DOUGLAS EA-1F SKYRAIDER

The design of the Douglas Skyraider dates to 1943 when the U.S. Navy requested a single seat aircraft capable of acting as both a dive-bomber and a torpedo bomber. The prototype first flew in March 1945. The design was very well received during testing and the first aircraft entered service in 1946 as the AD-1. The Skyraider proved to be a very adaptable design and production of eight major models and thirty-seven variants continued until 1957 with 3,180 built. The basic AD-5 model appeared in 1950 as a two seat anti-submarine aircraft with a wider and slightly longer fuselage. The larger fuselage allowed more extensive modification into a four seat electronic countermeasures aircraft designated AD-5Q. In 1962, these aircraft were re-designated as EA-1F. A small number of them remained in service as late as 1979.