ISRAELI SKYHAWKS

摘要

Although McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks, known in Israel as Ahits (Eagles), have been largely replaced in front-line service by fourth generation fighters, they have found a new lease of life training student pilots at the Israel Air and Space Force (IASF) Flight School at Hatzerim. However, this is not a new role for the aircraft as A-4s have been used to train postgraduate pilots since 1970 and undergraduates since 1972. Cost-effectiveness, suitability and robustness were perhaps the three most important attributes that earned the Ahit such a good reputation as a trainer, so much so that more than 30 years after the Ahit's debut in this role, the IASF embarked upon a moderate upgrade project to extend its useful service life to 2015.