Douglas A-4B Skyhawk
Cdr L. W. Baldwin, VA-106 "Gladiators"
USS Essex (CVA-9), Late 1960s
(Hobby Master HA1402)
- Engine: One 8,400 lb thrust Pratt & Whitney J52-P6A turbojet
- Span: 26 ft 6 in
- Length: 40 ft 3 in
- Height: 15 ft 0 in
- Weight: 10,450 lb empty / 18,300 lb loaded / 24,500 lb max
- Crew: One
- Max Speed: 630 mph at sea level
- Service Ceiling: 42,250 ft
- Max Range: 1,400 miles
- Armament: Two 20 mm Colt Mk 12 ccannons, one in each wing root; plus up to 9,900 lb of bombs, rockets, missiles on five weapons pylons.
- Notes: Designed to replace the antiquated, propeller-driven AD Skyraider, the A-4 Skyhawk was first flown on June 22, 1954. Douglas exceeded the original design requirements by delivering a carrier-capable aircraft that was only half the Navy's weight specification and so compact that it did not need folding wings. The A-4 was the first to use "buddy" air-to-air refueling (an A-4 could refuel other aircraft of the same type), which was helpful when operating in remote locations where dedicated tankers were impractical. The A-4 served the US Navy until 2003 and remained the preferred warplane for the Marine Corps until the 1980s, even after the introduction of the A-7 Corsair II.
The first US Navy A-4 Skyhawk entered service in the mid of 1950s to replace the A-1 Skyraider . VA-106 started as Strike-Fighter Squadron ONE ZERO SIX in January 1945 but became VA-106 "The Gladiators" in 1955. A total of 542 A-4B Skyhawks were manufactured, many of which were later modified and/or refurbished and sold to foreign countries. The Skyhawk flew more missions than any other US Navy plane during the Vietnam War and because it was so nimble it was chosen by the US Navy aerobatic team the "Blue Angels".
Up