HASEGAWA 1/48 A-4B Sky Hawk VA-15 Valions SPECIAL VERSION MODEL KIT

Carrier-borne jet fighter development advanced at a brisk pace in the aftermath of WWII, but work on jet ground attack aircraft of similar capabilities did not, forcing the US Navy to rely on the propeller-driven A-1 Skyraider to carry out ground suppert/strike missions throughout the Korean War. While the Navy was fully aware of the necessity for new aircraft capable of performing these crucial missions, the appearance of the superlative Mig-15 in the Communist arsenal during the conflict required throwing virtually all military aviation design dfforts into coming up with a fighter capable of besting the Soviet-built fighter, leaving ver little left of the R+D pie for ground attack aircraft. However, once the urgency of the Korean situation diminished, the Navy was ready to move on with developments in this area, and in the early 1950s tasked the design team at Douglas Aircraft to come up with a next-generation carrier-borne ground attack plane.
Douglas, utilizing the newest in light aircraft design technology, came up with a proposal for a small jet weighing a mere 6.8s and with a wingspan of only 8.4 meters. Douglas ended up with a Navy contract, and the prototype made its maiden flight on June 22, 1954, featuring a superlight airframe and a layout emphasizing efficient and simple manufacture. For example, the main wing encompassed both left and right wings in a single structure mated to the fuselage for optimum strength and ease of construction. The fact that a total of 2,960 A-4 Skyhawks were built over the next 26 years until the production line closed in February 1979 attests to the excellence of the aircraft's design.
The A-4B(A4D-2) was an upgraded development of the earlier A-4A model, featuring a J65-W-16A powerplant, new positioning of targetting devices, a strengthened rear fuselage and a new power rudder. Another key improvement was the incorporation of an air-to-air refueling probe on the right side of the nose of the aircraft, enableing a significant increase in operational range. The A-4B went on line with active units starting in Septomber 1957.

Spec
Crew : one
Wingspan : 8.38m
Length : 12.01m
Height : 4.57m
Engine : Pratt & Whitney J65-W-16A(with thrust of 3,493kg)
Maximum speed : 1,064km/h(at sea level)
Fixed armament : 20mm cannon X 2
Maiden flight : March 26, 1956(A-4B)

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