Both the civilian and military Skymasters were low-cost, twin piston-engined aircraft, with one engine in the nose of the aircraft and a second in the rear of the fuselage. The push-pull configuration provided centerline thrust, allowing simpler operation than the low-wing mounting of most twin-engined light aircraft and allowed a high wing to be used, providing clear observation below and behind the aircraft.
Modifications made for the military configuration included fore-and-aft seating for a pilot and observer, instead of the six seats of the civilian version; installation of view panels in the doors (for improved ground observation); installation of flame-retardant foam in the wing-mounted fuel tanks (slightly increasing weight and reducing maximum fuel capacity by 3%); installation of military, rather than civilian, communication and navigation equipment and antennas; removal of propeller spinners; increased gross weight (5,400 vs. 4,400 lb in civilian version), with component strengthening as required to support the increase; and removal of interior upholstery.
The O-2 first flew in January 1967, and the plane went into production shortly thereafter in March. Performance (especially at cruising altitudes) was degraded due to the added antennae and significant weight increase, but was considered sufficient for the anticipated low-level operation.
The USAF took delivery of the O-2 Skymaster in March 1967, and the O-2A also entered the U.S. Army's inventory during 1967, from USAF stock. By June 1970, when production stopped, a total of 532 O-2s had been built for the USAF.
While the Skymaster was intended to be replaced in the FAC mission by the OV-10 Bronco, the O-2A continued to be used for night missions after the OV-10's introduction, due to the OV-10's high level of cockpit illumination, rendering night reconnaissance impractical. The O-2 was phased out completely after additional night upgrades to the OV-10.
In total, 178 USAF O-2 Skymasters were lost in the Vietnam War to all causes.
Following the Vietnam War, the O-2 continued to operate with both U.S. Air Force (USAF) and Air National Guard units into the late 1980s.
U.S. Navy
Six former USAF O-2A airframes were transferred to the U.S. Navy (USN) in 1983 for use as range controllers with Attack Squadron 122, the Pacific Fleet Replacement Squadron for the A-7 Corsair II at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. These aircraft were later transferred to Strike Fighter Squadron 125, the F/A-18 Hornet FRS at NAS Lemoore, in 1986 for use in the same range control role. These O-2A aircraft were eventually replaced by T-34C Turbo-Mentor aircraft transferred from the Naval Air Training Command.
U.S. Army
Of the six USN aircraft mentioned above, two were transferred to the U.S. Army in late 1990. USAF O-2As were augmented by the 1990 aircraft transfer from the USN. Several disassembled USAF O-2s remain in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. Two O-2As were used at Laguna Army Airfield, Arizona, as part of testing programs carried out by the Yuma Proving Ground. These were retired in October 2010 and sent to a museum.
During the Salvadoran Civil War, the Salvadoran Air Force received a total of 23 O-2As and two O-2Bs from the United States, the first arriving in 1981. They were employed to observe the movements of FMLN formations and direct air strikes against them, playing a major role in forcing the rebel movement to abandon large-scale operations.
Near the end of the war in 1990, the rebels' acquisition of SA-7 missiles resulted in the loss of two O-2As, while another was destroyed by mortar fire, and two more were lost in crashes.
Civilian use
CAL FIRE
In the mid-1970s, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CAL FIRE, found that the contractor-owned air attack aircraft, mostly single-engined Cessna 182s and Cessna 210s, did not provide the airspeed and safety needed for the department's new air tanker program. In 1974, Senior Air Operations Officer Cotton Mason inspected 40 USAF O-2s at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The best 20 were selected and shipped to Fresno, California. These aircraft had been FAC aircraft in Vietnam and shipped back to the United States in containers; they were disassembled and on pallets when they arrived at Fresno. A crew of California Conservation Corps members under the supervision of a CDF battalion chief, who was an FAA Certified Mechanic with Inspection Authorization, reassembled the aircraft.
They were placed in service in 1976, and served CAL FIRE for more than 20 years, until replaced by a fleet of OV-10 Broncos.
Designed for psychological warfare, this version was equipped with loudspeakers and a leaflet dispenser, and not armed; 31 former civilian 337s were converted to O-2Bs.
a Redesignated during development •b Not built •c Produced only by Reims •d Transferred to Beechcraft during development •e Early models had no "I" suffix; some sources call these aircraft the Citation 500
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