View source for Douglas A-1 Skyraider

{{Short description|American single engine attack aircraft}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2025}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for , recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
| name = A-1 (AD) Skyraider
| image = File:Douglas A-1 Skyraider (AD-4NA, 126965) (7911148090).jpg
| caption = AD-4NA Skyraider [[warbird]] of the [[Heritage Flight Museum]]
| type = [[Attack aircraft]]
| national_origin = United States
| manufacturer = [[Douglas Aircraft Company]]
| designer =
| first_flight = 18 March 1945
| introduction = 1946
| retired = 1973 (US use)<br>1985 ([[Gabonese Air Force]])<ref name="WAF1">Thornburg, Chris. [http://www.worldairforces.com/Countries/gabon/gab.html "World Air Forces  – Historical Listings: Gabon (GAB)."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704233433/http://www.worldairforces.com/Countries/gabon/gab.html |date=July 4, 2011 }} ''WorldAirForces.Com'', 3 December 2006. Retrieved: 24 March 2011.</ref>
| status =
| primary_user = [[United States Navy]]
| more_users = [[United States Marine Corps]]<br> [[United States Air Force]]<br>[[Royal Navy]]<br>[[South Vietnam Air Force]]<br>[[French Air Force]]
| produced = 1945–1957
| number_built = 3,180
| developed_from =
| variants =
| developed_into = [[Douglas A2D Skyshark]]
}}

The '''Douglas A-1 Skyraider''' (formerly designated '''AD''' before the 1962 [[1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system|unification of Navy and Air Force designations]]) is an American single-seat [[attack aircraft]] in service from 1946 to the early 1980s, which served during the [[Korean War]] and [[Vietnam War]]. The Skyraider had an unusually long career, remaining in frontline service well into the [[Jet Age]] (when most [[Reciprocating engine|piston]]-engine attack or fighter aircraft were replaced by [[jet aircraft]]); thus becoming known by some as an "[[anachronism]]".<ref name="National Interest">{{cite web |last1=Suciu |first1=Peter |title='Flying Anachronism': Douglas A-1 Skyraider Was a Vietnam War Warrior |url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/flying-anachronism-douglas-1-skyraider-was-vietnam-war-warrior-181420 |website=The National Interest |language=en |date=30 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Warbird registry">{{cite web |title=Douglas A-1 Skyraider Registry - A Warbirds Resource Group Site |url=http://www.warbirdregistry.org/a1registry/a1registry.html |website=www.warbirdregistry.org}}</ref> The aircraft was nicknamed "Spad", after the [[SPAD S.XIII|French World War I fighter]].<ref>Burgess and Rausa 2009, p. 7.</ref>

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]] (RVNAF), and others. It remained in US service until the early 1970s.

==Design and development==
The piston-engined, [[Propeller (aeronautics)|propeller-driven]] Skyraider was designed during World War II to meet United States Navy requirements for a [[Aircraft carrier|carrier-based]], single-seat, long-range, high performance [[dive bomber|dive]]/[[torpedo bomber]], to follow on from earlier aircraft such as the [[Douglas SBD Dauntless]], the [[Curtiss SB2C Helldiver]] and the [[Grumman TBF Avenger]].<ref>Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,'' p. 33, Cypress, Calif., 2013. {{ISBN|978-0989790604}}.</ref> Designed by [[Ed Heinemann]] of the [[Douglas Aircraft Company]], prototypes were ordered on 6 July 1944 as the ''XBT2D-1''. The XBT2D-1 made its first flight on 18 March 1945, and the USN began evaluation of the aircraft at the [[Naval Air Test Center]] (NATC) in April 1945.<ref name="Swan Navy p176">Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 176.</ref> In December 1946, after a designation change to ''AD-1'', delivery of the first production aircraft to a fleet squadron was made to VA-19A.<ref name="Swan Navy p177">Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 177.</ref>

[[File:Douglas XBT2D-1 Skyraider prototype NACA.jpg|thumb|left|A Douglas XBT2D-1 Skyraider prototype]]

The AD-1 was built at Douglas's [[El Segundo, California|El Segundo]] plant in Southern California. The low-wing monoplane design started with an 18-cylinder [[Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone]] [[radial engine]] capable of producing well over {{cvt|2000|hp}}, which was upgraded several times, ultimately to {{cvt|2800|hp}}. The aircraft had distinctive large straight wings with seven [[hardpoint]]s apiece. The Skyraider had excellent maneuverability at low speed, and carried a large amount of [[Aircraft ordnance|ordnance]] over a considerable combat radius. It had a long loiter time for its size, compared to much heavier subsonic or supersonic jets. The aircraft was optimized for ground attack and was armored against ground fire in key locations, unlike faster fighters adapted to carry bombs, such as the [[Vought F4U Corsair]] or [[North American P-51 Mustang]], which were retired by US forces before the 1960s.

Shortly after Heinemann began designing the XBT2D-1, a study was issued showing that for every {{cvt|100|lb}} of weight reduction, the takeoff run was decreased by {{cvt|8|ft}}, the combat radius increased by {{cvt|22|mi}} and the rate-of-climb increased by {{cvt|18|ft/min|m/s}}. Heinemann immediately had his design engineers begin a program for finding weight savings on the XBT2D-1 design, no matter how small. Simplifying the fuel system resulted in a reduction of {{cvt|270|lb}}; {{cvt|200|lb}} by eliminating an internal bomb bay and hanging external stores from the wings or fuselage; {{cvt|70|lb}} by using a fuselage dive brake; and {{cvt|100|lb}} by using an older tailwheel design. In the end, Heinemann and his design engineers achieved more than {{cvt|1800|lb}} of weight reduction on the original XBT2D-1 design.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=zdwDAAAAMBAJ&dq=true&pg=PA81 "Headaches of a Jet Designer."] ''Popular Mechanics'', January 1953, pp. 81–85, 248.</ref>

The Navy AD series was initially painted in ANA 623 glossy sea blue, but during the 1950s, following the Korean War, the color scheme was changed to light gull gray and white (Fed Std 595 27875). Initially using the gray and white Navy scheme, by 1967 the USAF began to paint its Skyraiders in a camouflaged pattern using two shades of green, and one of tan.

