Douglas A-4 Skyhawk

The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single seat subsonic carrier-capable attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later by McDonnell-Douglas. It was originally designated A4D under the U.S. Navy's pre-1962 designation system.

The Skyhawk is a relatively lightweight aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 24,500 pounds (11,113 kg) and has a top speed of more than 670 mph (1,078.8 km/h). The aircraft's five hardpoints support a variety of missiles, bombs and other munitions. It was capable of carrying a bomb load equivalent to that of a World War II-era Boeing B-17 bomber, and could deliver nuclear weapons using a low-altitude bombing system and a "loft" delivery technique. The A-4 was originally powered by the Wright J65 turbojet engine; from the A-4E onwards, the Pratt & Whitney J52 was used.

Skyhawks played key roles in the Vietnam War, the Yom Kippur War, and the Falklands War. Sixty years after the aircraft's first flight, some of the nearly 3,000 produced remain in service with several air arms around the world, including from the Brazilian Navy's aircraft carriers, São Paulo and Brasilia.

Users

 * Argentina
 * Argentine Air Force
 * Argentine Naval Aviation
 * Australia
 * Royal Australian Navy
 * Brazil
 * Brazilian Navy
 * Indonesia
 * Indonesian Air Force
 * Israel
 * Israeli Air Force
 * Kuwait
 * Kuwait Air Force
 * Malaysia
 * Royal Malaysian Air Force
 * New Zealand
 * Royal New Zealand Air Force
 * Singapore
 * Republic of Singapore Air Force
 * United States
 * United States Marine Corps
 * United States Navy

Related

 * McDonnell-Douglas A-4G Skyhawk
 * Lockheed Martin A-4AR Fightinghawk
 * ST Aerospace A-4SU Super Skyhawk

Comparable Aircraft

 * Dassault Étendard IV
 * Hawker Siddeley Harrier
 * LTV A-7 Corsair II