That’s because the Pentagon needed a plane that could fly low and hover for protracted periods over a battlefield—a niche that jets couldn’t fill. In other words, the A-1 was America’s original Close ...
How Many A1 Skyraiders Were Lost In Vietnam? The A-1 Skyraider was used heavily during the Vietnam War, and its success can be seen in the number of aircraft losses vs. how many sorties were flown.