Used by the US Navy over Korea and Vietnam, the A-1 was a primary [[close air support]] aircraft for the USAF and RVNAF during the Vietnam War. The A-1 was famous for being able to take hits and keep flying thanks to armor plating around the cockpit area for pilot protection. It was replaced beginning in the mid-1960s by the [[Grumman A-6 Intruder]] as the Navy's primary medium-attack plane in [[supercarrier]]-based air wings; however Skyraiders continued to operate from the smaller {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier|1}}s.

The Skyraider went through seven versions, starting with the ''AD-1'', then ''AD-2'' and ''AD-3'' with various minor improvements, then the ''AD-4'' with a more powerful ''R-3350-26WA'' engine. The ''AD-5'' was significantly widened, allowing two crew to sit side-by-side (this was not the first multiple-crew variant, the ''AD-1Q'' being a two-seater and the ''AD-3N'' a three-seater); it also came in a four-seat night-attack version, the ''AD-5N''. The ''AD-6'' was an improved AD-4B with improved low-level bombing equipment, and the final production version ''AD-7'' was upgraded to an ''R-3350-26WB'' engine.

For service in Vietnam, USAF Skyraiders were fitted with the Stanley Yankee extraction system,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ejectionsite.com/yankee.htm|title=The Ejection Site: Stanley YANKEE Extraction System|website=www.ejectionsite.com|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020110065229/http://www.ejectionsite.com/yankee.htm|archive-date=10 January 2002}}</ref> which acted in a similar manner to an ejection seat, though with twin rockets extracting the pilot from the cockpit.

In addition to serving in Korea and Vietnam as an attack aircraft, the Skyraider was modified to serve as a carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft, replacing the [[Grumman TBM-3W Avenger]]. It fulfilled this function in the USN and [[Royal Navy]], being replaced by the [[Grumman E-1 Tracer]] and [[Fairey Gannet]], respectively, in those services.<ref name="avhist"/>

Skyraider production ended in 1957 with a total of 3,180 having been built. In 1962, the existing Skyraiders were redesignated ''A-1D'' through ''A-1J'' and later used by both the [[USAF]] and the [[United States Navy|Navy]] in the Vietnam War.

==Operational history==

===Korean War===
[[File:AD Skyraider VA-195 USS Princeton.jpg|thumb|AD-4 Skyraider taking off from {{USS|Princeton|CV-37|6}} during the [[Korean War]]]]
The Skyraider was produced too late for use in World War II, but became the backbone of United States Navy aircraft carrier and United States Marine Corps strike aircraft sorties in the [[Korean War]] (1950–1953), with the first ADs going into action from {{USS|Valley Forge|CV-45|2}} with [[VA-55 (U.S. Navy)|VA-55]] on 3 July 1950.<ref>Mersky 1983, p. 144.</ref> Its weapons load and 10-hour flying time far surpassed the jets that were available at the time.<ref name="avhist">Johnson, E.R. "Able Dog." ''Aviation History'', September 2008.</ref> On 2 May 1951, Skyraiders made the only [[aerial torpedo]] attack of the war, hitting the [[Hwacheon Dam]], then controlled by North Korea.<ref>Faltum 1996, pp. 125–126.</ref>

On 16 June 1953, a USMC AD-4 from [[VMC-1]] shot down a Soviet-built [[Polikarpov Po-2]] biplane, the only documented Skyraider air victory of the war.<ref name="Grossnick">Grossnick and Armstrong 1997</ref> AD-3N and -4N aircraft carrying bombs and flares, flew night-attack sorties, and radar-equipped ADs carried out radar-jamming missions from carriers and land bases.<ref name="avhist"/>

During the Korean War, AD Skyraiders were flown by only the US Navy and US Marine Corps, and were normally painted in dark navy blue. It was called the "Blue Plane" by enemy troops.<ref>Jordan, Corey C. [http://www.airwaroverkorea.totalh.com/AD-4.html "Douglas AD-4 Skyraider."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903132604/http://www.airwaroverkorea.totalh.com/AD-4.html |date=2011-09-03 }} ''A Frozen Hell... The Air War Over Korea, 1950–1953'', 2001. Retrieved: 14 July 2011.</ref> Marine Corps Skyraiders suffered heavy losses when used in low-level close-support missions. To allow low-level operations to continue without unacceptable losses, a package of additional armor was fitted, consisting of {{convert|0.25|-|0.5|in|mm}} thick external aluminum armor plates fitted to the underside and sides of the aircraft's fuselage. The armor package weighed a total of {{convert|618|lb|kg}} and had little effect on performance or handling.<ref>De Vine, Carl R. [https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/Naval%20Aviation%20News/1950/pdf/may53.pdf#35 "Aluminum Armor Protects AD's"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126220056/https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/Naval%20Aviation%20News/1950/pdf/may53.pdf |date=2017-01-26 }}. ''Naval Aviation News'', May 1953, p. 33.</ref> A total of 128 Navy and Marine AD Skyraiders were lost in the Korean War – 101 in combat and 27 to operational causes. Most operational losses were due to the tremendous power of the AD: ADs that were "waved-off" during carrier recovery operations were prone to performing a fatal torque roll into the sea or the deck of the aircraft carrier if the pilot mistakenly gave the AD too much throttle.

