A-4B Skyhawk
Military History
The A-4 Skyhawk was a post Korean War U.S. attack aircraft intended to be operated from aircraft carriers. It was designed by Douglas Aircraft to satisfy the U.S. Navy's need for a jet powered replacement for the A-1 Skyraider. The Skyhawk was successfully used by both the USN and USMC, with the first model entering service in October of 1956.
Skyhawk's were the Navy's primary light bomber during the early years of the Vietnam War. A-4's carried out some of the first U.S. air strikes of the war and a Marine Skyhawk is believed to have dropped the last US bombs on the country. Some of the notable A-4 pilots during the war were Vice Admiral James Stockdale and then LCDR John McCain. The Skyhawk continued in service throughout the war, with a total of 362 being lost.
After Vietnam, the A-4 served as demonstration aircraft for the U.S. Navy Blue Angels from 1973 through 1986. The Skyhawk's agility also made it popular as an adversary training aircraft. The A-4 was the preferred surrogate for the MIG-17 at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) until 1999. The Skyhawk has been used by other countries in a variety of conflicts, including the Falklands War. It was flown by the Kuwaiti Air Force in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
The aircraft remained in production until 1979. It's U.S. military service ended with formal retirement from the Navy on May 3, 2003. A total of 2,960 A-4's were built.
Read more information on the A-4B Skyhawk from the free online resource 'Wikipedia'.
A-4B - Constr #: 11366 - BuNo: 142112 (U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy)
The known history of this aircraft is listed below.
Date | Squadron | Squadron Name | Location |
---|---|---|---|
1957 Sep 30 | Acceptance | El Segundo, CA | |
1957 Oct 9 | VMA-211 | Wake Island Avengers | MCAS Edenton, NC |
1958 Sep 17 | H MS-14 | MCAS Cherry Point, NC | |
1959 Jan 13 | VMA-224 | Bengals | MCAS Cherry Point, NC |
1959 Sep 18 | H MS-14 | MCAS Cherry Point, NC | |
1959 Oct 2 | VMA-225 | Vagabonds | |
1959 Oct 3 | VMA-225 Det A | Vagabonds | MCAS Cherry Point, NC |
1960 Mar 31 | VMA-225 | Vagabonds | MCAS Cherry Point, NC |
1960 Jun 29 | VMA-533 | Hawks | MCAS Cherry Point, NC |
1960 Nov 3 | MARS NWSG-27 | MCAS Cherry Point, NC | |
1961 Aug 9 | VMA-242 | NAS Roosevelt Roads, PR | |
1961 Sep 1 | NAS | NAS Cecil Field, FL | |
1961 Nov 30 | VA-133 | Blue Knights | NAS Cecil Field, FL |
1962 Jul 6 | VA-44 | Hornets | NAS Jacksonville, FL |
1963 Feb 28 | VA-44 | Hornets | NAS Cecil Field, FL |
1963 Jun 28 | NARTU | NAS Jacksonville, FL | |
1963 Dec 9 | Storage | NAF Litchfield Park, AZ | |
1966 Dec 18 | VSF-3 | Chessmen | USS Intrepid (CV-11) |
1967 Feb 15 | VC-7 | NAS Miramar, CA | |
1969 Feb 12 | VC-3 | NAS North Island, CA | |
1969 Feb 13 | VC-1 | NAS Barbers Point, HI | |
1969 Jun 17 | A T | NAS Alameda, CA | |
1969 Jul 8 | NAS | NAS Los Alamitos, CA | |
1970 Feb 25 | Stricken - Code 4 | Completion of Service Life | |
1970 Feb 26 | Unknown | Chessmen | |
1980 Sep 30 | Decommissioned | ||
1980 Oct 1 | Unknown | ||
1987 Jan | Combat Jets Flying Museum, Houston, TX - Recovered from technical school - Rebuilt - Chino, CA - First Flight April 12, 1989 - Flew as 148609 / USS Bon Homme Richard | ||
1992 May | EAA Museum - Oshkosh - Displayed as 148609 | ||
2007 Dec | Warbird Heritage Foundation - Restored to flight status - First Flight December 1, 2009 |
SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: | Douglas Aircraft Company |
Model: | A-4B |
Year Built: | 1957 |
Constr # / Plant: | 11366 / El Segundo, CA |
BuNo: | 142112 (U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy) |
N-Number: | N49WH |
Engines: | One |
Curtiss Wright J-65-W-16A Turbojet | |
Thrust: 7,700 lbs. | |
Length: | 38 ft. 5 in. |
Height: | 14 ft. 11 in. |
Wingspan: | 27 ft. 6 in. |
Weight: | Empty: 9,146 lbs. |
Max Takeoff: 22,500 lbs. | |
Performance: | Range: 920 miles |
Airborne Refueling Capability | |
Ceiling: Over 40,000 ft. | |
Max Speed: 661 MPH |
GALLERY
Explore the photos of our aircraft on this page by clicking the play arrow, or click on the square in the upper right hand corner to go to full screen. Once on the page, click play. To return to this page, click upper right hand button again. In full screen mode, you can double click the image to get a close-up view.
In-Flight Photos
Exterior and Interior Photos
Restoration Photos
VIDEOS
Ride along with Paul Wood, see the first flight post restoration, or watch the launch operations during the Vietnam-era in these Skyhawk videos.
AVAILABILITY
Our A-4B Skyhawk is available for airshows and special events. For additional information, please contact us!