a6 intruder as well. 

[Dragon1-1]

Not that this will be a big achievement, given that speed is not the Intruder's claim to fame. Of course it can outrun some other bombers, but even then, the A-7's 600kts on deck versus Intruder's 560 isn't a whole lot of a margin. It's fast enough to win the race, but not to feel appreciably quicker to get to the target.