{"product_id":"a4-skyhawk-vs-north-vietnamese-aaa","title":"A4 Skyhawk Vs North Vietnamese Aaa","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhile the F­105 Thunderchief was the USAF’s principal strike weapon during the \u003ci\u003eRolling Thunder \u003c\/i\u003ecampaign, the US Navy relied on the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk for the majority of its strikes on North Vietnam. The Skyhawk entered service in 1956 and remained in continuous production for 26 years. Throughout Operation \u003ci\u003eRolling Thunder \u003c\/i\u003eit was the US Navy’s principal day­time light strike bomber, remaining in use after its replacement, the more sophisticated A-7 Corsair II, began to appear in December 1967. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDuring the 1965–68 \u003ci\u003eRolling Thunder \u003c\/i\u003eperiod, up to five attack carriers regularly launched A-4 strike formations against North Vietnam. These formations faced an ever-expanding and increasingly coordinated Soviet-style network of anti-aircraft artillery missiles and fighters. Skyhawk pilots were often given the hazardous task of attacking anti-aircraft defences and to improve accuracy, they initially dropped ordnance below 3000 ft in a 30-degree dive in order to bomb visually below the persistent low cloud over North Vietnam, putting the aircraft within range of small-arms fire. The defenders had the advantage of covering a relatively small target area, and the sheer weight of light, medium and heavy gunfire directed at an attacking force brought inevitable casualties, and a single rifle bullet could have the same effect as a larger shell. This illustrated title examines both the A-4 Skyhawk and the Vietnamese AAA defences in context, exploring their history and analysing their tactics and effectiveness during the conflict.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57305681396094,"sku":"NW9781472840790","price":15.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9781472840790.jpg?v=1780696941","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/en-eu\/products\/a4-skyhawk-vs-north-vietnamese-aaa","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}