Info on Indian interest in Douglas A-4 Skyhawk??

[Pioneer]

G'day all

Just wondering if anyone could direct me or afford me some information on India's interest in the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk? I wasn't even aware that India had shown interest in the Skyhawk - was it for the Indian Navy or Air Force employment?


Regards
Pioneer

 

[Archibald]

Never heard about it, but it makes some sense. India at some point wanted Etendard IV, which are as small and light as a Skyhawk, better for India small and old carriers (Hermes and before, was that Vikrant ?)
Also I've seen mentions here and there of Etendard IV (oreven S.E) with J-52, the Skyhawk engine.

So not a major stretch, except maybe politically - as far as aircrafts went, India in the 70's was a) Great Britain first, then Soviet Union. France perhaps. But United States, hardly.

 

[TomS]

G'day all

Just wondering if anyone could direct me or afford me some information on India's interest in the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk? I wasn't even aware that India had shown interest in the Skyhawk - was it for the Indian Navy or Air Force employment?


Regards
Pioneer

The painting says "Indian Navy."

 

[Pioneer]

Thank you TomS, on closer examination it does, doesn't it. That's embarrassing!


Regards
Pioneer

 

[Pioneer]

Never heard about it, but it makes some sense. India at some point wanted Etendard IV, which are as small and light as a Skyhawk, better for India small and old carriers (Hermes and before, was that Vikrant ?)
Also I've seen mentions here and there of Etendard IV (oreven S.E) with J-52, the Skyhawk engine.

So not a major stretch, except maybe politically - as far as aircrafts went, India in the 70's was a) Great Britain first, then Soviet Union. France perhaps. But United States, hardly.

I never knew India was interested in the Etendard IV either Archibald
Although saying this, I've never viewed the Etendard as an efficient aircraft in general, and I really thinking IMO that the Indian's would have done much better with the Skyhawk, given the choice and opertunity.
So do we know why India didn't acquire the Etendard IV?


Regards
Pioneer

 

[TomS]

I wasn't familiar with the early history of Indian Navy aircraft, but Google turned up two books that mention Skyhawk as a possible aircraft for INS Vikrant.

Blueprint to Bluewater suggests that as many as 18 Skyhawks were planned in a review following the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict.

Transition to Guardianship mentions that the A-4 was considered the only new aircraft that could be handled by Vikrant's catapults. It sounds like attempts to procure A-4s were abandoned no later than 1968, when ex-German Sea Hawks were procured to bolster the existing Sea Hawk inventory instead.

No mention of Etendard at all, though it makes sense that it would be considered, since the IN was operating the French Alize at the time.

 

[Grey Havoc]

On a side note, I have read elsewhere that Nixon, in order to prop up Yahya Khan's government during the Indo-Pakistani War, offered to have Israel transfer a large number of it's Skyhawks to the PAF, with the IAF receiving new Skyhawks from U.S. stocks in return. However the war ended before the transfer could begin. I also seem to remember that in 1974, Nixon and Kissinger tried to convince India not to test it's first atom bomb, in part by attempting to bribe them with promises of free military equipment from U.S. stocks including Skyhawks for the Indian air force. Needless to say, the effort was a failure.

 

[TomS]

On a side note, I have read elsewhere that Nixon, in order to prop up Yahya Khan's government during the Indo-Pakistani War, offered to have Israel transfer a large number of it's Skyhawks to the PAF, with the IAF receiving new Skyhawks from U.S. stocks in return. However the war ended before the transfer could begin. I also seem to remember that in 1974, Nixon and Kissinger tried to convince India not to test it's first atom bomb, in part by attempting to bribe them with promises of free military equipment from U.S. stocks including Skyhawks for the Indian air force. Needless to say, the effort was a failure.

That same offer is mentioned in one of the books I linked. I think getting the Israelis to actually transfer their own A-4s to Pakistan in 1971 would have been quite an accomplishment, given the role of PAF "volunteers" in the 1967 war. Diverting ex-US A-4Es that were to be delivered to Israel in 1971-72 and sending them to Pakistan instead seems a lot more likely.

 

[Pioneer]

Thank you for your efforts and contributions gents!
Thank you TomS for the links (interesting read!!)


Regards
Pioneer