Jump to content

[Fictional] Douglas A-4D Skyhawk (Dhimar) 2.1.0

   (0 reviews)

1 Screenshot

About This File

Douglas A-4D Skyhawk for STRIKE FIGHTERS 2

This is a very simple mod of the stock Third Wire A-4E Skyhawk to give a flyable A-4D (Dhimar) in service with the Dhimari Air Force with markings for;

No.6 Squadron - 'The Eagles' 

No.7 Squadron - 'The Rattlesnakes' 


BACKSTORY

During the early to mid-1950's almost every US Navy aircraft programme hit some sort of propulsion trouble with either engines that were either down on thrust or simply so unreliable that they were a hazard to flight safety. Douglas were no exception and the SkyKnight and Skyray programmes were hit especially hard and the A4D Skyhawk programme initially didn't fare much better with the J65 down on thrust and the Pentagon bizarrely ordering that reconditioned Air Force J65's should be used for Skyhawk production. Ed Heinemann's wish to shoehorn the Rolls-Royce Avon into the Skyhawk fell apart when a production licence was granted to Westinghouse who then decided to only produce (with Navy funding but without telling Douglas ) a six-tenths scale version as the XJ64 giving less thrust than the J65! 

However, by 1955 the Navy BuWeps had decided to fund the promising Pratt & Whitney JT8, essentially a scaled-down JT3 or J57 and by 1957 the resultant J52 was running sweetly on the bench and Ed Heinemann could plan growth versions of his brilliant 'Bantam Bomber'. At about the same time the Navy were hinting that perhaps a more flexible machine was required than the high-altitude nuclear bomber of the original A4D requirement and the increased thrust of the J52 meant that two more stores pylons could be added and higher gross weights permitted. 

Douglas had planned to introduce the engine in the A4D-3 (A-4D) and A4D-5 (A-4E) variants but the US Navy cancelled the A4D-3 in 1959 and slowed the A4D-5 programme down. Douglas then looked at export opportunities resurrecting the A4D-3 designation to produce a multi-role fighter version later designated the A-4D which introduced the new J52 engine rated at 8,500lbs thrust plus a small and simple multi-mode radar. Oil-rich Dhimar became the launch customer ordering 60 A-4D's in 1961 and these were delivered in early 1963 initially to No.6 Squadron of the Dhimari Air Force who operated the type until 1982.


INSTRUCTIONS

1. From the AIRCRAFT folder drag and drop the A-4Dh folder into your Aircraft folder.

2. From the DECALS folder drag and drop the A-4Dh folder into your Decals folder.

That's it!


CREDITS

As always, thanks to Third Wire for a great little game/sim.

Special thanks to salvatorestupido for the USN Aggressor skin used for the No.7 Squadron machine.

And, finally, thanks to everyone in the wider Third Wire community.

Regards 

Spinners

Version 2 - November 5th, 2023


What's New in Version 2.1.0

Released

Skins now in JPG format.

New decals and all in folders.

New Hangar Screen, Loadout Image and Loading Screen

Minor revision adds back in red slats and flaps to the camo skin (No.7 Sqd)




User Feedback

Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue..