An exploration and analysis of the tactics, equipment, and
effectiveness of the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, the US Navy's primary strike
weapon during the war in Vietnam, and its main adversary--North
Vietnam's antiaircraft artillery network.
While the F-105 Thunderchief was the USAF's principal strike weapon
during the Rolling Thunder campaign, the US Navy relied on the Douglas
A-4 Skyhawk for the majority of its strikes on North Vietnam. First
flown in 1954, the Skyhawk entered service in 1956 and remained in
continuous production for 26 years. Throughout Operation Rolling
Thunder it was the US Navy's principal day-time light strike bomber,
remaining in use after its replacement, the more sophisticated A-7
Corsair II, began to appear in December 1967.
During the 1965--68 Rolling Thunder period, up to five attack carriers
regularly launched A-4 strike formations against North Vietnam. These
formations faced an ever-expanding and increasingly coordinated
Soviet-style network of antiaircraft artillery missiles and fighters.
Skyhawk pilots were often given the hazardous task of attacking
anti-aircraft defenses and to improve accuracy, they initially dropped
ordnance below 3000 ft in a 30-degree dive in order to bomb visually
below the persistent low cloud over North Vietnam, putting the aircraft
within range of small-arms fire.
This illustrated title examines both the A-4 Skyhawk and the Vietnamese
AAA defenses in context, exploring their history and analyzing their
tactics and effectiveness during the conflict.
