The ST Aerospace A-4SU Super Skyhawk is a major upgrade project of the Douglas A-4S Skyhawk attack aircraft undertaken by Singapore Aircraft Industries (SAI, now ST Aerospace) in the 1980s. It was used exclusively by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), serving in the fighter-bomber role from 1989 until retirement from front line service in 2005. Since mid-1999, the A-4SU took on the additional role of being the designated advanced jet trainer (AJT) aircraft for the RSAF’s AJT training program/detachment in Cazaux, France.
Starting in 1973, the RSAF began to acquire Douglas A-4 Skyhawks. The first batch of over 50 airframes (ex-US Navy A-4Bs) was ordered and was subsequently requisitioned from the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center at Davis–Monthan AFB, Arizona which was released to the Lockheed Aircraft Service Company at Ontario, California, and its subsidiary Lockheed Aircraft Service Singapore at Seletar Airfield, Singapore for a major overhaul and refurbishment.
General characteristics
Crew: 1 (2 in TA-4SU, student and instructor)
Length: 12.72 m (41 ft 9 in)
Wingspan: 8.38 m (27 ft 6 in)
Height: 4.57 m (15 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 24.1 m2 (259.8 sq ft)
Empty weight: 4,650 kg (10,250 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 10,205 kg (22,500 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × General Electric F404-GE-100D turbofan, 48.4 kN (10,800 lbf) thrust
Performance
Maximum speed: 1,128 km/h (701 mph, 609 kn)
Ferry range: 3,220 km (2,000 mi, 1,700 nmi) with 3 drop tanks
Service ceiling: 12,192 m (40,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 55 m/s (10,913 ft/min)
Wing loading: 344.4 kg/m2 (70.7 lb/sq ft)
Thrust/weight: 0.55
Armament
Guns: 2× 30 mm ADEN cannons, 200 rounds/gun
Hardpoints: 5 total: 1× centreline/under-fuselage plus 4× underwing pylon stations with a capacity of 9,900 pounds (4,500 kg), with provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets: LAU-5003 rocket pods (19× 70 mm CRV7 rockets) or LAU-10 rocket pods (4× 127 mm Zuni rockets) or Matra rocket pods (18× 68 mm SNEB rockets)
Missiles: AIM-9 Sidewinder Air-to-air missile or AGM-65 Maverick Air-to-surface missile
Bombs: Paveway series of Laser-guided bombs (LGB); or Mark 80 series unguided bombs (including 3 kg and 14 kg practice bombs)
Other: up to 3× 370 US gallons (1,400 L; 310 imp gal) external drop tanks (only pylon stations 2, 3, 4 are wet-plumbed)
Avionics
Stewart-Warner AN/APQ-145 Mapping & Ranging radar
GEC/Ferranti 4510 Head-up display/weapons delivery system
Litton LN-93 Inertial navigation system
BAE Systems MED-2067 Multi-function displays
Lockheed Martin AN/AAS-35V Pave Penny laser tracker for use with Paveway LGBs
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace and defense company based in Southern California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas; it then operated as a division of McDonnell Douglas. McDonnell Douglas later merged with Boeing in 1997.
