LTV A-7E Corsair II – AG406 VA-12 Flying Ubangis, U.S.Navy 1979

Century Wings 1/72 scale CW001646: Ling-Temco-Vought A-7E Corsair II AG406 of VA-12 Flying Ubangis U.S.Navy 1979. Limited edition of 1,000 models.

Length 7.75 inches Wingspan 6.5 inches

US Navy Bomber-Fighter Squadron 4 (VBF-4) “Flying Ubangis” was established on May 12th, 1945 flying the F4U Corsair and F6F Hellcat. In November, 1946 the squadron was redesignated as Fighter Squadron 2 (VF-2A) and then changed again in August, 1948 to Fighter Squadron 12 (VF-12). Later that year, the squadron began flying the F8F Bearcat before entering the jet age in 1951 with the F2H-2 Banshee. In August, 1955, the squadron was redesignated one last time as Attack Squadron 12 (VA-12) and soon began flying the F7U Cutlass. The squadron was equipped with the A-4 Skyhawk from 1957 until 1971, deploying twice to Vietnam. After upgrading to the A-7E Corsair II, the squadron deployed several times to the Middle East before it was finally disestablished on October 1st, 1986. The squadron motto was the “Kiss of Death” as depicted by its insignia showing a skull blowing kisses toward the enemy.

Vought A-7E Corsair II
Designed as a longer-range, higher-payload replacement for the A-4 Skyhawk, the A-7 Corsair II was first flown on September 27th, 1965. This aircraft entered service during the Vietnam war and later became one of only a few US Navy aircraft to serve with the US Air Force. It possessed cutting edge technologies; it was one of the first aircraft to use a turbofan engine, an internal navigation system and a “head-up” display. Late in its career, A-7s were used for pilot training and were parked outside of hangars in order to draw the attention of Soviet spy satellites away from the fledgling F-117.