===Cathay Pacific VR-HEU incident===
On 26 July 1954, two Douglas Skyraiders from the aircraft carriers {{USS|Philippine Sea|CV-47|6}} and {{USS|Hornet|CV-12|2}} shot down two [[People's Republic of China|Chinese]] [[PLAAF]] [[Lavochkin La-11|Lavochkin fighters]]<!--The Lavochkin La-7 was a WW2 fighter never used by China, but they used the similar La-9, which has been misidentified in the source. This is original research, unless the argument can be referenced, so use "Lavochkin fighters" to maintain core information while avoiding a dispute until a source is found.--> off the coast of [[Hainan Island]] while searching for survivors after the [[Cathay Pacific VR-HEU|shooting down of a Cathay Pacific Douglas DC-4 Skymaster]] airliner three days previously.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=From all Quarters: The Hainan Incident |magazine=[[Flight International|Flight]] |date=30 July 1954 |volume=66 |issue=2375 |page=130 |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954%20-%202135.html }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=U.S. Alert to New Red Air Attacks |magazine=[[Aviation Week]] |date=2 August 1954 |volume=61 |issue=5 |page=15 |url=https://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/19540802#!&pid=14 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>[http://www.helianthus-productions.com/aircombat.html " Air Clash off Hainan."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219093825/http://www.helianthus-productions.com/aircombat.html |date=December 19, 2008 }} ''South China Morning Post'', 27 July 1954.</ref>

===Vietnam War===
[[File:Douglas A-1H Skyraider of VA-115 in flight over the Gulf of Tonkin, circa in 1965.jpg|thumb|An A-1H of [[VFA-115|VA-115]] in 1965]]
As American involvement in the [[Vietnam War]] began, the A-1 Skyraider was still the medium attack aircraft in many [[carrier air wing]]s, although it was planned to be replaced by the [[A-6A Intruder]] as part of the general switch to jet aircraft. Skyraiders from {{USS|Constellation|CV-64|2}} and {{USS|Ticonderoga|CV-14|2}} participated in the first US 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, Lieutenant Richard Sather.<ref name="DorrAE p3">Dorr ''Air Enthusiast'' 1988, p. 3.</ref><ref name="Viet brief p34-5">Dorr and Bishop 1996, pp. 34–35.</ref>

====Shoot-downs====
[[File:A-1H Skyraider of VA-25 with toilet bomb on USS Midway (CVA-41) in October 1965 (NNAM.1996.253.2381).jpg|thumb|A-1H "Paper Tiger II" carrying a joke bomb made from a toilet in October 1965]]
During the war, US Navy Skyraiders used their cannon to shoot down two [[Vietnam People's Air Force]] (VPAF) [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17]] jet fighters. The first, on 20 June 1965 by [[Lieutenant]] Clinton B. Johnson and [[Lieutenant (junior grade)|Lt. (jg)]] Charles W. Hartman III of [[VFA-25|VA-25]],<ref>Johnson, Clinton. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071128095518/http://www.vnafmamn.com/Skyraider_vs_MIG17.html "Skyraider vs Mig-17."]}} ''Untold Stories.'' Retrieved: 14 July 2011.</ref> was the first gun kill of the Vietnam War. The other was on 9 October 1966 by Lt. (jg) William T. Patton of [[Attack Squadron 176 (U.S. Navy)|VA-176]].<ref name="Grossnick"/>

====Tactical operators====
As they were released from US Navy service, Skyraiders were introduced into the [[Republic of Vietnam Air Force]] (RVNAF). Skyraiders were also used by the [[US Air Force]], specifically Special Operations elements of the [[Tactical Air Command]], for search and rescue air cover. They were also used by the USAF to perform one of the Skyraider's most famous roles — the "Sandy" helicopter escort on combat rescues.<ref name="spadsandy">[http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3189 "Douglas A-1H and A-1J"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306092840/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3189 |date=March 6, 2008 }}, National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved: 30 December 2007.</ref><ref name="sandy">[http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1252 "Rescue in Vietnam."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306092834/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1252 |date=March 6, 2008 }} ''National Museum of the United States Air Force.'' Retrieved: 30 December 2007.</ref> On 10 March 1966, USAF [[Major (United States)|Major]] [[Bernard F. Fisher]] flew an A-1E mission and was awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] for rescuing Major "Jump" Myers at [[A Sầu Valley|A Shau]] [[United States Army Special Forces|Special Forces]] Camp during the [[Battle of A Sau]].<ref name=MOH>[http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/vietnam-a-l.html "Medal of Honor Citations: Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipients (A-L)."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527064922/http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/vietnam-a-l.html |date=2009-05-27 }} ''U.S. Army Center of Military History'', 16 July 2007. Retrieved: 23 December 2007.</ref> USAF [[Colonel (United States)|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 US airman.<ref name=MOH/>

====Losses====
On 5 August 1964, the first A-1H Skyraider was shot down during Operation Pierce Arrow. The pilot, Lt. (jg) Richard Sather, was the first Navy pilot killed in the war.  On the night of 29 August 1964, an A-1E Skyraider was shot down and the pilot killed near [[Bien Hoa Air Base]]; it was flown by Capt. Richard D. Goss from the [[1st Air Commando Squadron]], 34th Tactical Group. The third A-1 was shot down on 31 March 1965 piloted by Lt. (jg) Gerald W. McKinley from the {{USS|Hancock|CV-19|6}} on a bombing run over North Vietnam. He was reported missing, presumed dead.

