Summary The A-4 Skyhawk, despite not being as famous as other US aircraft, earned its place as legendary in the Vietnam War and beyond. The A-4 was the first to drop ordnance in the Vietnam War and logged the most combat missions among naval attack aircraft. The Skyhawk had an extensive combat history beyond the US, with notable involvement in conflicts like the Yom Kippur War and the Falklands War.
Though the Vietnam War ultimately did not prove to be a victorious endeavor for the United States of America, it nonetheless served as a proving ground in which multiple US combat aircraft established their status as legends of aerial warfare. The HARS Museum in New South Wales is paying tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the end of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. Though not quite as famous as the US Air Force's B-52 Stratofortress bomber or the F-4 Phantom II flown by the USAF, US Navy, and US Marine Corps alike, the USN's A-4 Skyhawk carrier-borne light attack aircraft nonetheless earned its rightful place amongst the legendary aircraft of not only the Vietnam War but multiple other armed conflicts as well.
Simple Flying now takes a closer look at the Skyhawk's storied career. A-4 initial history and technical specifications (including armament) The Douglas (later McDonnell Douglas) A-4 Skyhawk made its maiden flight on June 22, 1954 -- thus making the venerable warbird a septuagenarian -- and entered into official operational service with the USN on October 1, 1956..