Original vintage 1960s Douglas A-4 Skyhawk light attack "Loaded!" aircraft Cold War advert - "The Douglas Navy A-4E carries more pounds of payload per pound of airplane than any other combat jet in its class - over 8,000 pounds.  Fully loaded, it combines outstanding stability and control at low level and high speed with exceptional maneuverability for delivery of all types of weapons."
 
Dimensions: 8 inches wide by 11 inches high.
 
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company, later built by McDonnell Douglas.  
 
The Skyhawk was developed during the early 1950s on behalf of the Navy and United States Marine Corps as a replacement for the propeller-driven Douglas A-1 (AD) Skyraider. The A-4 is a compact, straightforward, and lightweight aircraft for the era; its maximum takeoff weight of 24,500 pounds (11,100 kg) was roughly half of the Navy's weight specification.  
 
The U.S. Navy issued a contract for the aircraft on 12 June 1952, and two years late, in late June 1954, the XA4D-1 prototype performed its maiden flight; it went on to set a world speed record of 695.163 mph on 15 October 1955. On 1 October 1956, the Skyhawk was introduced to operational service.
 
The Skyhawk's five hardpoints can carry a variety of missiles, bombs, and other munitions.  It can carry a bomb load equivalent to that of the World War II-era Boeing B-17 bomber, and can deliver nuclear weapons using a low-altitude bombing system and a "loft" delivery technique.  It pioneered the concept of "buddy" air-to-air refueling, which reduces the need for dedicated aerial tankers.  By the time production ended in February 1979, a total of 2,960 had been built for a variety of operators, including 555 as two-seat trainers.
 
The Skyhawk saw combat in several conflicts. The Navy operated the type as its principal light attack aircraft during the Viet Nam War, carrying out some of the first U.S. air strikes of the conflict.  The Skyhawk proved to be a relatively common United States Navy aircraft export due to its small size, which meant it could be operated from older, smaller World War II-era aircraft carriers still used by 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.
 
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's nimble performance also made it suitable to replace the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II when the Navy downsized its aircraft for the Blue Angels demonstration team, until McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets were available in the 1980s.  The last U.S. Navy Skyhawks, TA-4J models belonging to the composite squadron VC-8, remained in military use for target towing, and as adversary aircraft, for combat training at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads.  The A-4 aircraft were officially retired on 3 May 2003.
 
Skyhawks were well loved by their crews for being tough and agile. These attributes, along with their low purchase and operating cost as well as easy maintenance, have contributed to the popularity of the A-4 with American and international armed forces. Besides the U.S., at least four other nations have used Skyhawks in combat (Argentina, Indonesia, Israel, and Kuwait).
 
In the Falklands War, Argentinean Skyhawks bombed Royal Navy vessels, sinking the Type 42 destroyer Coventry and the Type 21 frigate Ardent. Indonesian Air Force Skyhawks were used for counterinsurgency strikes in East Timor, and Kuwaiti Air Force Skyhawks saw action during Operation Desert Storm.  
 
In 2022, nearly seven decades after the aircraft's first flight in 1954, a number of Skyhawks remained in service with the Argentine Air Force and the Brazilian Naval Aviation.