Douglas Skyraider

Published on Jun 29, 2015

This segment of "Air Force Now" features the A-1 Skyraider in action inVietnam with the First Special Operations Squadron also known as the "Hobos". In this instance the Skyraider is seen flying cover for "Jolly Green Giant" rescue helicopters performing search and rescue operations.

As American involvement in the Vietnam War began, the A-1 Skyraider was still the medium attack aircraft in many carrier air wings, although it was planned to be replaced by the A-6A Intruder as part of the general switch to jet aircraft. Skyraiders from Constellation and Ticonderoga participated in the first U.S. Navy strikes against North Vietnam on 5 August 1964 as part of Operation Pierce Arrow in response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, striking against fuel depots at Vinh, with one Skyraider from Ticonderoga damaged by anti-aircraft fire, and a second from Constellation shot down, killing its pilot.

As they were released from U.S. Navy service, Skyraiders were introduced into the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). They were also used by the USAF to perform one of the Skyraider's most famous roles: the "Sandy" helicopter escort on combat rescues. USAF Major Bernard F. Fisher piloted an A-1E on 10 March 1966 mission for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor for rescuing Major "Jump" Myers at A Shau Special Forces Camp. USAF Colonel William A. Jones, III piloted an A-1H on 1 September 1968 mission for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. In that mission, despite damage to his aircraft and suffering serious burns, he returned to his base and reported the position of a downed U.S. airman.

After November 1972, all A-1s in U.S. service in Southeast Asia were transferred to the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) and their roles taken over by the subsonic LTV A-7 Corsair II. The Skyraider in Vietnam pioneered the concept of tough, survivable aircraft with long loiter times and large ordnance loads. The USAF lost 201 Skyraiders to all causes in Southeast Asia, while the Navy lost 65 to all causes. Of the 266 lost A-1s, five were shot down by surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and three were shot down in air-to-air combat; two by North Vietnamese MiG-17s.

In contrast to the Korean War, fought a decade earlier, the U.S. Air Force used the naval A-1 Skyraider for the first time in Vietnam. As the Vietnam War progressed, USAF A-1s were painted in camouflage, while USN A-1 Skyraiders were gray/white in color; again, in contrast to the Korean War, when A-1s were painted dark blue.

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Opportunistic Minnow said:

Mauritania were interested in acquiring A-1 Skyraiders:

State Dept cable 1977-159903 : Department of State : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

State Dept cable 1977-159903

archive.org

StateDeptcable1977-183960 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

archive.org

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The 1969 film SAGA OF THE SKYRAIDER, produced by the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, recaps the history of the versatile Douglas A-1 Skyraider and the final flight of the versatile attack plane from Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, in April 1968. The film opens with the commemoration of the last Skyraider (01:17), aka the Pedigree Pulverizer, as it is retired from Navy service. The Skyraider’s story begins in 1944. At the time, the Douglas Dauntless SBD (01:55) was the Navy’s premier attack bomber aircraft. However, the Navy needed a new plane, prompting the birth of the Skyraider. Douglas engineers sketch the new attack bomber dubbed Skyraider (02:48), winning the bid. In March 1945, Douglas test flies the Skyraider prototype (03:13). The Skyraider is a great dive bomber attack plane (03:46) and, for the next 12 years, Douglas produces seven versions and 28 subversions of the plane (03:46). In January 1948, the USS Coral Sea (04:12) sets out on its maiden voyage, and the Skyraider (04:30) is the first launch and recovery of the ship’s deck. The film shows Skyraiders flying in formation (04:56). On 3 July 1950, Skyraiders attack Korea from the USS Valley Forge (05:18). Skyraider squadrons are stationed on 15 U.S. attack carriers—the film provides footage of Skyraiders taking off from various carriers (05:50). The Skyraider’s longevity is better than most attack planes, and it proves extremely versatile. Some Skyraiders can adapt to be 4-passenger aircraft, ambulance planes, cargo planes, or anti-submarine search craft (06:53). Their firepower can consist of torpedoes, rockets, canons, and bombs. The Skyraider is the first plane to demonstrate the ability to carry armament weight greater than its own structural weight (07:30). The Skyraider’s last combat mission is in Vietnam. After the war, it comes home in style—aboard the USS Coral Sea passing the Golden Gate Bridge (08:00), more than 20 years after leaving on the maiden voyage of the Coral Sea. The film concludes with the final flight of Skyraider (09:28), to the Naval Aviation museum in Pensacola, Florida. The plane was also affectionately known as the Spad and the Flying Dumptruck.

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The Douglas A-1 Skyraider (formerly AD) is an American single-seat attack aircraft that saw service between the late 1940s and early 1980s. The Skyraider had a remarkably long and successful career; it became a piston-powered, propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age, and was nicknamed "Spad", after the French World War I fighter.

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It was operated by the United States Navy (USN), the United States Marine Corps (USMC), and the United States Air Force (USAF), and also saw service with the British Royal Navy, the French Air Force, the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF), and others. It remained in U.S. service until the early 1970s, and was replaced in the U.S. by the Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II.

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Archibald said:

The said Skyraiders right from 1968 were seen everywhere in "Françafrique" including in Chad, Djibouti, Gabon... can't remember if they ever fought in Mauritania, but Gabon got some of them from France afterwards: they lasted well into the 1980's. Circling the wagon, one of this bird returned to France as a collection aircraft and is still flying (La Ferté Alais Amicale Jean Baptiste Salis).

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