Description: The Skyhawk Years The A-4 Skyhawk in Australian Service 1968 – 1984 The Skyhawk Years - The A-4 Skyhawk in Australian Service 1968 – 1984 by P Greenfield and D Prest The magnificent Douglas A-4 Skyhawk served with the Royal Australian Navy from 1968 until 1984 with two squadrons, VF805 and VC724. VF805 was the frontline fighter unit that served aboard the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne, while VC724 was shore-based for training and support from Naval Air Station Nowra. During that period the fixed wing aircraft on the Melbourne gave the RAN a unique capability that was central to Australian defence policy. The Skyhawk Years is a story of busy and varied deployments around Australia, Southeast Asia and regularly to the multinational Rimpac exercises in Hawaii. A particular highlight was a long cruise to the UK in 1977 and participation in the Spithead Naval Review, part of the celebrations for Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee. With first-hand stories from pilots and maintainers, the challenges of operations from the world's smallest aircraft carrier are well explained. Also told are thrilling stories of air combat manoeuvres against fighters from other countries, with the A-4 often surprising more well-credentialled adversaries. A string of mishaps ended the embarkation of Skyhawks on the Melbourne in 1980, with a sad period following which saw the ultimate scrapping of RAN fixed wing aviation four years later. However, among the former pilots and maintainers many fond memories of A-4 operations remain alive in this book. The McDonnell Douglas A-4G Skyhawk is a variant of the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft developed for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The model was based on the A-4F variant of the Skyhawk, and was fitted with slightly different avionics as well as the capacity to operate AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. The RAN received ten A-4Gs in 1967 and another ten in 1971. Book Condition:: PERFECT - NEW BOOK Total Pages:: 216 Dimensions in mm :: 250 x 176 Outer Cover on Book: : Hard Boards with Dust Jacket Books On War Australia will combine postage to Australian Destination for Max $9.90 (Items to be ordered same day). Guaranteed delivery to any Australian, USA, Canada and United Kingdom destinations.
Price: 57.99 AUD
Location: Australia
End Time: 2025-01-01T19:56:07.000Z
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Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
Returns Accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Campaign: Vietnam War
Australian Iraq War: vietnam
Product Type: Books
Era: 2000s
Country: Australia
Original/Reproduction: Original
Theme: Militaria
Modified Item: No
