The A-7F Strikefighter
The A-7F Strikefighter was a transonic ground-attack aircraft developed from the highly successful Vietnam-era A-7 Corsair II. It resembles the F-8 Crusader from which the A-7 was originally derived, and was powered by the F-16's engine. Never went into production due to the F-16 being available by then, only proceeding as far as two prototypes.
The YA-7F is essentially a pissed-off Corsair II with a different engine + afterburner, supersonic capabilities, stronger wings the same loadout options for the A-7D already in-game, a fancier HUD, fancier radars and avionics, and being more of a fighter-bomber than the purely attack-focused A-7D.
HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION
During the 1980s, the A-10 Thunderbolt was already in service with the USAF. Unfortunately, they were concerned as the A-10 wasn't fast enough for interdiction strikes and thus requested a proposal for a fast attack plane powered with either the Pratt-Whitney F100-PW-220 or General Electric F110-GE-100 engine (used on the F-15 and F-16 of the time). Vought responded with this plane, installing an F100-PW-220 engine into the Vietnam War-era Corsair II attack plane. Reportedly, they wanted to keep the Allison TF41 turbofan and just stick the F100-PW-220's afterburner on it (since this combo generated much higher thrust at 26000 lbf than the 23770 lbf of the F100-PW-220 (both engines at afterburner thrust), while also retaining the excellent fuel economy of the TF41), but this would be a violation of the requirements set forth so it didn't go anywhere.
Visually, the YA-7F had a longer fuselage than the A-7 (1.22m/4ft longer), new fuselage sections inserted fore and aft their wings to help with engine length/aerodynamic/weight distribution problems as well as giving more space for fuel or other items, a strengthened wing (with new augmented flaps, leading-edge extensions and automatic maneuvering flaps), a (25cm/10") taller vertical stabilizer, flatter control surfaces, and an anhedral horizontal tail (the original Corsair II had a dihedral tail).
The new plane also received advanced, up-to-date avionics, life support and electronic systems to pair with its brand new engine; the end result resembled an F-8 Crusader (the original plane from which the A-7 and in turn the YA-7F was derived from).
Two A-7D Corsair IIs were converted to the YA-7F standard, with the first prototype flying in November 1989; the second prototype flew on April 1990. The new plane was pretty hot stuff. Despite being an affordable upgrade to an old Vietnam era jet (and not even a new plane at that, they can just convert old A-7D stocks to this standard to get them), the plane was capable of flying in virtually any weather, slinging plenty of bombs (since it could carry pretty much the types and amount of ordnance an ordinary A-7D or A-7E can carry) or other ordnance at ground targets, and can keep flying over long distances or long periods of time.
Unfortunately for the YA-7F's career, the weakening and collapse of the USSR meant that military spending was suddenly less important, and the trend was for (allegedly) procuring only one airframe that can do both fighter and ground-attack roles to save on costs- the F-16 which already did this. Despite the great practical value and potential of the YA-7F, the Air Force never warmed up to it and thus the two prototype conversions were doomed to be the only ones of their kind.
Fortunately for both YA-7Fs converted, both still survive to this day. One is located at the Hill Aerospace Museum in Utah, USA while the other A-7F is retired at the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum in California, USA.
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