Douglas A-1H Skyraider – VA-176 Thunderbolts, US Navy, MiG-17 Possible Kill, Pete Russel, USS Intrepid, Vietnam, 1966

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA2917: Douglas A-1H Skyraider AK412 of VA-176 Thunderbolts, US Navy, Pete Russel, USS Intrepid, Vietnam, 1966. Production run of 800 models.

Length 6.5 inches Wingspan 8.25 inches

In 1964 Douglas A-1H Skyraider Bu. 135326 was delivered to VA-52 as NF-304 and in early1966 it was transferred to the VA-176 “Thunderbolts”. VA-176 would complete its one and only Vietnam combat tour between April 4, 1966 and November 21, 1966 assigned to the USS Intrepid. On October 19, 1966 Skyraider 135326 flown by Pete Russell was a section leader of 4 VA-176 A-1Hs and is credited with a possible shoot-down of one of 4 MiG-17s that had jumped them. One MiG-17 was confirmed downed, one probably downed, and a third was damaged.

Designed by Douglas’ chief engineer Ed Heinemann, the A1 was first flown on March 18th, 1945. Used in Vietnam for close air support and for providing cover for combat rescue missions, the Skyraider was valued for its ability to devastate enemy ground targets. It had four 20-mm guns installed in the wings, and could be equipped with additional combinations of bombs, mines, gun pods and rockets. The Skyraider was large for a single-engine, single-seat low monoplane-its bigger-than-average fuselage had plenty of space for modification and could be used for carrying passengers, medical provisions or heavy cargo.