RNZAF A-4 Skyhawks 'Kiwi Red' Display

[@allgood6760]

Gone but not forgotten.. Skyhawk was good in it's time👍🇳🇿

[@macking1330]

i remember watching a skyhawk and a F15 dogfighting over Waiouru in my army days with the A4 behind the chasing down the F15 it was trying everything to get away from the A4 in the end it went to afterburners awesome sight to watch or other times in the field hearing the A4s buzzing around in the valleys 1 would pop up over a ridge and fly 30 feet over the top of us they had the best pilots now nothing thank you Labour

[@21jlxi]

That must have been around 1984?

[@colinmeehan791]

Clark in particular.She was NOT a friend of NZ.

[@A-Skyhawk]

It's not just Clark. Politics have a habit of screwing with new zealand (specially our defense force)

[@MPT1983]

Reminds me of my childhood seeing and hearing these jets in the sky over Bulls and Ohakea.

[@price5647]

Yes

[@azbgames6827]

r.i.p rnzaf 1937-2001

[@Kvntoday]

Good Old Aunty Helen and Cullen the Hun stuffed this up Big time !!!!!

[@AdamBanksNZ]

Incredible! Thanks for posting! So sad - not only to not have the pleasure of seeing those A4s but also for the loss of such pilots/flying skills.

[@cherb49]

those were the days, sadly missed. World class

[@brooklyndrive]

I watched a Kiwi Red display from the roof of Dunedin hospital in 1990. Spectacular!

[@athuchris]

@Antifaith29 we did a mojor overhaul of our skyhawks called "Project Kahu" which enabled them to house the same avionics as f-16's which could now integrate the capability of AGM-65 Maverick, AIM-9 Sidewinder, and the GBU-16 Paveway II laser-guided bomb. So it was actually modern upgrading them to the A4K

[@harrysmith3057]

3:45-3:50 just amazing! Beautiful display.

[@price5647]

I really do miss this aircraft

[@athuchris]

@Antifaith29 because of our pilot skill. Our pilot requirment are a lot more strict than in the USAF

[@Antifaith29]

one of their flagships during excersize

[@BruceHoult]

Whether something is obsolete depends who you are up against. If we're fighting Australia or the USA then we've got a much bigger problem than whether our jets are slightly old. It's better to have some than to have none, and with the 1980's "Kahu" upgrade the A4s had the same avionics and weapons systems as the Australian F/A-18s. As for range, the Skyhawks routinely crossed the Tasman direct, going to Nowra in NSW and returning for maintenance. The F18s yesterday had to come via Norfolk Is.

[@zabercrombie24]

So this what the entire Royal New Zealand Air Force looks like huh?? Coooooool !!!!!

[@azbgames6827]

Zach B used to :(

[@browntuka]

awww man I cant believe i missed this! Never to be repeated in N.Z :(

[@simonsutters4627]

I think the money spent on maintaining a small but efficient combat wing is worth every cent. NZ will one day return to having a combat wing, how soon is the only argument.

[@pramboyzealand2527]

Maybe after the aussies covert to f-35 in 2020 we can buy their super-hornets off them but you wait for the green party to bitch and moan!

[@jjm4526]

I prefer the SAAB Gripens.

[@KiwiFart]

@@jjm4526 who doesn't but anything would be good

[@athuchris]

@Antifaith29 In "Op Greenflag East" held in Little Rock, Arkansas between the USAF and RNZAF to test our C-130 Capabilities with the US Army the US had the most accurate airdrop however the RNZAf won overall as they had the fastest airdrop, were more efficient in loading and unloading, and were also capable of communicating more efficiently with the ground (Us Army) and their own aircrew than the USAF. So with what little we have we use extremely efficeintly and we can even beat the USAF

[@Antifaith29]

@athuchris I would also say that pilot skill comes down to available flight time with pilots like Israels , The u.s , brits , french , russian and german comming out on top there. Smaller nations just dont have the aircraft to give their pilots the flight hours. Especial now days, NZ. Im not knocking anyone here, its just simple fact.

