The Douglas AD Skyraider, known as the A-1 after 1962, was an American strike aircraft first designed in 1944 by Douglas' lead designer Ed Heinemann (who had previously worked on the SBD Dauntless) as one of the submissions per the US Navy specification for a high-performance carrier-borne aircraft. The prototype, designated the XBT2D-1, made its first flight on 18 March 1945. Although the US Navy initially favoured Martin's AM Mauler due to its higher payload capacity, they later chose the AD as their main strike aircraft after it proved more mechanically reliable. Although the AD missed World War II service by a few months when it entered service in 1946, it proved highly successful even with the advent of jet aircraft. The AD/A-1 saw extensive service during the Korean War and the Vietnam War, paving the way for future counterinsurgency (COIN) aircraft. In total, 3,180 AD/A-1s across all variants were built. The first production variant of the Skyraider, the AD-1, was identical to the XBT2D-1 prototype; this was followed by the AD-2, featuring an upgraded Wright R-3350-26W engine with 2,700 hp. In total, 156 AD-2s were built.

Introduced in Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory", the AD-2 has a perfect combination of flight performance and payload, and can carry a massive payload of well over 4,000 lb of equipment, including rockets, bombs, and torpedoes. The AD-2 has a far-forward cockpit, improving visibility, and an airbrake capable of dealing with steep dives for maximum time on target. However, the AD-2 suffers from poor energy retention, which can be further exacerbated when laden with payloads.