I have looked online into the AD-4s service with the French air force, and every source that I can find states that all of the Skyraiders had their arresting hook and associated equipment removed before entering French service. One Skyraider in the France tree (AD-4NA) has no tail hook, but the other still has it.
With every picture that I see of the French Skyraiders online, the tail hook is missing on every variant including the base AD-4, but I am not sure if some of them were not removed until later. Does anyone know why the one in game still has the hook?
yet:
this one was USN,
then French AF,
then Gabonese Airforce,
then bought back by an american merchant,
then send to France,
then bought back by french peoples,
renovated after an engine failure (5+ years without flying),
it’s now in the hand of American association that repainted it under US colors in vietnam.
you can see the door used for radar operator and Navigation operator on the french color picture.
you can also see the arrestor hook.
this one don’t have arrestor hook, was send to Tchad after French airforces.
F-AZHK (127002) was refitted with a tail hook when it was bought by a new civilian owner ~2009. Older photos of it in private hands with its previous owner, show it without a tail hook.
It didn’t have a hook when it was in service in Gabon, so was probably removed when it was in French service.
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