Douglas AD-5 Skyraider

The Douglas AD-5 Skyraider was a widened, multi-seat variant of the legendary AD (later A-1) Skyraider single-engine attack aircraft. Designed by Ed Heinemann at Douglas, the original Skyraider first flew in 1945, and the AD-5 introduced a broader fuselage with side-by-side seating, allowing crews of two or more and rapid conversion between attack, night-attack, electronic countermeasures, and utility roles. Powered by a Wright R-3350 radial engine, the piston-driven Skyraider was prized for its enormous ordnance load, long loiter time, and ruggedness at a time when jets were displacing propeller aircraft.

The AD-5 and its derivatives served the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and later the Air Force, seeing notable action in the Vietnam War, where Skyraiders flew close air support and rescue-escort missions well into the late 1960s.