The Douglas Skyknight was the US Navy's first attempt to build a carrier-capable all-weather jet fighter. Unfortunately jet engine technology in the late 1940s wasn't quite developed enough to get all of that equipment off and back on a carrier deck safely.

Willy The Whale, as it was unkindly known, could have faded into obscurity if it wasn't for the Marine Corps. In their hands it fought as a pioneering night fighter in Korea and then, in another guise, was also a pioneer of electronic warfare in Vietnam.

The Skyknight is, in my view, one of the most under-appreciated aircraft of the Cold War era. It was not a glamorous fighter, but it was effective and versatile. I hope this video does it justice.

Main Sources.

The Skyknight is not very well covered, but there are a couple of good books of note:

Steve Ginter's 'Naval Fighters Number 4: Douglas F3D Skyknight' is typically meandering, but is still a useful source of detailed pictures of the aircraft if you can find a copy.

A more recent and readily available book is Joe Copalman's 'F3D/EF-10 Skyknight Units Of The Korean And Vietnam Wars', which, although lacking a snappy title is a good read

As ever with Douglas products, Rene Francillon's 'McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920: Volume 1' contains useful background information