HASEGAWA A-4E SKYHAWK USS MIDWAY Manual

A-4E SKYHAWK
"USSMIDWAY"
A-4 Skyhawk™
Produced under license. Boeing, McDonnell Douglas and A-4 Skyhawk are trademarks of The Boeing Company.
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Carrier-borne jet fighter development advanced at a brisk pace in the
aftermath of WWII, but work on jet ground attack aircraft of similar
capabilities did not, forcing the US Navy to rely on the
propeller-driven A-l Skyraider to carry out ground support/strike
missions throughout the Korean War. While the Navy was fully
aware of the necessity for new aircraft capable of performing these
crucial missions, the appearance of the superlative MIKOYAN-15 in
the Communist arsenal during the conflict required throwing virtually
all military aviation design efforts into coming up with a fighter
capable of besting the Soviet-built fighter, leaving very little left of
the R+D pie for ground attack aircraft. However, once the urgency of
the Korean situation diminished, the Navy was ready to move on with
developments in this area, and in the early 1950s tasked the design
team at Douglas Aircraft to come up with a next-generation
carrier-borne ground attack plane. Douglas, utilizing the newest in
light aircraft design technology, came up with a proposal for a small
jet weighing a mere 6.8 tons and with a wingspan of only 8.4 meters.
Douglas ended up with a Navy contract, and the prototype made its
maiden flight on June 22, 1954, featuring a superlight airframe and a
layout emphasizing efficient and simple manufacture. For example,
the main wing encompassed both left and right wings in a single
structure mated to the fuselage for optimum strength and ease of
construction. The fact that a total of 2.960 A-4 Skyhawks were built
over the next 26 years until the production line closed in February
1979 attests to the excellence of the aircraft's design. The A-4E was
developed from the A-4C model with the J65 engine replaced with
the J52-P-6, a switchover which resulted in changes in the
appearance of the air intake apparatus and in the ordnance payload
capability being raised to 8.2001bs (3.720kg). The A-4F was the last
Skyhawk developed for the US Navy, featuring a thrust-upgraded
J52-P-8A and a hump fairing on top of the fuselage housing various
electronics systems. The A-4F was also used by the Blue Angels, the
Navy's dynamic acrobatic exhibition team, thrilling air show
audiences the world over from 1974 to 1986.
(Data A-4E) Crew: one; wingspan: 8.38m; length: 12.59m; height:
4.57m; engine: Pratt & Whitney J52-P-6 (with thrust of 3,855kg);
maximum take-off weight: 11,110kg; maximum speed: l,085km/h (at
sea level); fixed armament: 20mm cannon x 2; maiden flight: July 21,
1961 (A-4E), August 31, 1966 (A-4F)