Douglas A-4 Skyhawk in New Zealand service

A A-4K Skyhawk of No. 75 Squadron at the Royal Australian Air Force's base at Darwin, 1984

The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) operated Douglas A-4 Skyhawk attack jet-aircraft from 1970 to 2001. The aircraft equipped the RNZAF's Strike Wing, serving with No. 75 Squadron and, from 1984, No. 2 Squadron. In late 2001, the aircraft were controversially withdrawn from service without being replaced. Some were donated to aviation museums in New Zealand and Australia and the remainder were sold to Draken International, a private military contractor to the United States, in 2012.