Done +++ An early A-4 Skyhawk in Aéronavale colors (@ p.2)

[Dizzyfugu]

Hmmm, time to tackle neglected (read: ignored) jobs like painting the black and white hook or the OOB pilot figure. Hope that the weather clears up today, so that I might start to take beauty pics this afternoon.

[Knightflyer]

Hmmm, time to tackle neglected (read: ignored) jobs like painting the black and white hook or the OOB pilot figure. Hope that the weather clears up today, so that I might start to take beauty pics this afternoon.

It's always the small jobs that seem to put the brakes on isn't it - I can be 'bombing' along quite nicely and then 'bump' I have to affix the wheels or something relatively minor that seems to slow the whole job down

Although "to slow the whole job down" is a very relative phrase in your case Dizzy! 

[Dizzyfugu]

First run of beauty pics is through, but I'll make a second session, some motifs are still missing. Then it's time for editing.

[Captain Canada]

Great pic thanks for sharing, new to me that one for sure. Love old carrier shots like those Never mind the mast, the whole thing looks cluttered !

[Dizzyfugu]

1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk was a single seat subsonic carrier-capable attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later by McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated A4D under the U.S. Navy's pre-1962 designation system.

The Skyhawk was a relatively lightweight aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 24,500 pounds (11,100 kg) in its late versions and had a top speed of more than 670 miles per hour (1,080 km/h). The aircrafts supported a variety of missiles, bombs and other munitions, and late versions were capable of carrying a bomb load equivalent to that of a World War II-era Boeing B-17 bomber.


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The type saw an intensive career with the US Navy and the US Marine Corps, and is still in frontline use in several countries, e. g. Brazil and Argentina.
Another potential user was France. The story began with two different design requirements in the early 1950s for land-based, light fighters, one for the French Air Force and the other for NATO air forces. French manufacturer Dassault responded and used the same basic design for both these specifications, designated as the Étendard II and Étendard VI respectively, neither of which received any orders, though. The company also developed a larger and more powerful variant, which was called the Mystère XXIV, simultaneously as a private venture.

The French Navy, the Aéronavale, showed interest in the more powerful aircraft, and this interest in a lulti-purpose fighter for carrier operations led to a public competition which was opened to foreign submissions, too. Dassault constructed a prototype navalized version of the Mystère XXIV, now designated Étendard IVM, and the first prototype conducted its first flight on 24 July 1956. As contenders, Douglas offered a modified A4D-2 Skyhawk and from Great Britain the Supermarine Scimitar was proposed, but immediately rejected as being much too large and complex for the Aéronavale's needs.

In order to compare the potential contenders, the Étendard IVM was to be pitted against the Skyhawk, and so a total of six so-called A4D-2Fs, modified to French specifications, took part in an extensive field test over the course of the next 15 months against a total of seven Étendard prototypes (the last being a prototype for the Étendard IVP photo reconnaissance variant), which differed by engines and equipment details.


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The French Skyhawk variant had, compared with the standard A4D-2 of the US Navy, improved navigation and flight control systems. The A4D-2F also featured a strengthened airframe and had air-to-air refueling capabilities. Specific to these machines were a TACAN receiver and a braking parachute under the tail for land operations.

Internal armament was, upon the potential customer's request, changed from the original pair of American 20 mm (0.79 in) Colt Mk 12 cannon with 200 RPG in the wing roots to a pair of 30mm DEFA cannon with 150 RPG. As a marketing measure, the A4D-2F was equipped with guidance avionics for the American AGM-12 Bullpup missile, in hope that France would procure this weapon together with the aircraft as a package and open the door for further weapon exports. Other ordnance included rocket pods, bombs, and drop tanks, carried on five external pylons (two more under the outer wings than the standard A4D-2).

Not being convinced of the AGM-12 and political preference of domestic equipment, French officials insisted on additional avionics for indigenous guided weapons like the Nord AA-20 air-to-air or the AS-20 air-to-ground missiles, as well as for the bigger, newly developed AS-30. Since the internal space of the AD4 airframe was limited, these additional components had to be housed in a long, spinal fairing that extended from the fin root forward, almost up to the cockpit. Another consequence of the scarce internal space was the need to provide radio-guidance for the French missiles through an external antenna pod, which was to be carried under the outer starboard pylon, together with two missiles on the inner pylons and an SNEB unguided missile pod (frequently empty) under the port outer pylon as aerodynamic counterbalance.


