I flew both.
The Jag with the RAF, the A-7 with the USN on exchange.
Both had some great attributes, and each had some poor.
The Jag was better in the low-level arena, quite quick with a decent weapons load and a reasonable range.
The A-7 was a superb weapons carrier with a good range, and it was utterly brilliant at high angle (30/45 degree) dive bombing, even with stupid bombs.
The A-7 turned better than the Jag, but ran out of energy quicker - but the Jag had to use burners to compete, which made the fuel run out quicker. So which is better?
Both were very good aircraft in their own right and in the environment they were designed for.
The A-7 had plenty of fuselage space for a different engine which might have offered more thrust, more efficiently, and there were many in the USN (late 70's) who advocated such a move as a better and more economical solution to the F-18.
The A-7 was a whole lot better at carrier landings!! I did that in the A-7
- I would not try it in the Jag!!
But the Jag with its large brakechute stopped a whole lot quicker than the A-7 if un-arrested. So which is better?
The Jag was called many things, but I don't think it was ever called a SLUF!!
To answer your question properly, you need to be more specific about the areas where you wish to compare the two.
I really enjoyed flying both!!
