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The McDonnell Douglas A-4G Skyhawk was 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, and operated the type from 1967 to 1984. In Australian service the A-4Gs formed part of the air group of the aircraft carrier , and were primarily used to provide air defence for the fleet. They took part in exercises throughout the Pacific region and also supported the training of RAN warships as well as other elements of the Australian military. The Skyhawks did not see combat, and a planned deployment of some of their pilots to fight in the Vietnam War was cancelled before it took place. Ten A-4Gs were destroyed as a result of equipment failures and non-combat crashes during the type's service with the Navy, causing the deaths of two pilots. The RAN had no need for most of its fixed-wing aircraft after ''Melbourne'' was decommissioned in 1982, and the ten remaining A-4Gs were sold to the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) in 1984 where they were initially used for training purposes. Between 1986 and 1991 these aircraft were upgraded and re-designated A-4Ks. Two of the former A-4Gs crashed during 2001, resulting in the death of a pilot. The RNZAF's Skyhawks were retired in 2001. Eight A-4Ks, including six former A-4Gs, were sold to Draken International in 2012 and are in service supporting United States military training exercises. ==Acquisition== During the late 1950s the Australian Government and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) considered options to replace the aircraft carrier HMAS ''Melbourne'', and her air group. While ''Melbourne'' had only been commissioned in 1955, the de Havilland Sea Venom fighters and Fairey Gannet maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) were becoming obsolete. It was believed that ''Melbourne'' was too small to operate more modern aircraft types, and the RAN investigated options to buy a larger carrier. The Government judged that the cost of a new aircraft carrier was too high, especially given the expense of the Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF's) procurement programs at that time, and in November 1959 it was announced that the FAA would cease to operate fixed-wing aircraft in 1963. As a result of intervention by the Minister for the Navy, Senator John Gorton, the Government eventually agreed to purchase new fixed-wing aircraft. Gorton had served as a fighter pilot in World War II and had a strong interest in his portfolio. In 1961 Gorton convinced Cabinet to fund a program to reinvigorate the FAA, starting with the purchase of 27 Westland Wessex anti-submarine helicopters. At this time it was planned to retain ''Melbourne'' as a helicopter carrier, but in mid-1963 the Government gave the Navy permission to retain the Sea Venoms and Gannets in service until at least 1967. Minister for Defence Senator Shane Paltridge rejected a proposal from the Navy to purchase an ''Essex''-class aircraft carrier from the United States Navy in June 1964, and the next month ''Melbourne'' undertook flight trials with A-4 Skyhawks and Grumman S-2 Trackers during a visit to the major American base at Subic Bay in the Philippines. The Skyhawk was a particularly light and compact attack plane, with a wing small enough to not require a folding mechanism. American Trackers had previously flown off the carrier during exercises in 1957, and the Royal Canadian Navy had successfully trialled Skyhawks from ''Melbourne'' sister ship . The trials conducted at Subic Bay went well, and confirmed that ''Melbourne'' would need only minor modifications to safely operate both types of aircraft. In late 1964 the RAN sought the Government's approval to upgrade ''Melbourne'' and purchase a force of 18 Skyhawks and 16 Trackers. The Skyhawks were intended to be used to provide air defence for the fleet as well as to attack warships and targets on land. While the Naval Board saw maritime strike as being a logical task for the FAA, the RAAF argued that the 24 General Dynamics F-111C aircraft it had ordered would be more effective in this role. Cabinet agreed to the proposal to modernise the carrier and acquire Trackers in November 1964, but delayed a decision on the Skyhawks at that time. Following further lobbying and staff work by the Navy, the Government eventually agreed to purchase ten Skyhawks in early 1965 for a cost of £9.2 million. This order comprised eight single-seat fighter aircraft and a pair of two-seat TA-4 Skyhawk trainers. These aircraft were the first newly built Skyhawks to be sold to a country other than the United States. The Australian Skyhawks, which were designated the A-4G, were a variant of the A-4F Skyhawk. The A-4F was the final single-seat version of the Skyhawk to be designed specifically for the US Navy, and first flew in 1966; 164 were eventually delivered. This variant had a more powerful engine than that fitted to earlier Skyhawks, as well as better protection against ground fire and a distinctive "hump" containing avionics, which earned it the nickname "Camel". The main differences between the F and G variants were that the latter did not have an avionics hump and was fitted to operate AIM-9B Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. The A-4Gs also lacked the A-4F's ability to operate guided air-to-ground weapons. The two-seat TA-4G trainers were fitted with the same avionics and weapons as the single-seat aircraft, but were unable to be operated from ''Melbourne'' as their flight characteristics meant that they could not safely take off from the ship in the event of a "bolter" landing. The ten Skyhawks were delivered to the RAN during 1967. The first A-4G test flight took place on 19 July that year, and the initial TA-4G first flew two days later. On 26 July an A-4G and a TA-4G were handed over to the RAN at a ceremony conducted at McDonnell Douglas' factory at Long Beach, California. In October that year, ''Melbourne'' sailed to the United States to pick up the Skyhawks and Trackers, with the A-4s being embarked at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego. The carrier transported these aircraft back to Jervis Bay, New South Wales, from where they were unloaded and moved by road to the Navy's air station at HMAS ''Albatross'' near Nowra. After completing this task ''Melbourne'' proceeded to Sydney to begin a refit that would prepare her to operate the new air group. A further ten A-4Gs were purchased in 1969. The aircraft were funded by cancelling plans to expand the Navy's force of ''Oberon'' class submarines from six to eight boats; this change was justified on the grounds that it would improve the effectiveness of the carrier and expand the FAA's strike capabilities. As with the first order, this purchase comprised eight A-4Gs and two TA-4Gs. The Skyhawks were former US Navy A-4Fs, and were modified to A-4G standard before being delivered to Australia. These aircraft were collected from San Diego by in July 1971, which delivered them to Jervis Bay the next month.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-sydney-iii )〕 The Australian Skyhawks retained their US Navy serial numbers, but were also allocated shorter "buzz" numbers painted near their nose. The first batch of A-4Gs were allocated buzz numbers 882 to 889, and the second batch were assigned 870 to 877. The first two TA-4Gs were 880 and 881, and the second pair 878 and 879. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「McDonnell Douglas A-4G Skyhawk」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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