This A-4F Skyhawk was accepted by the U.S. Navy in Long Beach, California, on June 26, 1967. It was assigned to Attack Squadron 192 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany on April 2, 1968, for its first Vietnam War combat tour. From May 19 to June 27, 1971, VA-192 operated from Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, for flight training, and on June 28, 1971, the aircraft was transferred to VA-55 and went aboard the USS Hancock for combat operations in Southeast Asia. When the USS Hancock returned to the United States, VA-55 went ashore on May 7, 1973, to operate again from NAS Lemoore, ending Skyhawk 154200’s combat record. The A-4 Skyhawk was created by Ed Helnemann at Douglas Aircraft Co. in June 1952 and approved by the U.S. Navy on June 22, 1954, then went on to exceed all Navy requirements for a carrier-based bomber. Known by nicknames including Bantam Bomber, Scooter, Hot Rod, Ford, and Tinkertoy, it remained in production for 26 years, with 2,960 air frames delivered in many models used by America and foreign operators. Vietnam War A-4 variants included the A-4B, A-4C, A-4D, A-4E, A-4F, A-4M, and the two-seat TA-4F; the first Skyhawks to see action in that war were A-4Cs in August 1964, and the last were the markedly improved A-4Ms. This aircraft was decommissioned on September 30, 1992, while assigned to Composite Fighter Squadron 12 at MAS Oceana, Virginia. It is distinctive among earlier Skyhawks for the long electronics hump on top of its fuselage, added to house extra electronic countermeasures equipment because of the extremely lethal anti-aircraft missile threat over North Vietnam. Its specifications include a wingspan of 27 feet, 6 inches; length of 40 feet, 1 and 1/2 inches; height of 15 feet, 2 inches; empty weight of 9,284 pounds; maximum loaded weight of 24,400 pounds for carrier use and 27,420 pounds for airfield use; maximum clean speed of 680 miles per hour; range of 920 miles with maximum bomb load and 2,000 miles with maximum fuel load; one Pratt and Whitney J-56-6 turbojet with 9,300 pounds of thrust; one Mark 12 20mm cannon in each wing near the fuselage; and a maximum bomb load of 10,000 pounds of various ordnance, including rockets, bombs, and missiles.