The Douglas Skyraider was the heavy duty torpedo/dive bomber the WWII Navy was looking for in the mid 1940s. But the war ending victory over the Japanese came before Skyraider was able to see action. The first AD-‐1 was delivered in 1946 and manufacturer Douglas continued its tradition of starting the names of Navy aircraft with "sky". It was a versatile attack bomber, capable of day or night missions, reconnaissance and airborne early warning. Skyraider became the backbone of the Navy's carrier aviation strike force.
| Type | Single-seat Ground-attack aircraft |
|---|---|
| Bureau Number | 127007 |
| NMNA ID | 1992.307.001 |
| Manufacturer | Douglas |
| Powerplant | One 2252-kW (3020-hp) Wright R-3350-26W Cyclone radial engine |
| Maximum speed | 498 km/h (310 mph) |
| Range | 1448 km (900 miles) |
| Service ceiling | 9753 m (32,000 ft) |
| Armament | Four 20-‐mm cannon in wings, plus mixed ordnance including bombs, napalm and unguided folded-fin aircraft rockets on center-line and wing stores stations, up to 8000 lbs (3636 kg) mixed ordnance |
| Weights | Empty 4577 kg (10,263 lb) Loaded 8284 kg (18,263 lb) |
| Dimensions | Span: 15.24 m (50 ft) Length: 11.63 m (38 ft) Height: 4.7 m (15 ft) Wing area: 37.16 m2 (400 sq ft) |
