Created to carry nuclear bombs for the Navy after WWII, the Skywarrior is the heaviest aircraft to land on a carrier and so, was called: The Whale. It was launched by catapult or JATO thrust bottles, but landing on a carrier is tricky. There were no ejection seats, so “A3D” soon stood for All 3 Dead. The A3D became the USAF B-66 Destroyer with a strengthened structure for higher altitudes and ejection seats in 1956—the same year the A3D joined the Navy.

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Size: 2091px × 1194px
Photo credit: © NZ Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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