The Airplane Thread

[vreihen16]

https://midhudsonnews.com/2024/10/05...life-of-pilot/

There was another accident at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome yesterday. Their replica Fokker D-VIII monoplane crashed during the show, killing the owner/pilot.....

[Llarry]

Continuing the story of the Grumman A-6 Intruder, after the 482 A-6A models were delivered to Navy and Marine Corps attack squadrons during the 1960s, a number of additional versions were converted or produced. The air war in Southeast Asia provided most of the impetus for these airplanes.

The 19 A-6B "Iron Hand" air defense suppression aircraft had a mission similar to that of the Air Force's Wild Weasel F-105G and F-4G aircraft: Kill SAM sites. The small number of A-6Bs meant that a few of them were assigned to A-6A squadrons that were going to war.

Even fewer were the 12 A-6C TRIM aircraft, which were modified to interdict traffic on the Ho Chi Minh trail that allowed North Vietnam to supply their Viet Cong comrades in South Vietnam. The A-6C had a rather ungainly-appearing pod fixed on the belly with sensors, and included a device to sense vehicle ignition in the dark jungle below.

The next variant was the KA-6D, which was a specialized carrier-based refueling tanker. 78 D models were converted from A-6As with much of the sophisticated avionics systems removed and a refueling hose reel mounted in the rear fuselage. A dozen of the late A-6E variant were later converted to KA-6D tankers as well. Typically, each A-6 attack squadron would be assigned 3-4 KA-6Ds alongside their A-6A or A-6E attack aircraft.

The final production model was the A-6E, which had extensive radar and other electronic upgrades. 205 A-6Es came off the production line and 240 older A-6As were upgraded to Es. A-6Es were upgraded several times during their lifetimes.

The final variant of the A-6 was the A-6F with upgraded engines and avionics. The few A-6F prototypes were not followed by production orders, as the Navy decided to concentrate on the A-12 stealth attack aircraft, which was itself cancelled before first flight, leaving the Navy and Marines ultimately without an all-weather/night medium attack aircraft. With the retirement of the A-6E in 1997, the reach of carrier attack was reduced.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_A-6_Intruder

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Llarry

The final variant of the A-6 was the A-6F with upgraded engines and avionics. The few A-6F prototypes were not followed by production orders, as the Navy decided to concentrate on the A-12 stealth attack aircraft, which was itself cancelled before first flight, leaving the Navy and Marines ultimately without an all-weather/night medium attack aircraft.

The McDonnell Douglas A-12 Avenger II had its birth in the early days of stealth combat aircraft and was initially a highly classified project. In 1983 the Navy conceived of a stealthy medium attack replacement for the A-6 which would become operational in the 1990s. The aircraft was initially referred to as the Advanced Tactical Aircraft and the Navy and Marine Corps wanted to buy a large number of ATAs, soon designated the A-12 Avenger II. The USAF at one point also contemplated procuring A-12s as a replacement for the F-111 Aardvark.

McDonnell Douglas won the development contract in 1984 and began the design of a carrier-capable flying wing design. The A-12 would be powered by two turbofan engines and would be subsonic. It would have two weapons bays for precision guided weapons and self-defense air-to-air missiles. The maximum takeoff weight would rival that of previous-generation heavy attack carrier aircraft at 80,000 pounds. The A-12 would not be capable of a heavy bomb load like the A-6, but with advanced precision weapons, that was not considered a problem.

The A-12 was scheduled to conduct initial flight tests in late 1990 but soon ran into technical issues and huge cost increases. In 1991, the program was cancelled with cost growth and schedule slippage cited as rationales. No aircraft were ever produced, and the Navy and Marine Corps would have to wait until much later for the F-35 to fill the tactical stealth aircraft role.

After cancellation, the contractor and the government wrangled in the courts for over 20 years as to who was to blame. The cancellation left the aging A-6E as the carrier's long-range all-weather -- but non-stealthy -- aircraft until the A-6 was retired.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonn...-12_Avenger_II