Warbird Heritage Foundation A-4B Skyhawk

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.

DateSquadronSquadron NameLocation
1957 Sep 30AcceptanceEl Segundo, CA
1957 Oct 9 VMA-211Wake Island
Avengers
MCAS Edenton, NC
1958 Sep 17H MS-14MCAS Cherry Point, NC
1959 Jan 13VMA-224BengalsMCAS Cherry Point, NC
1959 Sep 18H MS-14MCAS Cherry Point, NC
1959 Oct 2VMA-225Vagabonds
1959 Oct 3VMA-225 Det AVagabonds MCAS Cherry Point, NC
1960 Mar 31VMA-225VagabondsMCAS Cherry Point, NC
1960 Jun 29VMA-533HawksMCAS Cherry Point, NC
1960 Nov 3MARS NWSG-27MCAS Cherry Point, NC
1961 Aug 9VMA-242NAS Roosevelt Roads, PR
1961 Sep 1NASNAS Cecil Field, FL
1961 Nov 30VA-133Blue KnightsNAS Cecil Field, FL
1962 Jul 6VA-44HornetsNAS Jacksonville, FL
1963 Feb 28VA-44HornetsNAS Cecil Field, FL
1963 Jun 28NARTUNAS Jacksonville, FL
1963 Dec 9StorageNAF Litchfield Park, AZ
1966 Dec 18VSF-3ChessmenUSS Intrepid (CV-11)
1967 Feb 15VC-7NAS Miramar, CA
1969 Feb 12VC-3NAS North Island, CA
1969 Feb 13VC-1NAS Barbers Point, HI
1969 Jun 17A TNAS Alameda, CA
1969 Jul 8NASNAS Los Alamitos, CA
1970 Feb 25Stricken - Code 4Completion of Service Life
1970 Feb 26UnknownChessmen
1980 Sep 30Decommissioned
1980 Oct 1Unknown
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 MayEAA 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
a4_f_01
Photo by Luigino Caliaro

Exterior and Interior Photos
a4_e_21
A - 4B Skyhawk

Restoration Photos
a4_r_01
A - 4B Skyhawk Restoration

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!