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Loadout info

A-4KU

TA-4KU

Here is a description of what happend to A-4KU Skyhawk "KAF-828" during Gulf war:

The KAF-828 was piloted by an experienced pilot Lt. Col. Mohammed "Mo" Al Mubarak. His aircraft was part of the KAF third attack wave of the opening day of the air war, which consisted of eight A-4KU. Their target was a soviet "Frog" surface/surface missile site about 7 miles east of Ali Al-Salim AB in occupied Kuwait. The weather on that day was a very low cloudy, and bearing a strong southernly winds. The wave reached its target at about 0824. Lt.Col. "Mo" had run his first two attack runs succesfully. But while climbing after his third bombing run, while almost at 8,000 ft., an AAA bullet (presumably from ZSU-23-4 "Shilka") penetrated his port wing, and penetrated his hydraulic lines causing his aircraft to spin slowly, but out of control. Due to KAF standard operating procedures, which states that an aircraft out of control below 10,000 feet should be left and ejected from, and due to the aircraft proximity from the ground, pilot followed those orders. Fortunately his Douglas ejection seat worked excellently, sending him out of his aircraft in less than 0.30 seconds. After reaching the ground safely, he was pulled by his chute as the strong winds howled. Unfastening his chute he got up only to find Iraqi troops over his head ordering him not to move. He was later taken as a POW to Baghdad where he was imprisoned with downed British Tornado pilots. He was brutally tortured and beaten like crazy, and unfortunately the KAF didn??t expect him to be returned alive. He was also put on Iraqi TV to condemn Coalition military operations under the watchful eyes of his Iraqi prison guards. He was later returned to Kuwait as a part of a POW exchange. And later held a high ranking position in Kuwait Air Force.

This incounter was taken from a TV interview done with him (1993) and a KAF history book - "The Kuwait Air Force, 40 years (1953-1993)".

I would like to thank Mr. Tom for his excellent information of what happend to Skyhawks before the war.
You can find two of his great pages regarding the Skyhawks (and not only them) during Gulf war here:
Link 1
Link 2

All Skyhawks which survived the war were then sold to Brasil AF (20 x A-4KU and 3 x TA-4KU), where they are still flying strong.