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      • Dave Lovelady
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    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
    • 1966: Rolling Thunder Gets into its Stride
    • 1967: Rolling Thunder - The Peak Year
    • 1968: Tet, Khe Sanh, and the End of Rolling Thunder
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The Cessna O-2 (Aug 1967)

The Cessna O-2 was a militarised version of the Cessna 337 Skymaster six-seat light aircraft. The aircraft was first ordered into production for the USAF in December 1966 and was adapted to carry marker rockets and other ordnance for the role of forward air control. The first O-2As arrived in South Vietnam on 9 June with the intention that the type would eventually replace the older and smaller O-1 Bird Dog. Most were assigned to the 20th TASS and the 23rd TASS as these squadrons encountered the heaviest opposition. The 19th, 21st and 22nd TASS also received O-2s but still retained a large number of O-1s. Indeed, by January 1968 there were still 181 USAF O-1s based in Southeast Asia compared to 137 O-2s. Although the O-2 performed well in Southeast Asia it never entirely replaced the older aircraft. The O-2 could not operate from some of the smaller airstrips that the O-1 could fly into and visibility from the O-2 was not as good as that from the Bird Dog. The O-2 certainly had a better performance than the O-1 including the added safety that comes from two engines, especially as the engines were situated on the aircraft’s centreline so that the failure of one engine did not produce a marked assymetrical flight condition. Many pilots never really warmed to the O-2 and it was regarded by most as a stopgap aircraft until the introduction of the specialist OV-10 Bronco in the following year.

 

 

 

 

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© Chris Hobson and David Lovelady. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
      • Chris Hobson
      • Dave Lovelady
    • About the Book
    • About the Data
    • About this Site
  • Sidelines
    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
    • 1966: Rolling Thunder Gets into its Stride
    • 1967: Rolling Thunder - The Peak Year
    • 1968: Tet, Khe Sanh, and the End of Rolling Thunder
    • 1969: Interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
    • 1970: The Year of Withdrawal
    • 1971: A Much Reduced Presence
    • 1972: The Spring Invasion/Linebacker Campaigns
    • 1973: Winding Up the War
  • Statistics
    • Loss Statistics
    • Losses Due to Air Base Attacks
    • Losses Due to Accidents on the Ground or Aboard Ship
    • US Air Force Loss Statistics
    • US Navy Loss Statistics
    • US Marine Corps Loss Statistics
  • Details
    • Order of Battle
    • Index of Names
    • Abbreviations and Glossary of Operations, Code Names, and Projects
    • Bibliography
  • Searching the Database
    • Hints on How to Search
    • Notes and Caveats
    • Searching for Call Signs
    • Search Forms
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contact Us
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