Record Skyhawk production run ends at McDonnell Douglas (79TV-1)

Final delivery of the rugged bantamweight Skyhawk jet at McDonnell Douglas Corporation in Long Beach, California today brought to an end the longest production run of any United States military aircraft. The A-4M attack bomber, the 2960th Skyhawk manufactured, was delivered to the United States Navy for operation by Marine Corps Attack Squadron 331 (VMA-331), based at Cherry Point, N.C. Built as an attack bomber and as a two-place trainer, the Skyhawk has been in continous production for 26 years. Skyhawks are in service with the Navy and Marine Corps, plus the air arms of Israel, New Zealand, Australia, Kuwait, Argentina and Singapore, and, with the durability and performance they have demonstrated, many of them will still be soaring through the blue skies at the beginning of the 21st century. Shows: Close up of Skyhawk in flight, pilot in cockpit. Skyhawk in flight, filmed from underneath, showing wing mounted fuel tanks and rockets. Four A-4 Skyhawks in flight, peel off. Skyhawk production line; A-4 tail assembly. Production line; nose section. Production; forward fuselage section. McDonnell Douglas assembler; working on fuselage. Production engine nacelle. Production nose section. A-4 forward fuselage sections. High angle shot of A-4 wing assembly. Overall shot of Skyhawk final assembly. Examples of armament that can be carried by a Skyhawk. Three A-4s head on. Four A-4s skip bombing. Four A-4s bomb drop. A-4 fires gunpods. Four A-4s in peel-off maneuver. A-4 in flight; peel off. A-4 filmed along underside of fuselage, showing bombs and wing tanks. A-4M fires rocket. A-4M looking aft along underside of fuselage. A-4M drops retarded bombs. Four A-4s in flight. Zoom out to full shot of A-4s on flight line. A-4 taxiing, filmed from rear. A-4 taxiing, side view. US Navy personnel fueling A-4s. A-4 taxiing. Elevator on US Navy aircraft carrier raises A-4 to flight deck. A-4 on carrier deck, ready for launch. Flight deck officer gives signal for launch. Officer presses catapult button. A-4 is catapulted off carrier deck. Pilot face. Two A-4s in flight. Canopy on TA-4 trainer, showing pilot and student. TA-4 in flight. Two TA-4s in flight. Two RNZAF A-4s in flight. Belly camera - tight formation of US Navy Blue Angel Flight Demonstration Squadron's A-4 Skyhawks. Ground camera - Blue Angels in four-aircraft roll. Belly camera - Blue Angel maneuver. Ground camera - four Blue angel Skyhawks fly over. Ground camera - single Blue Angel Skyhawk in low pass over airfield. Inside cockpit - pilot's view as Skyhawk starts four-point roll. Ground camera - Skyhawk completes four-point roll. Cutaway to audience watching Blue Angel aerobatics. Blue Angels in tight flight formation. Belly camera - Blue Angel maneuver in Skyhawk. Inside cockpit - pilots view during tight turn. Belly camera - Blue Angel formation during turn. Over the pilot's shoulder. Belly camera - Blue Angels in formation flight.