While on his first mission, Navy pilot Lt. (jg) [[Dieter Dengler]] took damage to his A-1J over Vietnam on 1 February 1966, and crash-landed in [[Laos]].<ref name=Dengler>Dengler 1979</ref> <br>Col. Oscar Mauterer ejected from his A-1 after taking heavy enemy fire while providing cover for a damaged friendly aircraft on February 15, 1966. Radio reports confirmed Mauterer had a good chute, but was captured by enemy forces. Mauterer is still POW/MIA status.

[[File:Douglas A-1H Skyraider of the 1st SOS in flight, circa in 1972 (221110-F-IO108-040).JPG|thumb|A-1H 52-139738 of the 1st SOS was the last USAF Skyraider lost on 28 September 1972.]]

The next A-1 was shot down on 29 April 1966, and Pilot Capt. Grant N. Tabor, was lost on 19 April 1967; both were from the [[602d Special Operations Squadron|602 Air Commando Squadron]]. A Skyraider from Navy Squadron [[VFA-25#1960s|VA-25]] on a ferry flight from [[Naval Air Station Cubi Point]] (Philippines) to {{USS|Coral Sea|CV-43|6}} was lost to two Chinese MiG-17s on 14 February 1968: Lieutenant (jg) Joseph P. Dunn, USN flew too close to the Chinese island of [[Hainan]] and was intercepted. Lieutenant Dunn's A-1H Skyraider 134499 (Canasta 404) was the last Navy A-1 lost in the war. He was observed to survive the ejection and deploy his raft, but was never found. Initially listed as missing in action, he is now listed as killed in action and posthumously promoted to the rank of Commander. In October 1965, to highlight the dropping of the six millionth pound of ordnance, [[Commander]] Clarence J. Stoddard of VA-25, flying an A-1H, dropped a special, one-time-only object in addition to his other munitions – a toilet.<ref name="VA-25's Toilet Bomb.">Johnson, Captain Clint. [http://www.midwaysailor.com/midwayva25bomb/ "VA-25's Toilet Bomb."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222094210/http://www.midwaysailor.com/midwayva25bomb/ |date=2007-02-22 }} ''USS Midway.'' Retrieved: 24 March 2011.</ref> During the Vietnam War, the US Navy lost 65 Skyraiders, 48 of these in combat.<ref>[[List of aircraft losses of the Vietnam War]]</ref>

The US 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 in contrast to the Korean War, when A-1s were painted dark blue. After November 1972, all A-1s in US service in [[Southeast Asia]] were transferred to the RVNAF. The Skyraider in Vietnam pioneered the concept of tough, survivable aircraft with long loiter times and large ordnance loads. The USAF lost 191 Skyraiders in Southeast Asia, 150 of these in combat. Of the combined total of 256 lost A-1s, five were shot down by [[surface-to-air missile]]s (SAMs), and three were shot down in air-to-air combat; the rest were shot down by [[anti-aircraft artillery]].<ref>Hobson 2001, pp. 268–269.</ref>

===Republic of Vietnam Air Force===

The A-1 Skyraider was the close air support workhorse of the RVNAF for much of the Vietnam War. The US Navy began to transfer some of its Skyraiders to the RVNAF in September 1960, replacing the RVNAF's older [[Grumman F8F Bearcat]]s. By 1962 the RVNAF had 22 of the aircraft in its inventory,<ref>Chinnery 1997, p. 95.</ref> and by 1968 an additional 131 aircraft had been received. Initially Navy aviators and crews were responsible for training their South Vietnamese counterparts on the aircraft, but over time responsibility was gradually transferred to the USAF.

[[File:VNAF Skyraider at Da Nang 1967.jpg|thumb|An A-1H Skyraider of the VNAF 516th Fighter Squadron being loaded with napalm at Da Nang Air Base in 1967]]
The initial trainees were selected from among RVNAF Bearcat pilots who had accumulated 800 to 1200 hours flying time. They were trained at [[NAS Corpus Christi]], Texas, and then sent to [[NAS Lemoore]], California for further training. Navy pilots and crews in Vietnam checked out the Skyraiders that were being transferred to the RVNAF, and conducted courses for RVNAF ground crews.<ref>Denehan 1997, pp. 10–11.</ref>

Over the course of the war, the RVNAF acquired a total more than 350 Skyraiders, and was operating six A-1 squadrons by the end of 1965. About one third of these were A-1E/G. These were reduced during the period of [[Vietnamization]] from 1968 to 1972, as the US began to supply the South Vietnamese with more modern close air support aircraft, such as the [[A-37 Dragonfly]] and [[Northrop F-5]], and at the beginning of 1968, only three of its squadrons were flying A-1s.<ref>Denehan 2007</ref>

As the US ended its direct involvement in the war, it transferred the remainder of its Skyraiders to the South Vietnamese, and by 1973, all remaining Skyraiders in US inventories had been turned over to the RVNAF.<ref>[http://collections.nasm.si.edu/code/emuseum.asp?profile=objects&newstyle=single&quicksearch=A19830230000 "Skyraider."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515095820/http://collections.nasm.si.edu/code/emuseum.asp?profile=objects&newstyle=single&quicksearch=A19830230000 |date=2008-05-15 }} ''NASM''. Retrieved: 7 October 2009.</ref>  Unlike their American counterparts, whose combat tours were generally limited to 12 months, individual South Vietnamese Skyraider pilots ran up many thousands of combat hours in the A-1, and many senior RVNAF pilots were extremely skilled in the operation of the aircraft.<ref>Chinnery 1997, p. 96.</ref> The last Skyraiders transferred to the VNAF were 23 A-1H/J and 21 A-1E/G in late 1972. In 1974, 61 were put in storage. A year later, eleven fled to Thailand (5 A-1E, 1 A-1G, 5 A-1H) and more than 40 were captured by North Vietnam.<ref>Wayne Mutza: ''The A-1 Skyraider in Vietnam. The Spad's last War'': Schiffer Military History, Atglen, Pennsylvania (USA), 2016 (ISBN 9780764317910), p. 143-144.</ref>

