The A-4E Skyhawk is a single-seat, single-engine, multi-role light attack jet developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the United States Navy and Marine Corps for both land- and aircraft carrier-based operations.
First delivered to the U.S. Military in January of 1963, the subsonic A-4E was the fourth operational iteration of the Skyhawk program that began in the 1950s.
Powered by the Pratt & Whitney J52-P-6A turbojet engine generating 8,500 pounds of thrust, the A-4E features a clipped delta wing with a span of 27 feet, six inches with leading edge slats that automatically deploy for slow-speed flight. Its other notable characteristics include a large vertical stabilizer, a tricycle undercarriage, and an inflight refueling probe that extends in front of the aircraft’s nose. The A-4E has a top speed of 673 miles per hour, a climb rate of 5,750 feet per minute, and a range of 1,160 miles.
The A-4E proved to be a historically significant aircraft, seeing action at the beginning of the Vietnam War. The aircraft performed attack missions that included close air support, armed reconnaissance, bombing raids. It engaged both land targets and those on the water with a wide range of weapons, including some of the world’s first precision-guided munitions. While primarily used by the United States, the A-4E also served the Israeli and the Indonesian militaries.
The A-4E Skyhawk is an incredibly nimble and highly-responsive aircraft capable of broad array of maneuvers. Pilots can enjoy near limitless freedom to roll, loop, and dive, flying alone or in concert with other A-4Es in tight aerial choreography.
