A-7 Lana Pod

[Scooterman]

As always, title says it all.  Looking for refs on the A-7D LANA pod.  I need one in 1/72 and can't find anything on the critter.  Makes it worse that (as far as I can tell) it never got a US designation.

TIA fellas!

[Iranian F-14A]

As far as I know,the "D" never carried the LANA,only the USN's "E" model.Of course I could be wrong,but I know the ANG birds that used to be here at Springfield never had it before they were retired.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

From the Wikipedia entry for the A-7E: 231 A-7E were equipped to carry the AAR-45 LANA (Low-Altitude Night Attack) FLIR pod which projected amplified light image on the HUD and, in conjunction with radar, provided terrain following down to 460 mph (740 km/h) at 200 ft (60 m).  

The Navy A-7E was not the only Corsair to use the AN/AAR-45 LANA FLIR Pod.  According to this link, the ANG A-7D and the two seat A-7K aircraft were capable of carrying the AAR-45 LANA FLIR Pod and there have been a number of images circulated in various magizines over the years showing that pod fitted to these aircraft.  The proposed A-7F was also intended to carry this pod for the night and adverse weather attack mission.  

[elmayerle]

*sigh* This is when I really feel the need to consolidate my stash.  There's a conversion for the A-7F sitting in my remote southern storage site that includes a LANA pod.  Thing is, I don't get down there too often.

I'll check through what of my resources are accessible and see what I can find.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

I remember when the 1/48th scale Hasegawa A-7E was first released and I was wanting the kit because it had that particular pod included in the kit but I was not wanting to pay the price that was posted on the label.  You can tell from that remark just how long ago that was, now a $40.00 kit is considered to be relatively cheap when compared to other new kits on the shelf with even larger numbers on their price tags.  

Since the AN/AAR-45 LANA FLIR pod the item in question that had perked my interest in the kit and I started looking for shapes in the spares box that could be used in lieu of the parts provided by Hasegawa in the A-7E kit.  What I found was the smaller set drop tanks that are supplied in the Monogram 1/48th scale F-84F kit were almost a perfect match in size and shape.  These are availalbe in both versions of the F-84F kit.  The only real challenge was to create the FLIR aperture in the nose of the drop tank and put a flat surface on that portion with the required slant as seen on the real pod.  I am not sure what you could use for this pod in 1/72nd scale but I would suggest starting with the obvious such as any F-84F kit and then start looking at other aircraft that have used that type of fuel tank.  

In real life that size and shape of fuel tank was mounted on the centerline of the USAF OV-10 Bronco FAC aircraft.  That same shape and size fuel tank was also used for a short time as the outboard fuel tank on the UH-60 Blackhawk ESS when that aircraft was carrying four fuel tanks.  The tank itself is about 200 gallons in capacity or less and it is physically smaller than the other fuel tanks seen on the early Blackhawks when flying with the ESS.  

[K5054NZ]

I have a Lana, but you can't have her, sorry.


Man....wait til I tell her that her all-time most despised aeroplane has a part named after her.....