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By: - 19th November 2003 at 08:18 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There's a good site about the A3D. Must have been quite an experience to land this thing on a 27C.
By: - 19th November 2003 at 13:39 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I agree, the Whale was a heck of an airplane.
At a recent football game I saw a guy with an A-3 flight jacket on (big patch in the back that said A-3 Skywarrior).
I told him what a great jacket I thought he had.
Anyone have a good rundown of A-3 variants (not including the USAF B-66 and its derivatives), and when they were finally withdrawn? Early 90's?
By: - 19th November 2003 at 13:52 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
That has got to be one of the biggest aircrafts to have operated from any carrier deck.
By: - 19th November 2003 at 14:05 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Nicknames:
Official... 'Skywarrior'
Unofficial... 'Whale' (Most popular)
'Heavy' (Largest U.S.N. carrier based aircraft)
'TACO' (Tanker Airborne Countermeasures Ordnance)
A3D 'All three dead' (no ejection seats, most unpopular)
:D
By: - 19th November 2003 at 14:20 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
1991
[i]and when they were finally withdrawn? Early 90's? [/B]
"The last Skywarrior was officially retired from VAQ-33 on September 30, 1991. "Skywarrior in Service with US Navy
By: - 19th November 2003 at 14:45 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The prototype, designated XA3D-1, first flew on October 28, 1952, at Edwards AFB, designed to succeed the North American AJ Savage. The A3D-1 entered service on March 31, 1956, with VAH-1 at NAS Jacksonville. 13 VAH's were equipped with the A3D. A total of 283 Skywarriors of all versions were built by Douglas (A3D-1, A3D-2, KA-3B, EKA-3B, RA-3B, ERA-3B, TA-3B, EA-3A/B, VA-3B, UA-3B) when production ceased in 1961 to be succeeded by the North American A3J Vigilante (which in 1979 retired 12 years before the Whale!). Last carrier landing took place on August 25, 1989, a TA-3B from VAQ-33 TA-3B.
Below: At Hill AFB. Nice colours.
By: - 19th November 2003 at 15:55 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Glad everyone like to chat about it. What inspired me to talk about it was this photo essay I have that was published in the 80's called "The Cutting Edge" and they have a few Whales in there. It was the largest plane to opperate off the decks of a carrier (regular use not experimental use eg the C-130).
The best info I can offer is where I got the pics from:
Info on the Whale
It also shows a weather version called the NRA-3B
and the trainer version called the TA-3B, I must admit, they had one hell of a bomb load and the 20mm Cannon sure as heck would scared any prowling migs away
By: - 19th November 2003 at 16:49 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The 20mm guns were only carried for a short time, for the simple reason that the gun-aiming radar was an unreliable not-working piece of crap. The guns were removed early during A3D-2 / A-3B production, and later also removed from the A3D-1/A-3A. In place came ECM cones, initially in a housing similar to the gun turret but later in a more aerodynamic cap.
Production variants were the A3D-1 (from 1962 on A-3A), A3D-2 (A-3B), A3D-2T (TA-3B), A3D-2Q (EA-3B) and A3D-2P (RA-3B).
A lot of them were modified, here is an overview of the quantity of production aircraft and modifications out of them (note that quite a few were modified twice):
A3D-1/A-3A (50) -> A3D-1P/RA-3A (1) -> NRA-3A (1+1), A3D-1Q/EA-3A (5) -> NEA-3A 1), NA-3A (2)
A3D-2/A-3B (164) -> KA-3B (85) -> EKA-3B (39)
A3D-2P/RA-3B (30) -> UA-3B (1), NRA-3B (3), ERA-3B (10)
A3D-2Q/EA-3B (24) -> VA-3B (1? 5?)
A3D-2T/TA-3B (12) -> UA-3B (2), NTA-3B (1)
There is actually very little difference, if any, between an UA-3B and the VA-3B so these are often mislabeled on pics.
By: - 19th November 2003 at 17:01 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
A3D-2Q BuNo.142672 was turned into a VIPcraft in early 1959. First bound to be designated A3D-2Z, it became VA-3B in 1962 when they changed all the designations. Only one was built for the use by the Chief of NavOps out of Pax River from June 1959 on.
