Simply stated, aircraft performance is defined as how far, how fast, how high, and carrying what for how long to perform a specific task.  Stated in the vernacular of the aircraft designer, these are range, speed, altitude, payload, duration and mission.

Defining the performance of the A-7, or any other modern military aircraft, is a very complex task because there are so many variables, all interacting with each other. To simply state the maximum or minimum value of a performance element gives only the most general feel for the vehicle.

The complexity of this issue is revealed by the Flight Handbook, USAF Technical Order 1A-7D-1, Section V, Operational Limitations, which requires 53 pages to define 34 stores (weapons and external fuel tanks) that can be loaded on the 68 store stations of the A-7 in 216 different configurations!  Each of these configurations affects airspeed and acceleration (g-load) for carriage, employment, and release and jettison factors. Each configuration also affects dive angle, cg (center of gravity, range, total drag, total aircraft weight, and, in some cases, takeoff distance and maximum altitude.

However, so that some comparison can be made of the different models in the A-7 family, we have taken the CLOSE AIR SUPPORT and SEARCH & SURVEILLANCE missions as examples.  For each mission in the comparison, the payload is defined as 6 Mark 82 Low-Drag General Purpose bombs, 500 rounds of 20-mm ammunition, and a full fuel load.

PERFORMANCE COMPARISON OF VARIOUS MODELS OF A-7 AIRCRAFT   AIRCRAFT MODEL   A-7A A-7B A-7C A-7D A-7E A-7H TA-7C CONDITIONS, VARIABLES AND PERFORMANCE                               CONDITIONS               6 MK-82 LDGP bombs and 500 rounds of 20-mm ammo.                               VARIABLES               Takeoff weight -lbs 31994 32204 33613 35234 35104 34539 35443 Fuel weight - lbs 10200 10172 10172 9263 10036 9593 10200                 PERFORMANCE               Takeoff distance FT 4150 3300 3700 3900 4000 3750 4200 Time to climb to 30K feet - mins 11.9 7.6 8.4 8.2 7.7 7.8 9.7                 Close Air Support Mission time on target with 300 NM radius of action - hrs 2.86 2.20 2.00 1.20 1.48 1.30 1.75                 Search and Surveillance Mission search time with 300 NM radius of action - hrs 2.70 2.10 1.90 1.10 1.40 1.20 1.70

PERFORMANCE COMPARISON OF VARIOUS MODELS OF A-7 AIRCRAFT   AIRCRAFT MODEL   TA-7H A-7K A-7P TA-7P A-7D LANA A-7K LANA YA-7F CONDITIONS, VARIABLES AND PERFORMANCE                               CONDITIONS               6 MK-82 LDGP bombs and 500 rounds of 20-mm ammo.                               VARIABLES               Takeoff weight -lbs 35455 36686 32708 34026 35357 36818 46000 Fuel weight - lbs 9620 9263 10036 10043 9263 9263 10638                 PERFORMANCE               Takeoff distance FT 4150 4250 3450 3800 3900 4250 2500 Time to climb to 30K feet - mins 8.4 9.2 7.9 8.8 8.2 9.2 5.2                 Close Air Support Mission time on target with 300 NM radius of action - hrs 1.15 0.96 2.06 1.80 1.20 0.96 2.20?                 Search and Surveillance Mission search time with 300 NM radius of action - hrs 1.05 0.90 1.96 1.75 1.10 0.90 2.10

A-7:

Genesis of the Navy Attack Bomber, Light (VA(L))
The A-7 in Combat
A-7 Aircraft Performance Perspective
Low Altitude Night Attack (LANA)
Farewell Proud Bird