In 1967, while aboard the USS Forrestal, McCain nearly lost his life when a malfunctioning missile fired from one aircraft struck another A-4 next to his. Senator John McCain – During the Vietnam War, John McCain, a naval aviator prisoner of war (POW) in Vietnam, long-time senator, and Presidential contender, was an A-4 Skyhawk pilot. Lieutenant McCain standing by a T-2 Buckeye trainer, 1965 We will take a moment to get to know this attack fighter with a few facts below. Though not as well known as bigger multirole fighters of its time, the A-4 still cemented its own place in history. The A-4 was the first aircraft to drop a bomb in Vietnam and one of the last aircraft shot down during that war, resulting in one of the final times a pilot was captured and held as a prisoner of war (POW) in Vietnam. The A-4E Skyhawk was a formidable attack platform, a perfect fit for the Vietnam War due to its speed, maneuverability, and ruggedness since the enemy primarily used anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) and small arms fire to defend against aircraft. We’ve included more information about that in the facts below. Though the Skyhawk had been flown since 1957, it would be eight years later, during the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, that the Navy’s A-4 would see its first combat missions. It was introduced into service in October 1956 and during its production years between 19 2,960 would be produced. Despite its small airframe, the A-4E version contained major upgrades to its engines and strengthening of the frame to accommodate more weapons pylons and avionics improvements. It had a delta wing, which is a short-span wing design, enabling many to be stored on a carrier without complicated wingtip folding requirements. The A-4 had a small airframe that allowed for easier storage on the smaller aircraft carriers from the World War II era. VA-146 A-4Cs over the Gulf of Tonkin in August 1964 USS Kearsarge steams below.
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