A-4 Skyhawk

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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.[1]

A-4 over Vietnam.jpg
A-4.jpg

History

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.[2] 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.

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.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Fast Movers, by John Darrell Sherwood, St. Martin’s Press, 1999
  2. ↑ Rolling Thunder, by Ivan Rendall, Dell Publishing, 1997
  3. ↑ Air War in the Falklands 1982, by Christopher Chant, Osprey Publishing, 2001

Links

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