A-1H 134600 was operated by the VNAF from 1965 to 1975. In 1997, it was acquired by the U. S. Army Center of Military History before it was restored and put on display at the National Museum of the USAF in 2022 (painted as 52–139738).<ref>{{cite web |title=A-1H Skyraider 134600|url=https://aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=86940|website=aerialvisuals.ca|date=22 July 2023}}</ref>

===United Kingdom===
[[File:Skyraider AEW1 778 RNAS Culdrose.jpg|thumb|Four Royal Navy Douglas Skyraider AEW.1s from D Flight [[849 Naval Air Squadron]], based at [[Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose]], in flight in the 1950s]]

The Royal Navy acquired 50 AD-4W early warning aircraft in 1951 through the [[Military Assistance Program]]. All Skyraider AEW.1s were operated by [[849 Naval Air Squadron]], which provided four-plane detachments for the British carriers. Flights from {{HMS|Eagle|R05}} and {{HMS|Albion|R07}} took part in the [[Suez Crisis]] in 1956.<ref>Ballance 2016, p.228-229</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Canal Zoners Photos: The Suez Crisis from HMS Albion – Operation Musketeer 1956 |date= 1995 |website= CanalZoners.co.uk |quote= Photo caption: Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Douglas AD-4W Skyraider AEW1 of C Flight of No. 849 Squadron taking off from the deck of HMS ''Albion'' during the Suez Crisis of 1956. |url= http://www.canalzoners.co.uk/Suez%20Crisis/Photos%20From%20HMS%20Albion.htm |access-date= 28 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228175625/http://www.canalzoners.co.uk/Suez%20Crisis/Photos%20From%20HMS%20Albion.htm |archive-date= 28 December 2020 |url-status= live}}</ref> [[778 Naval Air Squadron]] was responsible for the training of the Skyraider crews at [[RNAS Culdrose]] until July 1952.<ref name="AD Skyraider Fleet Air Arm">Baugher. Joe. [http://www.joebaugher.com/usattack/newa1_24.html "Service of AD Skyraider with Fleet Air Arm."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124033344/http://joebaugher.com/usattack/newa1_24.html |date=2010-11-24 }} ''Douglas AD/A-1 Skyraider'', 18 October 2001. Retrieved: 7 October 2009.</ref>

In 1960, the [[Fairey Gannet AEW.3]] replaced the Skyraiders, using the [[AN/APS-20]] radar of the Douglas aircraft. The last British Skyraiders were retired in 1962.<ref name="AD Skyraider Fleet Air Arm"/> In the late 1960s, the AN/APS-20 radars from the Skyraiders were installed in [[Avro Shackleton|Avro Shackleton AEW.2s]] of the [[Royal Air Force]] which were finally retired in 1991.

===Sweden===
Fourteen ex-British AEW.1 Skyraiders were sold to Sweden to be used by [[Svensk Flygtjänst AB]] between 1962 and 1976. All military equipment was removed and the aircraft were used as [[target tug]]s supporting the [[Swedish Armed Forces]].<ref name= "AD Skyraider Fleet Air Arm"/>

===France===
The [[French Air Force]] bought 20 ex-USN AD-4s as well as 88 ex-USN AD-4Ns and five ex-USN AD-4NAs with the former three-seaters modified as single-seat aircraft with removal of the radar equipment and the two operator stations from the rear fuselage. The AD-4N/NAs were initially acquired in 1956 to replace aging [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]]s in Algeria.<ref name="Francillon Douglas p403">Francillon 1979, p. 403.</ref>

The Skyraiders were first ordered in 1956 and the first was handed over to the French Air Force on 6 February 1958 after being overhauled and fitted with some French equipment by Sud-Aviation. The aircraft were used until the end of the [[Algerian War]]. The aircraft were used by the 20e ''Escadre de Chasse'' (EC 1/20 "Aures Nementcha", EC 2/20 "Ouarsenis" and EC 3/20 "Oranie") and EC 21 in the close air support role armed with rockets, bombs and [[napalm]].

The Skyraiders had only a short career in Algeria, but they nonetheless proved to be the most successful of all the ad hoc [[counter-insurgency aircraft]] deployed by the French. The Skyraider remained in limited French service until the 1970s.<ref name="Francillon Douglas p403"/> They were heavily involved in the civil war in Chad, at first with the ''Armée de l'Air'', and later with a nominally independent [[Chadian Air Force]] staffed by French mercenaries. The aircraft also operated under the French flag in Djibouti and on the island of Madagascar. When France at last relinquished the Skyraiders it passed the survivors on to allied states, including Gabon, [[Chad]], [[Cambodia]] and the [[Central African Republic]]<ref name="Francillon Douglas p404-4">Francillon 1979, pp. 403–404.</ref> (several aircraft from Gabon and Chad were recovered by French warbird enthusiasts and entered on the French civil register).

