Listen to this howling sound of the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk flown by Top Aces, who are temporary contracted at RAF Lakenheath. The Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic (MACH 0.9) carrier-capable light attack aircraft designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company, and later by McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated A4D under the United States Navy's pre-1962 designation system.

The Skyhawk proved to be a relatively common United States Navy aircraft export of the postwar era. Due to its small size, it could be operated from the older, smaller World War II-era aircraft carriers still used by many smaller navies during the 1960s. These older ships were often unable to accommodate newer Navy fighters such as the F-4 Phantom II and F-8 Crusader, which were faster and more capable than the A-4, but significantly larger and heavier than older naval fighters.

The Navy operated the A-4 in both Regular Navy and Naval Reserve light attack squadrons (VA). Although the A-4's use as a training and adversary aircraft would continue well into the 1990s, the Navy began removing the aircraft from its frontline attack squadrons in 1967, with the last ones (Super Foxes of VA-55/212/164) being retired in 1976.

The Marine Corps would not take the U.S. Navy's replacement warplane, the LTV A-7 Corsair II, instead keeping Skyhawks in service with both Regular Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserve attack squadrons (VMA), and ordering the new A-4M model. The last USMC Skyhawk was delivered in 1979, and they were used until the mid-1980s before they were replaced by the equally small, but more versatile STOVL AV-8 Harrier II.

VMA-131, Marine Aircraft Group 49 (the Diamondbacks) retired its last four OA-4Ms on 22 June 1994. Trainer versions of the Skyhawk remained in Navy service, however, finding a new lease on life with the advent of "adversary training", where the nimble A-4 was used as a stand-in for the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 in dissimilar air combat training (DACT). It served in that role at TOPGUN until 1999.

The A-4 was also designed to be able to make an emergency landing, in the event of a hydraulic failure, on the two drop tanks nearly always carried by these aircraft. Such landings resulted in only minor damage to the nose of the aircraft which could be repaired in less than an hour.

The Navy issued a contract for the type on 12 June 1952 and the first prototype first flew from Edwards Air Force Base, California on 22 June 1954. Deliveries to Navy and Marine Corps squadrons (to VA-72 and VMA-224 respectively) commenced in late 1956.

The Skyhawk remained in production until 1979, with 2,960 aircraft built, including 555 two-seat trainers. The last production A-4, an A-4M of Marine squadron VMA-331 had the flags of all nations that operated the A-4 painted on its fuselage sides.

Top Aces are changing the face of air combat training with its unparalleled safety record, outstanding team and an industry-leading 100 000 hours + of operational training flown in support of its customers worldwide. Top Aces has the experience that matters.

Top Aces is a privately owned company and the exclusive adversary air provider to the Canadian and German armed forces. They employ a growing team of highly skilled personnel based in the geographies where we serve our clients. They have more than 40 fighter pilots hail from the Canadian, German and American armed forces and 80% of them are Top Gun Fighter Weapons School graduates. Top Aces employ many veterans who, along with the entire Top Aces team, contribute to delivering our purpose and values every day under the highest possible technical and operational airworthiness standards.

TOP ACES
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SKYHAWK
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