BUT ... there was one additional VA-3B modified from an TA-3B. BOTH operated out of NAF D.C. for the CFLSW Detachment - no idea when they were retired.
By: - 19th November 2003 at 17:38 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Distiller,
144857 was either an UP-3A with a VIP-interior or a VA-3B flying for the Department of the Navy, and was the sistership of 142672. I can't tell what the true designation was though, my sources are contradicting each other here. This one was later turned back into a TA-3B and then served until the end with VAQ-33.
Oh, and i've edited the other A3D-2Q -> bit. According to Squadron Signal's "Skywarrior In Action" five of them were VA-3B's for some time before appearant reconversion - i only have '672 as such, this one crashed in 1985 with VQ-1.
By: - 19th November 2003 at 18:41 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
It was the largest plane to opperate off the decks of a carrier (regular use not experimental use eg the C-130).
How large was the A 5 Vigilante compared to the A 3? I though that the Vigilante was the largest aircraft operated from aircraft carriers.
By: - 19th November 2003 at 20:20 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I think the Vigi was the longest, this one had the Largest wingspan and I may be wrong but it may have also had the highest weight.
By: - 19th November 2003 at 22:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I think the P2V had the largest wingspan. It wasn't ment to land on carriers, but the first operational nuclear bomber to operate from carriers in the late 1940s would have been, and occasionally was (for trials of course), the Neptune. This was before the AJ Savage entered service as the USN's SIOP-bomber. The Neptunes would be hoisted aboard as they could not land on the small 27C carriers and straight-decks they had back then. A bit like the Doolittle raid revisited.
By: - 19th November 2003 at 23:56 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Can't overlook the role the Whale played in testing fun new US Navy weapons like the AIM-54.
By: - 20th November 2003 at 00:03 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Army stuff as well: the Patriot, the SLAR for the Mohawk... and for the USAF the whole F-4G gear and the HARM seeker head. The list of things tested by the Whale is incredibly long, and still growing since Raytheon still has a few in it's inventory to play with.
By: - 20th November 2003 at 12:22 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Eleven "P2V-3C" carrier-launched aircraft were built to provide the US Navy with a carrier-launched nuclear strike capability and initially asigned to VC-5. These aircraft were fitted with 8x 1000lbs thrust JATO. No provision for carrier recovery, altough during the deployments to Port Lyautey in the early '50s they did make arrested landings in Turkey at one of the short runway "staging" airfields. Getting such a big aircraft off a carrier deck was impressive when the Neptune hadn't been designed to do such a thing to begin with, and landing it on a carrier would have been quite a trick. The aircraft was to fly to a friendly base after dropping its nuclear weapon, or ditch near a Navy vessel. The P2V-3C was stripped of nose armament, dorsal turret, HVAR stubs, belly radome, astrodome, and tail skid. Additional fuel tanks were installed. Several P2V-3Cs set records for carrier-launched aircraft in 1948 and 1949. Later also VC-6, VC-8 and VP-2, then HATU Norfolk, HATULANT NAS Sanford, NAWC China Lake and NATTC Memphis. BuNos 122924, 122927, 122930, 122933, 122936, 122942, 122947, 122949, 122951, 122966, 122969, 122971
By: - 20th November 2003 at 12:33 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
On Coral Sea late '40s.
By: - 20th November 2003 at 12:34 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
On Midway late '40s.
By: - 20th November 2003 at 12:40 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Great pics Distiller! Never seen any before, two thumbs up from here.
By: - 21st November 2003 at 04:03 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
They would have had to be kept far over the side of the ship, the wingspan on a Turtle is very wide, anyway the Whale would be the largest one capable of catapult launch, unlike the Turtle there which you can clearly see with RATPACKS
Posts: 6,208
By: Ja Worsley - 19th November 2003 at 02:10
Thought I'd resurect the Whale for a chat, it was a damd good a/c and did 40 years service off the decks.
A-3D
A-3D With tail gun still attached
A-3D with Electronic Support
Another
KA-3B
EA-3B on the way
EA-3B over Hawii
EA-6B Refueling a Skyhawk
Off into the Sunset- EA-3B
