Douglas A-4 Skyhawk

The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company, later built by McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated A4D under the United States Navy's pre-1962 designation system.

The Skyhawk was developed during the early 1950s on behalf of the Navy and United States Marine Corps as a replacement for the propeller-driven Douglas A-1 (AD) Skyraider. The A-4 is a compact, straightforward, and lightweight aircraft for the era; its maximum takeoff weight of 24,500 pounds (11,100 kg) was roughly half of the Navy's weight specification. The Skyhawk has a short-span delta wing configuration, a tricycle undercarriage, and is powered by a single turbojet engine. The U.S. Navy issued a contract for the aircraft on 12 June 1952. On 22 June 1954, the XA4D-1 prototype performed its maiden flight; it went on to set a world speed record of 695.163 mph on 15 October 1955. On 1 October 1956, the Skyhawk was introduced to operational service.

The Skyhawk's five hardpoints can carry a variety of missiles, bombs, and other munitions. It can carry a bomb load equivalent to that of the World War II-era Boeing B-17 bomber, and can deliver nuclear weapons using a low-altitude bombing system and a "loft" delivery technique. It pioneered the concept of "buddy" air-to-air refueling, which reduces the need for dedicated aerial tankers. The Skyhawk was originally powered by the Wright J65 turbojet engine; from the A-4E onwards, the Pratt & Whitney J52 engine was used instead. By the time production ended in February 1979, a total of 2,960 had been built for a variety of operators, including 555 as two-seat trainers.

The Skyhawk saw combat in several conflicts. The Navy operated the type as its principal light attack aircraft during the Vietnam War, carrying out some of the first U.S. air strikes of the conflict. The Skyhawk was the Israeli Air Force's main ground attack aircraft during the War of Attrition and the Yom Kippur War. In the Falklands War, Argentine Air Force Skyhawks bombed Royal Navy vessels, sinking the Type 42 destroyer Coventry and the Type 21 frigate Ardent. Indonesian Air Force Skyhawks were used for counterinsurgency strikes in East Timor. Kuwaiti Air Force Skyhawks saw action during Operation Desert Storm. In 2022, nearly seven decades after the aircraft's first flight in 1954, a number of Skyhawks remained in service with the Argentine Air Force and the Brazilian Naval Aviation.