Service History
- Delivered: September 11, 1962
- Sept 1962-May 1964 – VA-86 NAS Oceana, VA ABD USS Independence
- May 1964-Aug 1964 – VMA-224 MCAS Cherry Point, NC
- Nov 1964-Sept 1965 – VA-64 NAS Oceana, VA
- Sept 1965-Mar 1965 – VA-44 NAS Cecil Field, FL
- Mar 1966-Jan 1967 – VA-44 NAS Cecil Field, FL
- Jan 1967-April 1967 – VA-15 ABD USS Intrepid
- April 1967-July 1967 – VA-172 NAS Cecil Field, FL
- July 1967-Oct 1967 – VA-44 NAS Cecil Field, FL
- Oct 1967-Feb 1969 – VA-83 ABD USS Shangri-La & USS J F Kennedy
- June 1969-Mar 1970 – VA-83 NAS Cecil Field, FL
- Apr 1970-May 1971 – NAS Los Alamitos, CA & MCAS El Toro, CA
- May 1971 – AMARC, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ
- Stricken: August 19, 1977
The A-4 is the lightest and smallest jet fighter built by the United States. The single engined, single-seated attack jet served with distinction as both a land and carrier based attack aircraft.
In an attempt to reverse the trend toward larger and more expensive aircraft, the A-4 was intended to be the jet powered successor to Mr. Heinemann’s AD Skyraider design. While initially designed as a simple attack aircraft, the A-4 was continually upgraded and was able to utilize the latest ground attack weapons.
The A-4 saw service with the US Navy, US Marines and air forces of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Israel, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.
After more than 22 years of production and many upgrades, over 2,900 A-4s were built. This sample is an A-4C, the most numerous A-4 variant produced. The A-4 saw combat in Vietnam, the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict, the 1980 Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina, and briefly during the 1991 Gulf War.
Acquired by Yanks in 2001.
