An exploration and analysis of the tactics, equipment, and effectiveness of the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, the US Navy''s primary strike weapon during the war in Vietnam, and its main adversary--North Vietnam''s antiaircraft artillery network. While the F­105 Thunderchief was the USAF''s principal strike weapon during the Rolling Thunder campaign, the US Navy relied on the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk for the majority of its strikes on North VietnamFirst flown in 1954, the Skyhawk entered service in 1956 and remained in continuous production for 26 years. Throughout Operation Rolling Thunder it was the US Navy''s principal day­time light strike bomber, remaining in use after its replacement, the more sophisticated A-7 Corsair II, began to appear in December 1967.During the 1965--68 Rolling Thunder period, up to five attack carriers regularly launched A-4 strike formations against North Vietnam. These formations faced an ever-expanding and increasingly coordinated Soviet-style network of antiaircraft