A-6 variants

[upyr1]

4 hours ago, Blaze1 said:

The AWG-21 equipped 'E's' could carry the AGM-78 and assumed the Iron Hand role from the A-6B.

On 5/5/2023 at 2:27 PM, Mermoz said:

 

I was already told  I was about 10 years off with the E's age

 

[LanceCriminal86]

There's also the EA-6As that were used by the Navy and Marines, and retained by Navy Reserves and the Marines for a decent amount of time. VAQ-209 didn't move to the EA-6B until 1990. They look like a 2-place EA-6B.

 

Edited May 19, 2023 by LanceCriminal86

[Blaze1]

On 5/5/2023 at 10:20 AM, Mermoz said:

yeah the B can't drop bombs. it really was a modified A6A with a different radar and removed attack systems to serve as a  plateform for the shrike and Standard HARM anti radar missile and only 19 were made. 

By the same measure there were 12 C made for improved night bombing capabilities.

Compared to the 480 As and the 445 Es Grumman made... Or even the 90 KAs... B and C's are the 2nd and 3rd less produced variants after the testing versions of Intruder 2 (A6F and A6G with 5 planes)

 

if they do the E variant, then it means the plane will have the A bombing capability improved with the onboard laser targeting systems as well as the anti radar capabilities of the B.

Could probably serve in both a vietnam theater (even if they did not serve there while already in service by the end of the war) and all the modern maps we have so far.

I'd be cool with that

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by Blaze1
Already answered

[CarbonFox]

On 5/5/2023 at 7:07 PM, Mermoz said:

 

as for the later version F and G, F was an E with better engines, the G was an E with a new wing design including carbon based materials, the goal was to solve the issue of the A6s wings not aging very well (remember the A6's wings had to support quite a heavy load on cat shot since the plane was basically the carrier based attack craft carrying the most bombs)

But DOD decided to move to the A12 project rather than extend the A6 life

The A-6F also would have a glass cockpit and SAR with the capability to use the AIM-120. Would have been a sweet package if it had become reality.

As for the HB A-6E. I'm hoping we do get the later upgrades that gave it the HARM, SLAM and Harpoon to use.

[Raisuli]

This is how it's done. 

Changing of the guard airshow.  Ran into this looking at old scans of slides; it's a bit of history...

 

[Home Fries]

Not only were a few B's made, but all of them are different.  They were all experimental designs that were evolving in real-time, so there is no consistency between B airframes.

Other than the fuselage speed brakes on the A (which were welded in anyway), there is really no airframe difference between the A and the E.  The E, as someone else posted, was a solid state upgrade to DIANE.  Yes, the "kicking the drum" thing from FOTI was real in the A.  The cockpit difference is the radar repeater on the pilot side is gone in the E production model, though it is present in the E upgrades.  I'm not sure if it worked though; the reason it worked in the A is because there were two separate radars in the nose, so the pilot always had the standard ground radar even when the B/N went into attack.

Bottom line: we can still fly Vietnam missions with the E.  Use the E as a B for STARM, and use the E as an A by removing the TRAM pod and loading dumb iron only.  The only difference is the solid state DIANE, and it's debatable whether we would really want to model the analog system anyway.  It will be challenging enough to fly DIANE without dealing with the slow processing of the A.

EDIT: Personally, I wouldn't mind getting a SWIP version that had GPS and could handle JDAM, SLAM and HARM.  You can always not load a feature you don't want to simulate period, but you can't bring an older airframe into a modern setting and expect the newest gear to work.

Edited September 20, 2023 by Home Fries

[upyr1]

On 9/20/2023 at 7:18 AM, Home Fries said:

Not only were a few B's made, but all of them are different.  They were all experimental designs that were evolving in real-time, so there is no consistency between B airframes.

Other than the fuselage speed brakes on the A (which were welded in anyway), there is really no airframe difference between the A and the E.  The E, as someone else posted, was a solid state upgrade to DIANE.  Yes, the "kicking the drum" thing from FOTI was real in the A.  The cockpit difference is the radar repeater on the pilot side is gone in the E production model, though it is present in the E upgrades.  I'm not sure if it worked though; the reason it worked in the A is because there were two separate radars in the nose, so the pilot always had the standard ground radar even when the B/N went into attack.

Bottom line: we can still fly Vietnam missions with the E.  Use the E as a B for STARM, and use the E as an A by removing the TRAM pod and loading dumb iron only.  The only difference is the solid state DIANE, and it's debatable whether we would really want to model the analog system anyway.  It will be challenging enough to fly DIANE without dealing with the slow processing of the A.

EDIT: Personally, I wouldn't mind getting a SWIP version that had GPS and could handle JDAM, SLAM and HARM.  You can always not load a feature you don't want to simulate period, but you can't bring an older airframe into a modern setting and expect the newest gear to work.

 

It is good to see that it isn't going to be too hard to accurately use the E as a stand-in for the A and B bombing downtown Hanoi 

[Blaze1]

On 9/20/2023 at 1:18 PM, Home Fries said:

Not only were a few B's made, but all of them are different.  They were all experimental designs that were evolving in real-time, so there is no consistency between B airframes.

 

Were they really all different?  I thought there were 4 versions of the 'B', PAT ARM (only 3 converted), Mod 0, Mod 0/1 and Mod 1.

Edited October 18, 2023 by Blaze1