A-4AR Fightinghawk

Infobox Aircraft
name = A-4AR Fightinghawk
type = Ground attack
manufacturer = Lockheed Martin


caption =
designer =
first flight =
introduced = December 1997
retired =
produced = 1996–1999
number built = 36 converted
status = operational
unit cost =
primary user = Argentine Air Force
more users =
developed from = A-4M Skyhawk
variants with their own articles =

The Lockheed Martin A-4AR Fightinghawk is a major upgrade of the A-4M Skyhawk attack aircraft developed for the Argentine Air Force.

Background

The 1982 Falklands War ( _es. Guerra de las Malvinas) took a heavy toll on the Argentine Air Force, which lost over 60 aircraft. Due to the deteriorating national economic situation and political distrust of the military, the Air Force was denied the resources needed to replace its war losses.

The supply of modern combat aircraft had been restricted since the United States had imposed an arms embargo in 1978 for human rights abuses, they were further restrictions when the United Kingdom also imposed an arms embargo in 1982. The only combat aircraft that the Air Force could obtain were ten Mirage 5Ps, transferred from the Peruvian Air Force; 19 Mirage IIICJs from Israel, veterans of the Six-Day War; and two Mirage IIIB trainers from the French Air Force.

In 1989, Carlos Menem was elected President of Argentina and quickly established a pro-United States foreign policy. Although the economic situation improved, the funds to purchase new combat aircraft like the Mirage 2000 remained unavailable.

In 1994, the United States made a counteroffer to modernize 36 ex-USMC A-4M Skyhawks in a US$282 million deal that would be carried out by Lockheed Martin and included the privatization of the Fabrica Militar de Aviones (English: Military Aircraft Factory), now Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina SA.

Production

Argentine Air Force technicians chose 32 A-4M and 4 TA-4F airframes from the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center to upgrade. The upgrade plans included:

* Complete overhaul of the airframe, wiring looms and the Pratt & Whitney J52P-408A engine
* Installation of Douglas Escapac 1-G3 ejection seats
* HGU-55/P helmets
* Honeywell Normal Air-Garrett's OBOGS (On Board Oxygen Generation System)
* Westinghouse/Northrop Grumman AN/APG-66V2 (ARG-1) radar
* HOTAS controls and a 'glass' cockpit (3 large CRT screens)
* Sextant Avionique/Thales Avionics SHUD
* Litton/Northrop Grumman LN-100G inertial navigation system
* MIL-STD-1553B data bus
* Two General Dynamics Information Systems AN/AYK-14 mission computers
* Northrop Grumman AN/ALR-93 (V)1 Radar warning receiver
* AN/ALQ-126B jammer
* ALR-39 chaff/flare dispenser
* IFF AN/APX-72

The contract stipulated that 18 airframes would be refurbished at the Lockheed-Martin Plant in Palmdale, California and the rest in Córdoba, Argentina at FMA.

At least ten TA-4J and A-4F airframes for use as spare parts, eight additional engines, and a new A-4AR simulator were also delivered.

Operational history

The Fightinghawks, having received Air Force serials C-901 to C-936, saw their first group arrive in Argentina on 18 December 1997 and the first "Argentine" A-4AR was rolled out on 3 August 1998 at Cordoba. The last one, number 936, was delivered to the Air Force in March 1999. Two aircraft (a one-seat and a two-seat) remain some time in the United States for weapons homologation.

All of the A-4ARs were delivered to the 5th Air Brigade ("V Brigada Aérea") at Villa Reynolds, San Luis Province, where they replaced two squadrons of Falklands/Malvinas veteran A-4P (locally known A-4B) and A-4C. They were soon deployed in rotation around the country from Rio Gallegos in the south to Resistencia in the north where they were used intercept smugglers and drug trafficking airplanes.

In September 1998, just months after their arrival and again in April 2001, United States Air Force F-16 visited Villa Reynolds for the "Southern Falcon" joint exercise, known as "Aguila" (Spanish:Eagle) in Argentina. In 2004, the A-4ARs went abroad for the joint exercise "Cruzex", along with Brazilian F-5s and Mirages, Venezuelan F-16s and French Mirage 2000s.

In November 2005 they were deployed to Tandil airbase to enforce a no-fly zone for the Mar del Plata Summit of the Americas and later met Chilean Mirage Elkans, Brazilian AMXs and Uruguayan A-37 at Mendoza for the joint exercise "Ceibo".

In July 2006 they were deployed to Cordoba province for the Mercosur's 30th Presidents Summit, while in August and September they went north again to Brazil for the "Cruzex III" joint exercise with Brazil, Chile, France, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Operators

;ARG
* Argentine Air Force

Accidents

As of January 2007, after nearly ten years of service, two A-4ARs have been lost:

* 6 July, 2005: near Justo Daract, San Luis Province, pilot Lt Horacio Martín Flores (29 years old), died. [ [http://www.grupopayne.com.ar/archivo/06/0610/061011/13.php "Accidentes aéreos en San Luis"] es]
* 24 August, 2005: near Río Cuarto, Cordoba, pilot ejected safely. [ [http://www.saorbats.com.ar/Noticias/NoticiasArgentinas.htm "Se estrelló un A-4AR de la FAA"] es]

pecifications (A-4AR Fightinghawk)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=jet

ref= [http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/material/fightinghawk.html FAA Official site] and A-4 Skyhawk
crew=1 (2 in OA-4AR)
length main=40 ft 3 in
length alt=12.30 m
span main=27 ft 6 in
span alt=8.38 m
height main=14 ft 11 in
height alt=4.57 m
area main=259 ft²
area alt=24.15 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 4,900 kg
empty weight alt= 10,803 lbs
loaded weight main= 11,000 kg
loaded weight alt= 24,251 lbs
max takeoff weight main= 24,500 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 11,136 kg
engine (jet)=Pratt & Whitney J52P-408A
type of jet=turbojet
number of jets=1
thrust main=5,100 Kg
thrust alt=
max speed main=1080 km/h
max speed alt=671 mph
range main=1,700 nm
range alt=2,000 mi, 3,220 km
ceiling main=42,250 ft
ceiling alt=12,880 m
climb rate main=8,440 ft/min
climb rate alt=43 m/s
loading main=70.7 lb/ft²
loading alt=344.4 kg/m²
thrust/weight=0.51
guns=2× 20 mm (0.787 in) Colt Mk 12 cannon, 100 rounds/gun
bombs=9,900 lb (4,490 kg) on five external hardpoints
missiles=2× AIM-9M Sidewinder

ee also

aircontent
related=
* A-4 Skyhawk
* A-4SU Super Skyhawk
* Project KAHU
similar aircraft=
* A-7 Corsair II
* AV-8 Harrier II
lists=
* List of attack aircraft
* List of military aircraft of the United States
see also=

References

* [http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/material/fightinghawk.html Argentine Air Force] es icon
* [http://www.hangardigital.com.ar/bajolapieldel_a4.html Images and data] es icon
* [http://www.taringa.net/posts/info/1161126/El-A-4M-Skyhawk-II-y-el-A-4AR-Fightinghawk.html "A-4M Skyhawk II y el A-4AR Fightinghawk"] es