The French frequently used the aft station to carry maintenance personnel, spare parts and supplies to forward bases. In Chad they even used the aft station for a "bombardier" and his "special stores" – empty beer bottles – as these were considered as [[non-lethal weapon]]s, thus not breaking the government-imposed rules of engagement, during operations against Libyan-supported rebels in the late 1960s and early 1970s.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

==Variants==
[[File:Douglas XBT2D-1 Skyraider on the ground, circa 1945.jpg|thumb|The XBT2D-1 in 1945]]
[[File:Douglas AD-1Q Skyraider VC-35.jpg|thumb|VC-35 AD-1Q in the late 1940s]]
[[File:AD-3Q AD-4N AD-5N VC-33 NAS Atlantic City NAN6-55.jpg|thumb|[[VAQ-33|VC-33]] AD-3Q, AD-4N, and AD-5N in 1955]]
[[File:Douglas AD-4W Skyraider of VC-12 landing aboard USS Leyte (CVA-32), in 1952.jpg|thumb|AD-4W AEW aircraft landing on {{USS|Leyte|CV-32|6}}]]
[[File:AD-5 Skyraider VMA-331 1950s.jpg|thumb|[[VMA-331]] AD-5 in flight]]
[[File:Douglas EA-1F Skyraider of VAW-13 in flight, circa in 1966.jpg|thumb|EA-1F (AD-5Q) ECM aircraft, BuNo 135010, of [[Carrier Air Wing Nine|CVW-9]] in 1966]]
[[File:AD-5W on deck USS Kearsarge 1957-58.jpg|thumb|VAW-11 AD-5W aboard {{USS|Kearsarge|CV-33|6}}, 1958]]
[[File:Douglas AD-6 Skyraiders of VA-42 in flight, in October 1955.jpg|thumb|AD-6s from [[VA-42 (U.S. Navy)|VA-42]]]]

;XBT2D-1: Single-seat dive-bomber, torpedo-bomber prototype for the US Navy
;XBT2D-1N: Three-seat night attack prototypes; only three aircraft built
;XBT2D-1P: Photographic reconnaissance prototype; only one built
;XBT2D-1Q: Two-seat electronics countermeasures prototype; one aircraft only
;BT2D-2 (XAD-2): Upgraded attack aircraft; one prototype only
;AD-1: The first production model; 242 built
;AD-1Q: Two-seat electronic countermeasures version of the AD-1; 35 built
;AD-1U: AD-1 with radar countermeasures and tow target equipment, no armament and no [[Water injection (engines)|water injection]] equipment
;XAD-1W: Three-seat airborne early warning prototype. AD-3W prototype; one aircraft only.
;AD-2: Improved model, powered by {{cvt|2700|hp}} Wright R-3350-26W engine; 156 built
;AD-2D: Unofficial designation for AD-2s used as remote-control aircraft, to collect and gather radioactive material in the air after nuclear tests
;AD-2Q: Two-seat electronics countermeasures version of the AD-2; 21 built
;AD-2QU: AD-2 with radar countermeasures and target towing equipment, no armament and no water injection equipment; one aircraft only
;AD-2W: AD-2 variant without offensive armament, but had an [[AN/APS-20]]A search radar, four antennae, and an extended canopy after section containing an air scoop.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mulder |first1=Benoit de |url=https://www.avialogs.com/aircraft-d/douglas/item/4086-ad-2w-skyraider-airplane-characteristics-performance-11-june-1947 |title=AD-2W Skyraider Airplane Characteristics & Performance - 11 June 1947 |website=avialogs.com |access-date=2024-12-26}}</ref>
;XAD-2: Similar to XBT2D-1 except engine, increased fuel capacity
;AD-3: Proposed turboprop version, initial designation of [[A2D Skyshark]]
;AD-3: Stronger fuselage, improved landing gear, new canopy design; 125 built
;AD-3S: Anti-submarine warfare model; only two prototypes were built
;AD-3N: Three-seat night attack version; 15 built
;AD-3Q: Electronics countermeasures version, countermeasures equipment relocated for better crew comfort; 23 built
;AD-3QU: Target towing aircraft, but most were delivered as AD-3Qs
;AD-3W: Airborne early warning version; 31 built
;XAD-3E: AD-3W modified for ASW with Aeroproducts propeler
;AD-4: Strengthened landing gear, improved radar, G-2 compass, anti-G suit provisions, four {{cvt|20|mm|in}} cannon and 14 Aero rocket launchers; 372 built
;AD-4B: Specialized version designed to carry nuclear weapons, also armed with four {{cvt|20|mm|in}} cannon; 165 built plus 28 conversions
;AD-4L: Equipped for winter operations in Korea; 63 conversions
;AD-4N (A-1D): Three-seat night attack version; 307 built
;AD-4NA: Designation of 100 AD-4Ns without their night-attack equipment, but fitted with four 20&nbsp;mm cannon, for service in Korea as ground-attack aircraft
;AD-4NL: Winterized version of the AD-4N; 36 conversions
;AD-4Q: Two-seat electronic countermeasures version of the AD-4; 39 built
;AD-4W: Three-seat airborne early warning version; 168 built. A total of 50 AD-4Ws were transferred to the Royal Navy as ''Skyraider AEW Mk 1s''.
;AD-5 (A-1E): Side-by-side seating for pilot and co-pilot, without dive brakes; 212 built; During the Vietnam War, many retired ''Skyraider''s were refurbished for the US Air Force and the Vietnamese Air Force. AD-5/-5Q/-5W aircraft became "new" USAF A-1E attack aircraft.
;AD-5N (A-1G): Four-seat night attack version, with radar countermeasures; 239 built; A-1G was the US Air Force designation for refurbished AD-5N.
;AD-5Q (EA-1F): Four-seat electronics countermeasures version; 54 conversions
;AD-5S: One prototype to test [[magnetic anomaly detector]] (MAD) anti-submarine equipment
;AD-5U: The AD-5 when modified for target towing became the UA-1E in 1962. The same model converted as a transport was sometimes referred to as the AD-5R.
;AD-5W (EA-1E): Three-seat airborne early warning version with an [[AN/APS-20]] radar installed; 218 were built
;UA-1E: Utility version of the AD-5
;AD-6 (A-1H): Single-seat attack aircraft with three dive brakes, centerline station stressed for {{cvt|3500|lb}} of ordnance, {{cvt|30|in}} in diameter, combination {{cvt|14|in}} and {{cvt|30|in}} bomb ejector and low/high altitude bomb director; 713 built
;AD-7 (A-1J): The final production model, powered by a R-3350-26WB engine, with structural improvements to increase wing fatigue life; 72 built

