Project Kahu

Project Kahu was a major upgrade program for the A-4K Skyhawk attack aircraft operated by the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) in the mid-1980s.

By 1982 it was increasing apparent that the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk fleet that equipped the Strike Wing of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) required modernisation, particularly in respect of its navigation and weapons-delivery systems.

[1][2] In 1984, the update program was in principle approved, concurrently with the purchase of ten Skyhawks from Australia; these had been serving with the Royal Australian Navy.

[7] Another was the Ferranti 4510 wide-angle Heads-up Display was added to the cockpit; this showed flight and weapon aiming information on a screen in the pilot's field of vision.

[10] A glass cockpit with two large cathode ray tube screens, a MIL-STD 1553B databus, Litton Industries LN-93 inertial navigation system were other items of equipment included in the upgrade.

[12] The Kahu-modified Skyhawk could be recognized by a blade-like Instrument landing system aerial antenna on the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer.

[17] As of 1995, staff at the United States Foreign Military Sales support office regarded the A-4K as the "most sophisticated Skyhawk flying...the most complete aircraft right now for ground attack and air-to-air combat missions".

[8] A drawback to the project was that much of the new electronics was bespoke equipment, which subsequently caused supply and maintenance problems that was exacerbated when the Skyhawks were deployed overseas.

[19] The updated Skyhawks served in the RNZAF until late 2001, when the Strike Wing was disbanded under a new defence policy of the New Zealand Government at the time.

Put into storage, eight Skyhawks were eventually sold to Draken International, which would fly them as adversary aircraft as part of their defence training contract with the United States armed forces.