Douglas KA-3B Skywarrior 138974 United States Navy

These are 1/72 scale decals for Douglas KA-3B Skywarrior 138974, assigned to VAH-4 (Heavy Attack Squadron 4), operating from the USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63).

The KA-3B was the dedicated tanker conversion of the Skywarrior, with the nuclear strike systems and bombing equipment removed and replaced entirely by a fuel transfer system and hose-and-drogue refueling package. Shedding the strategic strike mission entirely, the KA-3B became one of the most valuable assets on the carrier flight deck — a high-capacity aerial tanker capable of passing large quantities of fuel to thirsty strike aircraft, extending the range and endurance of the carrier air wing's fighters and attack jets on every mission.

VAH-4, the “Fourrunners,” was one of the Navy's heavy attack squadrons that transitioned into the tanker support role as the Skywarrior's strategic nuclear mission was superseded by submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) — lead ship of her class and one of the Navy's most capable and long-serving supercarriers — deployed extensively to Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War, where the KA-3B's fuel-passing capability was in constant and critical demand.

A great companion to the EKA-3B variants in the catalog, illustrating the Skywarrior's evolution from nuclear bomber to indispensable fleet support platform. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.