Douglas A-4 Skyhawk

A-4 (A4D) Skyhawk
A U.S. Navy A-4E Skyhawk of VA-164, from the USS Oriskany, en route to attack a target in North Vietnam in November 1967.
Role	Attack aircraft, fighter, aggressor aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Douglas Aircraft Company McDonnell Douglas
First flight	22 June 1954
Introduction	October 1956
Retired	USMC (1998), U.S. Navy (2003) Israeli Air Force (2015) Argentinian Air Force (2016)
Status	In service with non-U.S. users
Primary users	United States Navy (historical) United States Marine Corps (historical) Israeli Air Force (historical) Argentine Air Force (historical)
Produced	1954–1979
Number built	2,960
Unit cost	US$2.8–3.8 million
Variants	Lockheed Martin A-4AR Fightinghawk McDonnell Douglas A-4G Skyhawk ST Aerospace A-4SU Super 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 (11,100 kg) and has a top speed of more than 670 miles per hour (1,080 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 carrier, São Paulo.

The Skyhawk was designed by Douglas Aircraft's Ed Heinemann in response to a U.S. Navy call for a jet-powered attack aircraft to replace the older Douglas AD Skyraider (later redesignated A-1 Skyraider). Heinemann opted for a design that would minimize its size, weight, and complexity. The result was an aircraft that weighed only half of the Navy's weight specification. It had a wing so compact that it did not need to be folded for carrier stowage. The diminutive Skyhawk soon received the nicknames "Scooter", "Kiddiecar", "Bantam Bomber", "Tinker Toy Bomber", and, on account of its nimble performance, "Heinemann's Hot-Rod".