GEORG v. RAUCH COLLECTION
No. 13996. Douglas A-4P Skyhawk (C-204) Argentine Air Force
Source unknown

Douglas A-4P Skyhawk

08/31/2021. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "Under the BuNo 142136 the pictured aircraft was built as an A4D-2 Skyhawk and delivered to the USN in 1957. It served with several attack and fighter squadrons, being redesignated A-4B on September 18, 1962, until May 19, 1964, when it was assigned to the Naval Air Reserve Training Unit (NARTU) at NAS Glenview, Illinois. On December 6, 1964, it was put into storage at the Naval Air Facility Litchfield Park, Arizona.

The first government outside the USA to purchase the Skyhawk was Argentina, which bought 93 surplus aircraft between 1965 and 1975. BuNo 142136 was one of 50 A-4Bs selected for the Argentine AF, after it was refurbished by Douglas it was redesignated A-4P and delivered to Argentina on October 31, 1966. Under the serial C-204 it was assigned to the 5th Air Brigade at Villa Reynolds, San Luis province.

During the Guerra de las Malvinas (Falklands War, April 2–June 14, 1982), the C-204 participated in the successful attack on the British HMS Ardent on May 21. On June 8, while flying at low level over Choiseul Sound, the A-4P was shot-down by an AIM-9L missile launched from a British Sea Harrier (XZ499) of 809 Naval Air Squadron, flown by Lieutenant Dave Smith. The A-4P crashed in Rain Cove, the pilot, First Lieutenant Bolzán, was killed.


Created August 31, 2021