==Operators==
{{Main|List of Douglas A-1 Skyraider operators}}
* {{KHM}}
* {{CAF}}
* {{TCD}}
* {{Flag|France}}
* {{GAB}}
* {{Flag|South Vietnam}}
* {{SWE}}
* {{GBR}}
* {{USA}}

==Surviving aircraft==
{{Main|List of surviving Douglas A-1 Skyraiders}}

==Specifications (AD-6 / A-1H Skyraider)==
[[File:Douglas XBT2D-1 Dauntless II 3-view line drawing.png|frameless|right|3-view line drawing of the Douglas XBT2D-1 Dauntless II]]

{{Aircraft specs
|ref=McDonnell Douglas aircraft since 1920 : Volume I<ref name="Francillon">{{cite book |last1=Francillon |first1=René J. |title=McDonnell Douglas aircraft since 1920 |volume=I |date=1988 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=London |isbn=978-0-87-021428-8 |pages=368–391}}</ref>
|prime units?=imp
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew=1
|length ft=38
|length in=10
|length note=
|span ft=50
|span in=0.25
|span note=
|height ft=15
|height in=8.25
|height note=
|wing area sqft=400.33
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil='''root:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA]] 2417; '''tip:''' NACA 4413<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>
|empty weight lb=11968
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=18106
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=25000
|fuel capacity={{cvt|380|USgal|impgal l}} internal tanks
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Wright R-3350-26WA Duplex-Cyclone]]
|eng1 type=18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine
|eng1 hp=2700

|prop blade number=4
|prop name=[[Aeroproducts]] constant-speed propeler
|prop dia ft=<!-- propeler aircraft -->
|prop dia in=<!-- propeler aircraft -->
|prop dia note=
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed mph=322
|max speed note=at {{cvt|18000|ft}}
|cruise speed mph=198
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed note=
|range miles=1316
|range note=
|combat range miles=
|combat range note=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling ft=28500
|ceiling note=
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|climb rate ftmin=2850
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|wing loading lb/sqft=46.6
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass={{cvt|0.149|hp/lb|kW/kg}}
|more performance=
<!--
        Armament
-->
||guns= 4 × 20 mm [[Hispano-Suiza HS.404#United States|AN/M3 cannon]] with 200 rounds per gun
|hardpoint capacity= 10,500 lbs (4762.71kg) per NAVWEPS manual 01-40-ALF-1
|hardpoints=15 external hardpoints
|hardpoint other= bombs, torpedoes, mine dispensers, unguided rockets, improvised toilet bombs, and gun pods.<ref name="VA-25's Toilet Bomb."/>
|rockets=
|missiles=
|hardpoint rockets=
|hardpoint missiles=
|hardpoint bombs=

|avionics=
}}

==Naming==
The A-1 Skyraider received various nicknames including: "Spad" and "Super Spad" (derived from the aircraft's AD designation, its relative longevity in service and an allusion to the "[[Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés|Spad]]" aircraft of World War I), "Able Dog" (phonetic AD), "the Destroyer", "Hobo" (radio call sign of the US Air Force's [[1st Special Operations Squadron|1st Air Commando/1st Special Operations Squadron]]), "Firefly" (a call sign of the 602nd ACS/SOS), "Zorro" (the call sign of the [[22d Special Operations Squadron|22nd SOS]]), "The Big Gun", "Old Faithful", "Old Miscellaneous", "Fat Face" (AD-5/A-1E version, side-by-side seating), "Guppy" (AD-5W version), "Q-Bird" or "Queer Bird" (AD-1Q/AD-5Q versions), "Flying Dumptruck" (A-1E), "Sandy" (the 602nd ACS/SOS call sign for Combat Search And Rescue helicopter escort), and "Crazy Water Buffalo" (South Vietnamese nickname).<ref name="thesandyspad">[http://skyraider.org/skyassn/warstor/degroatstory.htm "The Sandy Spad"]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907121553/http://skyraider.org/skyassn/warstor/degroatstory.htm |date=September 7, 2015 }}, Robert S. DeGroat, story appeared in the Feb 1996 issue of EAA Warbirds magazine. Retrieved: 25 March 2017.</ref>{{Failed verification|date=November 2017}}

==Notable appearances in media==
<!-- All content about the aircraft in fictional and gaming use has been moved to [[Aircraft in fiction, please see [[WP:AIRPOP]] -->
{{Main|Aircraft in fiction#A-1 Skyraider}}

==See also==
{{Aircontent
|related=
* [[Douglas A2D Skyshark]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[Aichi B7A]]
* [[Martin AM Mauler]]
* [[Westland Wyvern]]
|lists=
* [[List of attack aircraft]]
* [[List of military aircraft of the United States]]
|see also=
}}

