Military History

The A-4 Skyhawk was a post Korean War U.S. attack aircraft intended to be operated from aircraft carriers. It was designed by Douglas Aircraft to satisfy the U.S. Navy's need for a jet powered replacement for the A-1 Skyraider. The Skyhawk was successfully used by both the USN and USMC, with the first model entering service in October of 1956. Skyhawk's were the Navy's primary light bomber during the early years of the Vietnam War. A-4's carried out some of the first U.S. air strikes of the war and a Marine Skyhawk is believed to have dropped the last US bombs on the country. Some of the notable A-4 pilots during the war were Vice Admiral James Stockdale and then LCDR John McCain. The Skyhawk continued in service throughout the war, with a total of 362 being lost. After Vietnam, the A-4 served as demonstration aircraft for the U.S. Navy Blue Angels from 1973 through 1986. The Skyhawk's agility also made it popular as an adversary training aircraft. The A-4 was the preferred surrogate for the MIG-17 at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) until 1999. The Skyhawk has been used by other countries in a variety of conflicts, including the Falklands War. It was flown by the Kuwaiti Air Force in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The aircraft remained in production until 1979. It's U.S. military service ended with formal retirement from the Navy on May 3, 2003. A total of 2,960 A-4's were built. For more information on the A-4 Skyhawk from the free 'Wikipedia' click here The Foundation A-4B Skyhawk is currently painted to represent aircraft BuNo 148609, an A-4C flown by LCDR Ted "T.R." Swartz, a member of Squadron VA-76, operating from the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) during the Vietnam War. On May 1, 1967, LCDR Swartz shot down a MIG-17 over North Vietnam with an unguided ZUNI rocket. This was the only air-to-air kill by a Skyhawk during the Vietnam War.

A-4B - S/N 11366 / BuNo 142112 The known history of the Warbird Heritage Foundation A-4B is listed below. If you have any other information relating to the history of this specific aircraft, and wish to provide it to us free of charge, please see the 'Contact Us' page for information on how to reach us.
Date	Squadron	Squadron Name	Location
1957 Sep 30	BAR FA		Delivered - El Segundo, CA
1957 Oct 9	VMA-211	Wake Island Avengers	MCAS Edenton, NC
1958 Sep 17	H&MS-14		MCAS Cherry Point, NC
1959 Jan 13	VMA-224	Bengals	MCAS Cherry Point, NC
1959 Sep 18	H&MS-14		MCAS Cherry Point, NC
1959 Oct 2	VMA-225	Vagabonds	USS Essex (CV-9)
1959 Oct 3	VMA-225 Det A	Vagabonds	MCAS Cherry Point, NC
1960 Mar 31	VMA-225	Vagabonds	MCAS Cherry Point, NC
1960 Jun 29	VMA-533	Hawks	MCAS Cherry Point, NC
1960 Nov 30	MARS NWSG-27		MCAS Cherry Point, NC
1961 Aug 9	VMA-242		NAS Roosevelt Roads, PR
1961 Sep 1	NAS		NAS Cecil Field, FL
1961 Sep 19	VA-133	Blue Knights	NAS Cecil Field, FL
1962 Jul 8	VA-44	Hornets	NAS Jacksonville, FL
1963 Feb 18	VA-44	Hornets	NAS Cecil Field, FL
1963 Jun 28	NARTU		NAS Jacksonville, FL
1963 Dec 30	Storage		NAF Litchfield Park, AZ
1966 Dec 18	VSF-3	Chessmen	USS Intrepid (CV-11)
1967 Feb 15	VC-7		NAS Miramar, CA
1969 Feb 12	VC-3		NAS North Island, CA
1969 Feb 13	VC-1		NAS Barbers Point, HI
1969 Jun 17	A&T		NAS Alameda, CA
1969 Jul 8	NAS		NAS Los Alamitos, CA
1970 Feb 25	Stricken - Code 4S		Completion of Service Life
1970 Feb 26	Unknown
1980 Sep 30	Decommissioned
1980 Oct 1	Unknown
1987 Jan			Combat Jets Flying Museum, Houston, TX          Recovered from technical school          Rebuilt - Chino, CA          First flight April 12, 1989          Flew as 148609 / USS Bon Homme Richard
1992 May			EAA Museum - Oshkosh - Displayed as 148609
2007 Dec			Warbird Heritage Foundation          Restoration to flight status underway          Estimated completion 3 - 6 months