McDonnell Douglas A-4M Skyhawk II
The Marines' final, most powerful Skyhawk — and the last one built · First flight 1970 · In service 1971
The A-4M Skyhawk II was built for the US Marine Corps, which wanted a light attack jet able to operate from short airfields close to the troops it supported. It combined the uprated 50 kN J52-P-408 engine with an enlarged cockpit canopy for better visibility, improved avionics and IFF, and twice the cannon ammunition of earlier versions. It first flew on 10 April 1970 and joined VMA-324 on 26 February 1971.
158 A-4Ms were built, and the type was later fitted with the Hughes AN/ASB-19 Angle Rate Bombing System, a nose-mounted TV and laser spot tracker for more accurate bombing. The last Skyhawk of all, A-4M BuNo 160264, was delivered to VMA-331 on 27 February 1979, ending a 25-year production run of 2,960 aircraft.
The A-4M also served the Navy as an adversary aircraft, and it was the basis for Israel's A-4N and Kuwait's A-4KU. Argentina's A-4AR Fightinghawks were rebuilt from retired Marine A-4Ms.
