Officially Licensed Navy VA-55 Warhorses

Officially Licensed Navy VA-55 Warhorses Patch — Attack Squadron 55 Warhorses Embroidered Patch

The Warhorses — VA-55, charging into battle from the carrier deck with the A-4 Skyhawk, a squadron built on the warrior tradition of Navy attack aviation.

Attack Squadron 55 (VA-55), the "Warhorses," was a U.S. Navy carrier-based attack squadron that operated the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. The Warhorses' name perfectly captured the spirit of the squadron and its aircraft — the A-4 was a true warhorse, reliable, tough, and willing to carry any burden into the fight. VA-55 deployed aboard aircraft carriers to project American power across the world's oceans, ready to deliver ordnance on any target assigned by the carrier air wing commander.

The A-4 Skyhawk that VA-55 operated was beloved by its pilots for its honest flying qualities and remarkable versatility. Despite its small size, the Skyhawk could carry a weapons load nearly equal to its own empty weight, including general-purpose bombs, cluster munitions, rockets, Bullpup missiles, and even nuclear weapons during the Cold War. The Warhorses trained extensively in all weather attack tactics, night operations, and carrier qualification — the fundamental skills that separated Navy attack pilots from all others.

VA-55's heritage is part of the larger story of Navy light attack aviation during the Cold War and Vietnam era, when attack squadrons formed the striking power of every carrier air wing. The Warhorses' legacy lives on in the memories of the men who flew the Skyhawk off pitching carrier decks into combat and returned to tell the tale.

Perfect For: VA-55 Warhorses veterans, A-4 Skyhawk community members, Cold War and Vietnam-era naval aviators, carrier attack aviation historians, and Navy heritage squadron patch collectors.

VA-55 Warhorses — galloping off the carrier deck and into the fight, the dependable warhorses of Navy attack aviation.