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Trials between the contenders started in summer 1957, at first from land bases (primarily Landviseau in Brittany), but later, after its reconstruction with a four degree angled flight deck and a mirror landing sight, also aboard of the revamped French carrier 'Arromanches' (R 95, former HMS Colossus). The A4D-2F turned out to be the more effective fighter bomber, especially concerning the almost twice as high weapon load as the Étendard's. On the other side, the Étendard benefitted from its Aida radar (the A4D-2F only had an AN/APN-141 radar altimeter and a state-of-the-art AN/ASN-19A navigation computer) and from strong supporters from both military and political deciders. Dassault kept lobbying for the indigenous aircraft, too, and, despite many shortcomings and limitations, the Étendard was chosen as the winning design. Even a proposed radar upgrade (just introduced with the A4D-3/A-4C for the US Navy) during the late evaluation stages in 1958 would not change the French officials' minds.

"Sufficiently satisfied" with its performance, the French Navy would procure for 69 Étendard IVM fighters and 21 Étendard IVP reconnaissance versions. The sextet of test Skyhawks was returned in late 1961 to the United States, where the airframes were at first stored and later underwent modifications at Lockheed Service Co. to become A-4Ps for the Argentine Air Force, delivered in 1966.


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


From 1962, the winning Étendard IVM was being deployed aboard the service's newly built Clemenceau-class aircraft carriers, the Clemenceau and Foch. Later, in 1972, the Skyhawk (in the form of a modified A-4M) made a return to France as an alternative to the stillborn Jaguar M, a navalized variant of the Anglo-French SEPECAT Jaguar, which was intended to become the Étendard's replacement. But this effort was once more derailed by political lobbying by Dassault, who favored their own proposed upgraded version of the aircraft, which would later enter service as the Super Étendard.



General characteristics:
    Crew: one
    Length: 39' 4" (12 m)
    Wingspan: 26 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
    Height: 15 ft (4.57 m)
    Wing area: 259 ft² (24.15 m²)
    Airfoil: NACA 0008-1.1-25 root, NACA 0005-0.825-50 tip
    Empty weight: 9,146 lb (4,152 kg)
    Loaded weight: 18,300 lb (8,318 kg)
    Max. takeoff weight: 24,500 lb (11,136 kg)

Powerplant:
    1× Curtiss-Wright J65-W-16A turbojet with 7,700 lbf (34 kN)

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 575 kn (661 mph, 1,064 km/h)
    Range: 1,700 nmi (2,000 mi, 3,220 km)
    Combat radius: 625 nmi, 1,158 km
    Service ceiling: 42,250 ft (12,880 m)
    Rate of climb: 8,440 ft/min (43 m/s)
    Wing loading: 70.7 lb/ft² (344.4 kg/m²)
    Thrust/weight: 0.51
    g-limit: +8/-3 g

Armament:
    2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA cannon, 150 RPG, in the wing roots
    Total effective payload of up to 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg) on five hardpoints
    - 1× Centerline: 3,500 lbs capability
    - 2× Inboard wing: 2,200 lbs capability each
    - 2× Outboard wing: 1,000 lbs capability each




1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



...and some WiP impressions:


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 AD4-2F 'Skyhawk' prototype; aircraft '01' of the Aéronavale (French Navy) during evaluation and weapon trials on board of 'Arromanches' (R 95), mid 1958 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[Captain Canada]

Great stuff. With those colours and mods she looks like a whole new machine ! Great set of pics as well. Love your carrier stuff. Cheers !

[su27rules]

   Great, very nice!!

[ysi_maniac]

Just perfect!

[DogfighterZen]

As usual...

[Old Wombat]

Good looking build & great story, Dizzy!

[Cobra]

Another Superb Build with and Excellent Backstory! maybe You should Email a Pic of Your Whif to the US Marines and the Navy Top Types, see How they React. Keep up the Superb Work Dan

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you very much, gentlemen. 

[zenrat]

Good job Dizz.

[NARSES2]

Looks perfectly at home in those markings 

[KiwiZac]

NICE!