page_title: LTV A-7 Corsair II
section_title: Grenada and Lebanon
hierarchical_section_title: LTV A-7 Corsair II / Operational history / Post-Vietnam era / Grenada and Lebanon
caption_attribution_description: English: A U.S. Navy flight deck crewman checks an LTV A-7E Corsair II aircraft from attack squadron VA-72 Blue Hawks aboard the aircraft carrier USS America (CV-66) during flight operations off the coast of Libya on 17 April 1986. The aircraft is armed with an AIM-9L Sidewinder missile on the fuselage station, a Mark 20 Rockeye II bomb on the middle wing pylon and an AGM-45 Shrike missile on the outside wing pylon. VA-72 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 1 (CVW-1) aboard the America for a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea from 10 March to 15 September 1986. On 15 April 1986 America´s aircraft participated in "Operation El Dorado Canyon", the bombing of Libya.
context_page_description: The LTV A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by American conglomerate Ling-Temco-Vought.
  The A-7 was developed during the early 1960s as replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Its design is derived from the Vought F-8 Crusader; in comparison with the F-8, the A-7 is both smaller and restricted to subsonic speeds, its airframe being simpler and cheaper to produce. Following a competitive bid by Vought in response to the United States Navy's VAL requirement, an initial contract for the type was issued on 8 February 1964. Development was rapid, first flying on 26 September 1965 and entering squadron service with the USN on 1 February 1967; by the end of that year, A-7s were being deployed overseas for the Vietnam War.
  Initially adopted by USN, the A-7 proved attractive to other services, soon being adopted by the United States Air Force and the Air National Guard to replace their aging Douglas A-1 Skyraider and North American F-100 Super Sabre fleets. Improved models of the A-7 would be developed, typically adopting more powerful engines and increasingly capable avionics.
context_section_description: Navy A-7E squadrons VA-15 and VA-87, from USS Independence, provided close air support during the Invasion of Grenada, codenamed Operation Urgent Fury, in October 1983.
  Navy A-7s also provided air support during the U.S. mission in Lebanon in 1983. An A-7 and an A-6 Intruder were shot down by Syrian surface-to-air missiles (SAM) on 4 December 1983. The A-7 pilot, Commander Edward Andrews, managed to guide his failing Corsair over coastal waters before ejecting; he was rescued by a Lebanese fishing boat and safely returned to the U.S. Marines.
caption: A-7E of VA-72 on USS America off Libya in April 1986.
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