Cessna O-2 Skymaster

The Cessna O-2 Skymaster (nicknamed "Oscar Deuce") is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster, used for forward air control and psychological operations by the US military between 1967 and 2010.

Design and development

In 1966, the United States Air Force (USAF) commissioned Cessna to build a military variant of the Model 337 Skymaster to supplement the Cessna O-1 Bird Dog in the role of forward air control.

Both the civilian and military Skymasters were low-cost, twin piston-engined aircraft, with one engine in the nose of the aircraft and a second in the rear of the fuselage. The push-pull configuration provided centerline thrust, allowing simpler operation than the low-wing mounting of most twin-engined light aircraft and allowed a high wing to be used, providing clear observation below and behind the aircraft.

Modifications made for the military configuration included fore-and-aft seating for a pilot and observer, instead of the six seats of the civilian version; installation of view panels in the doors (for improved ground observation); installation of flame-retardant foam in the wing-mounted fuel tanks (slightly increasing weight and reducing maximum fuel capacity by 3%); installation of military, rather than civilian, communication and navigation equipment and antennas; removal of propeller spinners; increased gross weight (5,400 vs. 4,400 lb in civilian version), with component strengthening as required to support the increase; and removal of interior upholstery.

The O-2 first flew in January 1967, and the plane went into production shortly thereafter in March. Performance (especially at cruising altitudes) was degraded due to the added antennae and significant weight increase, but was considered sufficient for the anticipated low-level operation.

Operational history

United States U.S. Air Force

The USAF took delivery of the O-2 Skymaster in March 1967, and the O-2A also entered the U.S. Army's inventory during 1967, from USAF stock. By June 1970, when production stopped, a total of 532 O-2s had been built for the USAF.

During the Vietnam War, the O-2A was introduced as a replacement for the O-1 Bird Dog, in the forward air control (FAC) aircraft and served in that role with the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron. The O-2B was equipped with loudspeakers and a leaflet dispenser for use in the psychological operations role.

While the Skymaster was intended to be replaced in the FAC mission by the OV-10 Bronco, the O-2A continued to be used for night missions after the OV-10's introduction, due to the OV-10's high level of cockpit illumination, rendering night reconnaissance impractical. The O-2 was phased out completely after additional night upgrades to the OV-10.

In total, 178 USAF O-2 Skymasters were lost in the Vietnam War to all causes.Hobson, Chris. Vietnam Air Losses, USAF/USN/USMC/ Fixed-Wing Southeast Asia 1961–1973. 2001.

Following the Vietnam War, the O-2 continued to operate with both U.S. Air Force (USAF) and Air National Guard units into the late 1980s.

U.S. Navy Six former USAF O-2A airframes were transferred to the U.S. Navy (USN) in 1983 for use as range controllers with Attack Squadron 122, the Pacific Fleet Replacement Squadron for the A-7 Corsair II at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. These aircraft were later transferred to Strike Fighter Squadron 125, the F/A-18 Hornet FRS at NAS Lemoore, in 1986 for use in the same range control role. These O-2A aircraft were eventually replaced by T-34C Turbo-Mentor aircraft transferred from the Naval Air Training Command.

U.S. Army Of the six USN aircraft mentioned above, two were transferred to the U.S. Army in late 1990.United States Military Aviation Directory, AIRTime Publishing, Norwalk CT, c2000, p. 231, USAF O-2As were augmented by the 1990 aircraft transfer from the USN. Several disassembled USAF O-2s remain in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. Two O-2As were used at Laguna Army Airfield, Arizona, as part of testing programs carried out by the Yuma Proving Ground. These were retired in October 2010 and sent to a museum.

South Vietnam Thirty-five USAF O-2 aircraft were later transferred to and operated by the Republic of Vietnam Air Force.

El Salvador During the Salvadoran Civil War, the Salvadoran Air Force received a total of 23 O-2As and two O-2Bs from the United States, the first arriving in 1981. They were employed to observe the movements of FMLN formations and direct air strikes against them, playing a major role in forcing the rebel movement to abandon large-scale operations.

Near the end of the war in 1990, the rebels' acquisition of SA-7 missiles resulted in the loss of two O-2As, while another was destroyed by mortar fire, and two more were lost in crashes.

Civilian use CAL FIRE In the mid-1970s, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CAL FIRE, found that the contractor-owned air attack aircraft, mostly single-engined Cessna 182s and Cessna 210s, did not provide the airspeed and safety needed for the department's new air tanker program. In 1974, Senior Air Operations Officer Cotton Mason inspected 40 USAF O-2s at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The best 20 were selected and shipped to Fresno, California. These aircraft had been FAC aircraft in Vietnam and shipped back to the United States in containers; they were disassembled and on pallets when they arrived at Fresno. A crew of California Conservation Corps members under the supervision of a CDF battalion chief, who was an FAA Certified Mechanic with Inspection Authorization, reassembled the aircraft.

