The A-4 Skyhawk was one of the most recognisable fighter aircraft from the Vietnam era. A small, agile, carrier-ready design, it could fill a variety of roles. Although it has been largely forgotten, these aircraft once operated in Australian service.
CONTENTS
00:00 Introduction
00:30 Background
03:23 Delivery of the Skyhawk
04:40 Operational History
08:35 End of an era
09:31 Conclusion
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Original footage and recreated scenes may not be 100% accurate to the event being described but has been used for dramatic effect. This is because there may not have been original footage of a particular event available, or copyright prevents us from showing it. Our aim is to be as historically true as we can be given the materials available.
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Great video but calm the music right down.
The decision to scrap the RNZAF Strike Wing, was absolutely ludicrous. Our A-4's were top of the heap, and yet our P.M called them clapped out. I'm still gutted about that.
It was great and exciting serving aboard Melbourne on her flightdeck. Exciting times.
I worked in the same hanger as VC 724. Their fly bys were always super tight. I worked in the RAAF after and theirs were good but not at that level. I recall seeing two A4 with twisted up elevators after they narrowly missed each other attacking the same ship from opposite sides. 😂
Disaster getting rid of these planes to nz. Typical labor decision, always not in Australia’s interest.
Awesome vid! Looking forward to the next one.
70 years of A-4 Skyhawk in 2024.
Ah yeah….subic Bay. Did they on Hobart quite a few years ago
Yet another ALP foul up.
That was good!
Prior to the Invincible Class Carriers, the British Royal Navy were about to scrap their obselete carriers too, without replacement. Mindful of the virtues of the new Harrier Jet at the time, that potentially wouldn't require a catapult, British defence "tricked" the polititians into approving a "Helicopter Landing Dock ship", initially minus the revolutionary ski jump ramp. It worked. And then the Sea Harrier was developed. And the ski jump followed. Then the Falklands war happened. And the rest is history. Now Australia has Helicopter Landing Dock ships, with ski jump ramps, and there's the F-35B, and everyone keeps asking the same question.
Awesome bird. Working on the Melbourne with seakings and watching the simplicity of the A4 in maintenance compared with the seaking caused envy.
𝕊𝕔𝕠𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕣 💘 I loved it ever since seeing it in Top Gun. Once I found out we used to fly them I was in heaven! I tried visiting The FAA Museum at HMAS Albatross, but they were closed 🥹 it was a 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 drive from Melbourne, too! I'm hoping to go back and see the last RAN Skyhawk one day, before I'm too old and frail 🙏
We used to have the fleet air Arm those a4 were at nas Nowra air cover for the fleet now we have two carriers with no aircraft it would be sensible to buy f35b for these carriers one on the east coast one on the west coast fleet cover also based at nas Nowra.
Watched the A-4s dog fighting around the cliffs north west of Taree NSW, 1983ish.
Beautiful small planes darting around just over the tree tops.
Typical Labor Government
Beautiful video!
The Skyhawk is such an amazing aircraft and looks great with the Aussie roundel. Also, will there be a Tracker video in the future!
The A4 Skyhawk was a well thought out design. Small, nimble, versatile, cheap and suited to both land and carrier roles. A fact reflected in its long service life and widespread use, from Argentina to Singapore. Longevity in service is a characteristic of other well designed airccraft – the B52 bomber, the P3 Orion, and the F15 Eagle come to mind.
This is the cutest military jet ever…I like him 🙂
As always the left crippled Australia with a stupid idea. Making us weaker. Should never have happened
add a rock to it, it kept flying, add a brick to it, it kept flying. It did not matter what they add to the little A-4, it just kept flying. Nice plane the A-4.
what fell into the ocean @ 5:54
I like the content, but the music, specially in this volume, is not necessary
Corrections & additions: The first instance of "Williamtown" is obviously pronounced incorrectly (as Williamstown). The carrier version F-35C also sports a significantly enlarged, folding, wing compared to the other two main variants. In Australia the F-35 is operated by Squadron numbers 3, 75, 77, and No.2 Operational Conversion Unit (2OCU).
Awesome video! I learned quite a lot. Fantastic footage! Sad to see the end of naval aviation with the RAN. We know how it feels …. greetings from Canada.
An aircraft carrier is a great big target. When you are on a limited budget, there’s better stuff to spend on