Cessna A-37B Dragonfly

The Cessna A-37B Dragonfly is a part of the Royal Australian Air Force’s Temora Historic Flight.

The Cessna A-37B Dragonfly is an American light attack aircraft developed by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. The A-37B Dragonfly is an all-metal, retractable gear, low wing twin turbojet powered aircraft. VH-DLO carries construction number 68-10805 and VH-XVA is 68-10779. A total of 577 A-37Bs were delivered.

The Cessna A-37B Dragonfly is a development of an aircraft originally designed in 1952 as a trainer for the US Air Force. The A-37B in its current configuration is designed as a ground attack aircraft and was developed to meet the COIN (counter insurgency) role.

The US Government supplied 254 Cessna A-37B Dragonfly’s to the Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) during the Vietnam War. Throughout the war, A-37s were used extensively in support of Australian ground forces with many missions being directed by Australian Forward Air Controllers (FAC’s).

After the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, ninety-five VNAF A-37B aircraft were captured and incorporated into the Vietnamese People’s Air Force, the aircraft in the Museum’s collection were among those captured. They were used in active service by their new “owners” and played a part in several regional conflicts involving Vietnam.

In 1989 several Dragonfly's were found in Vietnam. Subsequently, ten were purchased from the Government of Vietnam and brought to Australia. Two A-37B Dragonfly's were donated to the Temora Aviation Museum in 2000 and 2001.

After extensive restoration work on one of these aircraft (VH-XVA) by the Temora Aviation Museum’s Engineering Team, the aircraft returned to flight in 2018 and is now part of Temora Historic Flight.