They were placed in service in 1976, and served CAL FIRE for more than 20 years, until replaced by a fleet of OV-10 Broncos.

Variants

O-2A Version designed for use in forward air control missions, with underwing ordnance hard points to hold rockets, gun pods, or flares, 513 delivered O-2B Designed for psychological warfare, this version was equipped with loudspeakers and a leaflet dispenser, and not armed; 31 former civilian 337s were converted to O-2Bs.Andrade 1979, p. 140

Operators

Botswana Air Force – Nine O-2As were delivered in 1993."Cessna Skymasters used by non-US Air-Forces" , Skymaster.org.uk. Accessed 10 May 2010.

Civil Guard Air Section – Three O-2As

Dominican Air Force – Five O-2As (retired)

National Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire – One O-2A delivered in 1993

Haitian Air Force – Eight (in service 1975–98), six of these reportedly were Model 337s, and only two were O-2As.

Iran Imperial Iranian Air Force – 12 O-2As were delivered in 1972.

Namibian Air Force – Six O-2As, five of which were delivered on June 26, 1994, for use in the antipoaching and antismuggling roles.AIR International, December 1994, p. 323. Nicaragua Fuerza Aérea de Nicaragua FAN GN - 6 O-2As retired in 1979

Salvadoran Air Force – 18 O-2As and two O-2Bs, delivered starting in 1981 Eight O-2A and one O-2B remain in service.

Solomon Islands Government – Two O-2As

Republic of Korea Air Force – at least 14 O-2As

Republic of Vietnam Air Force – at least 35

Royal Thai Navy – 11 x O2-337 Sentry

USAF – about 532 USN U.S. Army

National Navy of Uruguay – Three O-2As were acquired from Chile in June 2017.

Zimbabwe Air Force – Two O-2As were delivered in 1994–1995.

Aircraft on display

O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21331, National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; previously assigned to the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21368, Air Commando Park, Hurlburt Field, Florida O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21430, Fort Worth Aviation Museum, Fort Worth, Texas O-2A, AF Ser. No. 68-10962, Main Gate, Shaw Air Force Base, South CarolinaShaw AFB O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21331, c/n 337M-0037, marked as 68-6864, c/n 337M-0153, Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin Air Force Base, FloridaUSAF Armament Museum O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21376, 105th Airlift Wing area, Stewart Air National Guard Base, New YorkNew York ANG - 105th AG, Newburgh O-2A, AF Ser. No. 68-11164, USAF Airman Heritage Museum, Lackland Air Force Base, TexasUSAF History and Traditions Museum O-2A, AF Ser. No. 68-6865, Kelly Field Heritage Museum, Lackland Air Force Base/Kelly Field Annex (formerly Kelly Air Force Base), TexasKelly Field Heritage Museum O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21318, Connecticut Air & Space Center, Sikorsky Memorial Airport, ConnecticutConnecticut Air & Space Center O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21326, Dyess Linear Air Park, Dyess Air Force Base, TexasDyess Linear Air Park O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21395, Air Mobility Command Museum, Dover Air Force Base, DelawareAir Mobility Command Museum O-2A, AF Ser. No. 68-10848, Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum, Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, CaliforniaTravis Air Force Museum O-2A, AF Ser. No. 68-10853, Hill Aerospace Museum, Hill Air Force Base, Utah O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21380, Museum of Aviation, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia O-2A, AF Ser. No. 68-6871, Grissom Air Museum, Grissom Air Reserve Base (formerly Grissom Air Force Base), Indiana O-2A, AF Ser. No. 68-11160, 182nd Airlift Wing complex, Peoria Air National Guard Base, General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport, IllinoisIllinois ANG - 182nd AG, Peoria O-2A, AF Ser. No. 68-6901, Pima Air and Space Museum (adjacent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base), Tucson, ArizonaPima Air & Space Museum O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21413, Castle Air Museum (former Castle Air Force Base), Atwater, CaliforniaCastle Air Museum O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21411, in storage at Museum of Aviation, Robins Air Force Base, Warner Robins, Georgia, formerly on display at Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum, Rantoul, Illinois O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21330, Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum, Space Coast Regional Airport, Titusville, FloridaValiant Air Command Museum O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21395, Evergreen Aviation Museum, McMinnville, Oregon O-2B, AF Ser. No. 67-21465, March Field Air Museum, March Air Reserve Base (formerly March Air Force Base), CaliforniaMarch Field Air Museum O-2A, AF Ser. No. 69-7644, American Wings Air Museum, Anoka County Airport Jane's Field (KANE), Blaine, Minnesota O-2A, AF Ser. No. 67-21416, Yankee Air Museum, Belleville, Michigan In addition, several O-2s are privately operated as "warbirds".

Specifications (O-2)

See also

References

Bibliography

External links