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Description
In 1967 the Vietnam War was slogging on and the US forces were struggling to deal with incursions across the borders with Laos and Cambodia.

Troop-supporting ground attacks had been been carried out by Douglas Skyraiders, but they were large and slow-moving, so losses were high.

A jet powered replacement was needed for close air support, and the tiny Cessna A-37B Dragonfly was chosen. The Dragonfly flew 160,000 sorties with 22 losses by the end of the war.

The aircraft shown are from the 604th Special Operations Squadron flying a ‘lights out’ mission, which required a dive down 100 feet altitude in the dark before releasing their bombs.

Description
In 1967 the Vietnam War was slogging on and the US forces were struggling to deal with incursions across the borders with Laos and Cambodia.

Troop-supporting ground attacks had been been carried out by Douglas Skyraiders, but they were large and slow-moving, so losses were high.

A jet powered replacement was needed for close air support, and the tiny Cessna A-37B Dragonfly was chosen. The Dragonfly flew 160,000 sorties with 22 losses by the end of the war.

The aircraft shown are from the 604th Special Operations Squadron flying a ‘lights out’ mission, which required a dive down 100 feet altitude in the dark before releasing their bombs.