Notes:
The USAF planned to transfer all of its A-7Ds to the Air National Guard in the 1980s, but unlike the Air Force, the ANG wanted a two-seat combat trainer to keep its pilots up to standard. Negotiations began for such a trainer and in 1979 LTV received a contract to convert an A-7D to the two-seat TA-7D configuration. The aircraft emerged as a fully combat capable A-7D but with two seats in tandem, a one-piece canopy, raised rear seat and an in flight refuelling receptacle on the fuselage centreline.
The A-7K could deliver TV-guided missiles and carry Pave Penny laser target seeker pods, which allowed laser-guided weapons to be carried. Excluding the prototype that was converted from an A-7D, Vought built 30 new A-7Ks. The first flew in October 1980 and the first were delivered to the ANG in April 1981 with production spanning from FY79 to FY81. In 1993 the A-7K fleet was retired and sent to AMARC.
In 1985 ADD was selected to provide a new HUD for these 54 systems A-7K aircraft for the Air National Guard. The award followed the success of the Cheap Night trials held at China Lake in 1984. The award followed the long and successful relationship the Company had with Vought from the early days of the A-7 programme The HUD was based on the F-16C/D optics but with a forward chassis that picked up on the existing A-7 HUD mounting points. The HUD was designated AN/AVQ-29. A connector for the Video Camera was added to the top of the chassis but otherwise even the UFCP was as on the F-16C/D which gave good commonality as the ANG operated the F-16s as well. The raster capability of the F-16C/D HUD system was used with a FLIR pod giving the A-7K a good night time capability.
The Company also provided two of these for the YA-7F in 1989. However the test program for YA-7F was terminated in late 1990 because the Air Force had decided to purchase a version of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon for the CAS/ground attack mission.
