A-37B "The Caribbean Dragons"

The next Fuerza Aerea Dominicana (FAD) re-structure took place during the mid-1980’s, and saw acquisition of new combat-, patrol- and training aircraft. After several Cuban MiGs humiliated the FAD, playing and taunting with the old Mustangs off the Dominican coast, the government requested US assistance. The A-37B Dragonfly attack jet was the only model cleared for the FAD, and suitable fighters, such as the supersonic F-5E Tiger II was not offered. However, the Dragonfly would go on to replace the tired Mustangs in the COIN and light attack role, with eight aircraft delivered.
The Dominican Dragonflies had its first operational intercept in 1985, when one shot down a Beechcraft D-18 during an anti-narcotic operation. The original requirement was for up to 16 Dragonflies, but only the first batch was delivered. Instead, the FAD received eight Cessna O-2A observation aircraft. The O-2’s were pressed into service on border patrol, reconnaissance and coastal patrol, armed with machine guns and rocket launchers.