Douglas A-3 Skywarrior

The Douglas A-3 Skywarrior was a jet-powered strategic bomber developed and produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the United States Navy, which wanted a carrier-capable strategic bomber. Douglas won the contract in July 1949 and the XA3D-1 prototype first flew on 28 October 1952; its Westinghouse J40 engines failed to meet expectations and were replaced by Pratt and Whitney J57 turbojets by mid-1953. It entered squadron service on 31 March 1956 as a nuclear-armed strike bomber, but ballistic missiles soon reduced that role, and it spent most of its life as an electronic warfare platform, reconnaissance aircraft and aerial tanker. It was the heaviest operational aircraft to fly from an aircraft carrier, nicknamed the Whale, and was withdrawn in 1991.