Douglas KA-3B Skywarrior 147658 United States Navy

These are 1/72 scale decals for Douglas KA-3B Skywarrior 147658, assigned to VAH-8 (Heavy Attack Squadron 8), operating from the USS Constellation (CVA-64).

The KA-3B was the pure tanker variant of the Skywarrior, its nuclear strike equipment stripped out and replaced with a high-capacity fuel transfer system and hose-and-drogue refueling package. On Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin, the KA-3B was an indispensable lifeline — passing fuel to strike aircraft on the way to and from targets over North Vietnam, recovering aircraft that might otherwise have been lost to fuel exhaustion, and dramatically extending the reach and endurance of the carrier air wing.

VAH-8, the “Fireballers,” was one of the Navy's heavy attack squadrons that embraced the tanker support mission as the Skywarrior's original nuclear strike role gave way to the Polaris submarine force. The USS Constellation (CVA-64) — a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier known throughout the fleet as “Connie” — made multiple combat deployments to Yankee Station during the Vietnam War, and the KA-3Bs of VAH-8 were a constant and critical presence on her flight deck throughout.

A fine companion to the VAH-4 KA-3B from the USS Kitty Hawk and the VAH-10 A-3B also from Connie, together building a rich picture of Skywarrior operations across the Vietnam-era carrier fleet. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.