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* Andrade, John M. ''US Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909''. Midland Counties Publications, 1979. {{ISBN|0-904597-22-9}}.
* Ballance Theo with Lee Howard and Ray Sturtivant. ''The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm''. Staplefield, England:[[Air-Britain]], 2016. {{isbn|978-0-85130-4892}}.
* Burgess, Richard R. and Rosario M. Rausa. ''US Navy A-1 Skyraider Units of the Vietnam War'' (Osprey Combat Aircraft #77). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing Limited, 2009. {{ISBN|978-1-84603-410-7}}.
* Bridgeman, William and Jacqueline Hazard. ''The Lonely Sky''. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1955. {{ISBN|978-0-8107-9011-7}}.
* Chinnery, Philip D. ''Air Commando: Inside The Air Force Special Operations Command''. London: St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1997. {{ISBN|978-0-312-95881-7}}.
* Denehan, William, Major, USAF. ''From Crickets To Dragonflies: Training And Equipping The Republic of Vietnam Air Force 1955-1972''. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Air Command and Staff College, Air University, 1997.
* Dengler, Dieter. ''Escape from Laos''. New York: Presidio Press, 1979. {{ISBN|0-89141-076-7}}.
* [[Robert F. Dorr|Dorr, Robert F]]. "Southeast Asian "Spad" ... The Skyraider's War". ''[[Air Enthusiast]]'', Thirty-six, May–August 1988. Bromley, UK:FineScroll. pp.&nbsp;1–11, 73–77. {{ISSN|0143-5450}}.
* Dorr, Robert F. and Chris Bishop. ''Vietnam Air War Debrief''. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1996. {{ISBN|1-874023-78-6}}.
* Drury, Richard S. ''My Secret War''. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishing Inc., 1979. {{ISBN|978-0-8168-6841-4}}.
* Faltum, Andrew. ''The Essex Aircraft Carriers''. Baltimore, Maryland: The Nautical & Aviation Publishing Company of America, 1996. {{ISBN|1-877853-26-7}}.
* Francillon, René J. ''McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920''. London: Putnam, 1979. {{ISBN|0-370-00050-1}}.
* Grossnick, Roy A. and William J. Armstrong. ''United States Naval Aviation, 1910–1995''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Historical Center, 1997. {{ISBN|0-16-049124-X}}.
* Guillemin, Sébastien. ''Les Skyraider français'', Outreau (France), Lela Presse, (Profils avions 20), 2012. {{ISBN|978-2-914017-65-7}}
* Hobson, Chris. ''Vietnam Air Losses, USAF/USN/USMC, Fixed-Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973''. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2001. {{ISBN|1-85780-115-6}}.
* Johnson E.R. ''American Attack Aircraft since 1926''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-7864-7162-1}}.
* McCarthy, Donald J. Jr. ''MiG Killers: A Chronology of US Air Victories in Vietnam 1965–1973.'' North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2009. {{ISBN|978-1-58007-136-9}}.
* Mersky, Peter B. ''US Marine Corps Aviation: 1912 to the Present''. Annapolis, Maryland: The Nautical and Aviation Publishing Company of America, 1983. {{ISBN|0-933852-39-8}}.
* {{cite journal |last1=Moreau|first1=Eric|title=Le "Skyraider" dans l'Armée de l'Air|journal=Le Fana de l'Aviation |date=January 1977|issue=86|pages=18–27|issn=0757-4169 |language=fr|trans-title=The Skyraider in the French Air Force}}
* "Skyraider". ''[[Model Airplane News]]'', September 2008, Volume 136, Number 9; Cover and p.&nbsp;38.
* Smith, Peter C., ''Douglas AD Skyraider – Crowood Aviation Series''. Marlborough Great Britain: Crowood Press, 1999, {{ISBN|1-86126-249-3}}.
* Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Navy Aircraft since 1911''. London: Putnam, Second edition 1976. {{ISBN|0-370-10054-9}}.
* ''United States Air Force Museum Guidebook''. Wright-Patterson AFB Ohio: Air Force Museum Association, 1975.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Douglas Skyraider}}
{{Wikisourcecat|Vietnam War|Audio recordings and transcripts with comments of actual Wild Weasel missions flown during the Vietnam War, including Sandy-assisted rescue.}}
* [http://skyraider.org Skyraider.org]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20141217133855/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=297 Air Force Fact sheet on the Douglas A-1E Skyraider flown by Major Fisher]
* {{cite web |url=http://www.abledogs.com/ |title=The Able Dogs |website=Abledogs.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181230210744/http://www.abledogs.com/ |archive-date=December 30, 2018 |access-date=January 23, 2020}}
* [https://www.airforcemag.com/PDF/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/2007/June%202007/0607classics.pdf The A-1 in Airpower Classics] from ''Air Force'' Magazine
* [https://archive.today/20130203224541/http://www.theaviationindex.com/aircraft-types/douglas-1-skyraider Douglas A-1 Skyraider articles and publications]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080224011443/http://www.aero-web.org/locator/manufact/douglas/a-1.htm AeroWeb: ''List of A-1 survivors on display'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110314145341/http://www.heritageflight.org/content/collections/ad4-na-skyraider-proud-american/ Heritage Flight Museum: A-1 Skyraider "The Proud American"]
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26972|name=Staff Film Report 66-21A (1966)}}
* [http://airbum.com/pireps/PirepAD-5.html "AD-5 Skyraider: Dipping into the Horsepower Pool"] (pilot report), Budd Davisson, 1999, ''Flight Journal''

{{Douglas aircraft}}
{{USAF attack aircraft}}
{{USN attack aircraft}}
{{USN bomber aircraft}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Carrier-based aircraft]]
[[Category:1940s United States attack aircraft]]
[[Category:Douglas aircraft|A-01 Skyraider]]
[[Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1945]]
[[Category:Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear]]
[[Category:Single-engined piston aircraft]]