On March 18, the A-1 Skyraider turned 80 years old

On March 18, the A-1 Skyraider turned 80 years old. On that day in 1945, its first prototype, the XBT2D-1, made its maiden flight at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. The aircraft was developed by the American company Douglas Aircraft to meet the U.S. Navy’s requirements for a carrier-based attack plane, initially intended for use as a dive bomber and torpedo bomber. However, it was quickly optimized for attack missions. Once it entered serial production, it received the naval designation “AD,” which in 1962 was changed to the unified designation for both the Navy and Air Force — “A-1.”

This rather large aircraft had armor protection, boasted high combat survivability, excellent maneuverability, and a good field of view from the pilot’s cockpit. Its production continued until 1957 — a record length for a piston-engined combat aircraft in the jet era. A total of 3,180 units were built, in over 30 variants. Besides the attack versions, there were also aircraft for electronic warfare, airborne early warning, target towing, and more. Depending on the specific version, the crew size varied from one to three members.

The single-seat A-1H attack aircraft was equipped with an 18-cylinder, air-cooled Wright R-3350-26WA Duplex-Cyclone engine producing 2,700 horsepower. It had a length of 11.84 meters, a wingspan of 15.25 meters, a takeoff weight of 8,200 kilograms, a maximum speed of 518 km/h, and a range of over 2,100 kilometers. The plane was armed with four 20 mm cannons. On its 15 external hardpoints, it could carry various weapons with a total weight of more than 4,700 kilograms, including bombs of different calibers, incendiary tanks, and several types of unguided rockets.

Skyraiders began arriving in U.S. Navy aviation units in December 1946. Aircraft from this family were also received by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force. In addition, they were used by the United Kingdom, Gabon, Cambodia, South Vietnam, France, the Central African Republic, Chad, and Sweden.

Although the Skyraider seemed hopelessly outdated alongside jet aircraft, it turned out to be surprisingly well-suited for strike missions in regional conflicts. The Americans used these aircraft extensively, both from aircraft carriers and land-based airfields, during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. French Skyraiders saw combat in Africa, particularly in Algeria. In the United States, they were withdrawn from service in 1973, while in Gabon they remained in service the longest, until 1985.