autoevolution
 

Treat Yourself to a McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk, It Costs Less Than a Chiron Pur Sport

Let's say you’ve got your dream house somewhere in SoCal, a 10-car garage, maybe even a helicopter and a pilot that’s under your employment. But what if you’re a bit of a pilot yourself? Certified, of course. Well, did you know that civilians can own fighter jets if they’ve been demilitarized? Now you’re getting the picture.
1992 McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk up for grabs 6 photos
Photo: Controller
1992 McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk up for grabs1992 McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk up for grabs1992 McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk up for grabs1992 McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk up for grabs1992 McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk up for grabs
To be clear, there would be several hoops you’d have to jump through. Just because a jet might be for sale, and it doesn’t have a working weapons system, doesn’t mean it’s been demilitarized.

Aside from guns and rockets, you must take out any special radar equipment and any other government-owned technology that might make the aircraft dangerous in the hands of a civilian.

For those reasons, I can’t guarantee that you might be able to operate this 1992 McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk model outside of, let’s say using it for an airshow or maybe even additional government contract work. That being said, what I can tell you is that the TA-4J is already to some extent, demilitarized.

This is basically the dedicated trainer version of the A-4F model, featuring a downrated engine and no weapons systems. Fun fact, most TA-4Fs are said to have been at one point converted to this configuration – the TA-4F had an extra seat for the instructor.

Anyway, the idea here is that you can indeed purchase this particular TA-4J Skyhawk, listed on Controller with a price tag of $3.2 million. That’s actually less than what you’d pay for a Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport, Super Sport or a Lamborghini Sian.

According to the ad, the jet has been fully restored and is operational. It’s also ADS-B equipped and comes with a Garmin 375 system and two G5 displays. As for its visuals, the fuselage boasts a light blue camouflage aesthetic, which is a bit silly, but it sort of works.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Sergiu Tudose
Sergiu Tudose profile photo

Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories