What You Need to Know: The A-1 Skyraider, introduced during World War II, became the U.S.'s last propeller-driven attack aircraft. First flown in 1945, it served through the Korean and Vietnam ...

The Skyraider was built around an old Wright R-3350 radial engine, providing the necessary power for the plane’s heavy load-bearing capacity. Skyraider was also a bit of a throwback for its day.

The name pays tribute to the battle-tested legacy of the A-1 Skyraider, a tough and adaptable warbird that served from 1946 through the early 1980s. AFSOC’s newest airframe, the OA-1K, has been ...

A-1 Skyraider: The Prop-Powered Attack Aircraft That Defied the Jet Era Dating back to the 1970s and beginning in the 1950s, jet engines were standard in U.S. fighter/attack aircraft.