Originally Posted by
theonewhoknows
Not sure what a 30 year old film has to do with this discussion.
I tend to agree with OK465!
A-4 Skyhawk was until 2003, one of the main aggressor / adversary aircraft simulating say Mig 17 and 19 at the then Naval Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) the Strike Warfare Center (Strike), both now NSFWC at Fallon. The A-4 was seen as close enough to manouverability to the Migs which the USAF, USN, USMC were up against in South East Asia.
Also they were in the various adversary squadrons on the West Coast and East Coast both active and reserves. There was one unit which not only provided adversary tactics but had a dual role of defending Gitmo Bay . This was- Fleet Composite Squadron 10 or VC-10 'Challengers and their Skyhawks were armed with AIM-9L Sidewinders not a lot different to our BAe Hawk T1 of the Red Arrows and Anglesey's finest which in wartime they can be armed with Aden canon and AIM-9L to supplement our air defence from the Cold War days.
In 2003, the last adversary A-4 and last surving A-4 wre retired as Fleet Composite Squadron 8 was deactivated with the up and coming closure of NAS Roosevelt Roads on Puerto Rico.
So as a result of the poor air to air during the Vietnam War, Ault report, and help (though not recognised nor acknowledged till recently) from our Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm fast jet crews, Top Gun was created and one of the first aircraft to be used as an aggressor was the A-4 Skyhawk.
The film depicts how a bunch of F-14A crews did the Top Gun course with the school's A-4 Skyhawk being their 'tutor ' lol of advance ACM training
cheers