Delivered in 1956, the A-4 Skyhawk answeredthe Navy's call for a carrier-based light attackjet aircraft. Designed with minimal size andweight, the Skyhawk was so compact and spacefriendly, there was no need for folding wings.The A-4C (1959) was the first Skyhawk to havelimited all-weather capability. Skyhawks were the Navy's primary light attack aircraft in theearly years of the Vietnam War. From 1967 to1975, the Navy replaced Skyhawks with the A-7Corsair II. The US Marines continued to flySkyhawks until 1994 (replaced by the AV-8BHarrier and F/A-18 Hornet). The Blue Angelsflew Skyhawks from 1974-1986. Many heroicand skilled pilots regard the Skyhawk as one of the greatest attack aircraft ever built.
Manufacturer : Douglas (later McDonnell-Douglas
Type: carrier-based attack aircraft
Crew : pilot
Powerplant: one 7,700 lb (3,592.5kg) static thrustWright J65 turbojet (early models) or 11,00 lb(4,989.5 kg) static thrust Pratt & Whitney J52-P8A turbojet (later models )
Wingspan: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
Length: 40 ft 3 in (12.22 m)
Height: 14 ft 11 in (4.57 m)
Weight: 10,450 lbs (8318 kg) empty; 24,500lbs(11,136 kg) maximum
Armament: Two 20mm cannons; 9,155lbs (4,153 kg)maximum
Maximum speed: 670 mph (1078 km/h)
Combat radius: 325 miles (523 kilometers)
Service ceiling: 41,800 (12,740m)
This aircraft on loan from the National Museumof Naval Aviation at Pensacola, Florida
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