Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk was built deliberately small and light, so compact that its wings didn't need to fold for carrier storage, a design choice that saved weight and cost compared with contemporaries. Nicknamed 'Scooter' and 'Heinemann's Hot Rod' after its designer, it became a mainstay light attack aircraft for the US Navy through Vietnam and remained popular with export air forces for decades after. The Israeli Air Force, Argentina, and several other nations flew it in real combat, including during the 1982 Falklands War against British forces. A number of upgraded Skyhawks remain in limited service today, well over sixty years after its first flight.
_(5-24-2023).jpg){kind=link}
Did you know?
The A-4 Skyhawk, nicknamed 'Scooter', was built so compact its wings never needed to fold for carrier storage.
Specifications
| Length | 12.2 m (40 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 8.4 m (27 ft) |
| Height | 4.6 m (15 ft) |
| Persons on board | 2 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 11.1 t |
| Range | 1,000 NM (1,852 km) |
| Maximum speed | 585 kt (1,083 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 42,250 ft (12,878 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 39,000 ft (11,887 m) |
| Rate of climb | 8,440 ft/min (42.9 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 230 m (755 ft) |
| Landing distance | 400 m (1,312 ft) |
| Fuel capacity | 6,800 l |
| Engines | 1x Pratt & Whitney J52 |
| Units built | 2,960 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Douglas, the A-4 Skyhawk family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.
Browse all aircraft types, or learn to tell Airbus from Boeing.