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Line 1: − + − The Skyhawk first flew on June 22, 1954, and entered service in October 1956. It served prominently during the [[Vietnam War]]. An A-4 was the first plane shot down over [[North Vietnam]], in a raid on a torpedo boat base and oil installations in retaliation for the Gulf of Tonkin incident.<ref>Rolling Thunder, by Ivan Rendall, Dell Publishing, 1997</ref> Among the A-4 pilots who flew in the war were [[Medal of Honor]] recipient [[Michael Estocin]] and future Senator and presidential candidate [[John McCain]]. − + + + + + + + + + + + − <small><references/></small>+ − + − + + + + + + +
Operational history, link, further reading
The '''A-4''' is a light attack bomber, built by McDonnell-Douglas and flown by the [[U.S. Navy]] and [[Marines]]. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney turbojet, it was nicknamed the “Scooter” for its small size and tremendous maneuverability. It also was called "Heineman's Hot Rod", after its designer. The A-4 had a maximum speed of 670 mph, was armed with 2 20-mm cannons, and could carry 4000 lb of bombs.<ref>Fast Movers, by John Darrell Sherwood, St. Martin’s Press, 1999</ref>
The '''A-4''' is a light attack bomber, built by McDonnell-Douglas and flown by the [[U.S. Navy]] and [[Marines]]. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney turbojet, it was nicknamed the “Scooter” for its small size and tremendous maneuverability. It also was called "Heineman's Hot Rod", after its designer. The A-4 had a maximum speed of 670 mph, was armed with 2 20-mm cannons, and could carry 4000 lb of bombs.<ref>''Fast Movers'', by John Darrell Sherwood, St. Martin’s Press, 1999</ref>
[[Image:A-4_over_Vietnam.jpg|left]][[Image:A-4.jpg|right]]
[[Image:A-4_over_Vietnam.jpg|left]][[Image:A-4.jpg|right]]
==History==
==History==
The A-4 also flew in the [[Falkland Islands]] War for [[Argentina]] against the British fleet. Many Skyhawks were shot down by Harriers and anti-aircraft fire, but A-4s sank three British ships (2 frigates and a destroyer) and damaged several others.<ref>Air War in the Falklands 1982, by Christopher Chant, Osprey Publishing, 2001</ref>
===US Navy and Marine Corps===
The Skyhawk first flew on June 22, 1954, and entered operational service in October 1956. The Scooter served prominently during the [[Vietnam War]]. An A-4 was the first plane shot down over [[North Vietnam]], in a raid on a torpedo boat base and oil installations in retaliation for the Gulf of Tonkin incident.<ref name="MyFirstRef">''Rolling Thunder: A History of Jet Combat From World War II to the Gulf War'', by Ivan Rendall, Dell Publishing, 1997</ref> Among the A-4 pilots who flew in the war were [[Medal of Honor]] recipient [[Michael Estocin]] and future Senator and presidential candidate [[John McCain]].
===Israel===
When [[France]] stopped supplying [[Israel]] after the [[Six Day War]], Israel turned to the United States, and the Israeli Air Force took an immediate liking to the [[F-4|F-4 Phantom II]] and the A-4 Skyhawk. First delivery of the little bomber was in late 1967, and the Skyhawk became the workhorse of the bombing campaigns in the [[War of Attrition]] and the [[Yom Kippur War]]. Losses in the latter were heavy (30 Skyhawks were downed in the first day of fighting), due to Egyptian anti-aircraft defences, but losses went down as Israeli tactics improved. Within a week, Israeli bombers were on the offensive again, and the destroyed planes were replaced by emergency shipments from the United States. A-4s also participated in strikes on PLO bases in [[Lebanon]] and [[Syria]]n SAM sites during Operation Peace for Galilee in 1982.<ref name="MyFirstRef"/> The Skyhawk has been replaced in front-line service by the home-built Kfir and the American [[F-16]], but it’s still used for advanced pilot training.
===Argentina===
The A-4 operated in the [[Falkland Islands]] War for [[Argentina]] against the British fleet. Bombing attacks by Skyhawks sank the destroyer HMS ''Coventry'' and the frigates ''Antelope'' and ''Ardent'', and damaged a number of other ships. A total of 23 A-4s were lost in the conflict: three to accidents, one to friendly fire, eight to Sea Harriers, and eleven to anti-aircraft guns and SAMs.<ref>''Air War in the Falklands 1982'', by Christopher Chant, Osprey Publishing, 2001</ref>
===Kuwait===
[[Kuwait]]i Skyhawks flew against [[Iraq]]i forces when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, and some pilots managed to escape to [[Saudi Arabia]] when their airfields were overrun. The planes were integrated into the Royal Saudi Air Force for the duration of the [[Gulf War]], and came to be known as the Free Kuwaiti Air Force. The FKAF flew over 1300 combat sorties, losing one aircraft to enemy fire.<ref>[http://home.att.net/~jbaugher4/newa4_15.html Skyhawk for Kuwait]</ref> After the war, Kuwait replaced its Skyhawks with [[F/A-18 Hornet]]s. The Skyhawks were sold to [[Brazil]] for use on their aircraft carrier, ''Sao Paulo''.
==References==
==References==
<references/>
==Links==
==External Links==
*[http://www.boeing.com/history/mdc/skyhawk.htm The A-4 Skyhawk] at Boeing.com
*[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/a-4.htm A-4 Skyhawk at GlobalSecurity.org]
*[http://www.boeing.com/history/mdc/skyhawk.htm The A-4 Skyhawk at Boeing.com]
*[http://www.skyhawk.org/ The Skyhawk Association]
*[http://www.skyhawk.org/ The Skyhawk Association]
==Further Reading==
*''Douglas A-4 Skyhawk: Attack and Close-support Fighter Bomber'', by Jim Winchester, Pen & Sword Books, 2005
*''US Navy and Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk Units in the Vietnam War: 1963-1973'', by Peter Mersky, Osprey Publishing, 2007
[[Category:Aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft]]
[[Category:United States Navy]]
[[Category:United States Navy]]
[[Category:Vietnam War]]