[@beach7138]

We need to build up our air force and buy a few fighters

[@azbgames6827]

we should get the Australian air force f18 super hornets when they get their f35s

[@athuchris]

@Antifaith29 Yeah no worries. We actually had 40 of them. In 75 and 14 Squadron I think it was. And the Aussies used them in mock combat. But out pilots proved that they were very good when we did excersises like "Op Blackbird" when even though our air frames were old and outdated our pilots were able outgun Migs and even Hornets. Not to 100% we did get "shot down" however we proved that it was the pilot that was the primary factor in getting kills.

[@brendanbayer5002]

a couple of our Skyhawks surprised a US warship off the eastcoast and "sunk" it ...so much for an old outdated plane against a super sophisticated fighting vessel...

[@brendanbayer5002]

A couple of TA4 and the A4s look like the ex OZ ones

[@Antifaith29]

lol they dont even have those anymore, man. Theyre an airforce without strike capability. They might aswell be called the military transport dept.

[@Antifaith29]

@athuchris I think if you were to really look into it, you'd find the requirements much the same as u.s standards. Everyone says that too.

[@Antifaith29]

@athuchris Yeah, your pilots were/are great. Infact i believe the RAAF now employes a number of them. At least they still get to fly fighters eh?

[@SkysurvCoNz]

brilliant, sad to see them in there current demise, CT4's just dont compare

[@a4kkahu]

I don't agree on the pointless bit. They still held their own with later types including f16s and mig 29s. They were old and past their use by date yes . I think the RNZAF for what they had did very well and gave a few navys a fright. Maritme strike was their forte and with F16s could have made contributions even today. BVR is good for something flying at 20,000 straight and level not at 500kts and 50ft in the weeds and with stand off weapons who knows

[@nh6milhistory]

nice upload...

[@MrStevehog]

Think you missed the piont...By operating these aircraft (which by the way had a better range than some more modern jets)...we had in our ranks, the skill base with which, should the shit hit the fan... we could then rapidly convert to any more modern combat aircraft of this nature... those skills are now lost.. The skyhawk is a military aviation classic.... And who says thay were never combat ready?

[@Antifaith29]

@athuchris Yerah mate, every country has something they beat the u.s at lol. Spens enough time on these kinda videos and you'lll eventualy see almost every small country come out with the " were small but the best " line. Im not saying it didnt happen and im not taking away from the lads that did it but honestly, it gets a little old at times. I think it speaks more for the u.s forces being the benchmark than anyone else. Hell, we even do it here with our subs slipping the us net and "sinking" >

[@thepolishnz]

thats because we got a lot from them

[@dannumber1983]

better to have A4s then nothing .An airforce is just like insurance you never need it till your house burns down!

[@Skippy585]

@athuchris Sure you can. I'm quite sure the New Zealand Royal Air force can always be counted on around the world and take out enemy targets just as good if not better than their USAF counter parts. Logistics New Zealand wins Putting fire power on the ground--- New Zealand wins again And being able to transport equipment around the globe… Well given the fact they built their own heavy transporters… They win again

[@grnttwk6]

This was the reason I wanted to join the AF till they got rid of them so I joined the Army instead lol

[@Antifaith29]

@a4kkahu They were pretty much pointless aircraft in the end. Any modern fighter could have put it down in bvr combat and almost everything else out there was more manuverable and faster. Good for bombing runs with little air defence in the area maybe. Shame you guys didnt get those 16's.

[@Antifaith29]

@BROWASSUPBRA Yeah there you go, bringing emotion into it and distorting the facts. First of all, im not american, im australian and ive put my own time into Astan, 22 months to be exact. The NZ fighter pilots get ZERO hours flight time now as you dont have any fighters, most of them came here to fly our fighters. The "FF" incident you're talking about would be refered as blue on blue and is most likely they fault of the AWACS Op not the pilot. Get a grip, princess.

[@Skippy585]

They must have seen the US navy elite demo team (Blue Angels) fly and thought to themselves "Let’s do that". The Blues also flew the A-4's for quite some time untill transitioning to the F/A 18 Hornet in '87.

[@Antifaith29]

@athuchris Yopu were never world class, Not to be rude. Im sure your pilots were good enough but the airframe you guys would have been fighting in was out dated in 85. I mean its the plane the israelis used in the 6 day war. On top of that you had, what? a handfull of them? I'm sorry but that was never world class, ever.

[@singningwongho]

what good is a bloody airforce with no fighter jets? ridiculous indeed. at least get something and use it. F/A 18 super hornets would be nice :):):)