alessio Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Ciao to all... i'm painting right now my hasegwaw a-7e corsair in 1/48 scale... ill use the kit decals of the valions..so a lov-viz colour scheme..just becaise i like plane's in gray!! i was asking my self wich one would be the best loadout for that plane... for sure the fule tank on the last position in the wing.... than i was thinking on some maverick...but they need a Pod...or somethign like that??? did the a-7e carrie the Harm???? thanks in advance... i'm loving building that plane..it's my favourite bird...and i really like the hasegawa kit.... alex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andre Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 A-7E's could and did indeed carry HARM - in fact they were a major US Navy HARM shooter in Desert Storm. They could carry the Maverick as well, without the need for a specific targeting pod (but you may need a display screen in the cockpit). Other common loads included Mk 82 and 83 pig iron, Rockeye CBU's and D-704 buddy refuelling pods. HTH, Andre Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scotsman Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 My 32nd A-7 , if it ever gets finished will have 3 HARMS , a single fuel tank, and a couple of AIM-9's , a real load out from Desert Storm - looks way cool, and it used up some of the extra HARMS from the Academy weapons locker I've built up over the years ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reddog Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Need to be careful, not every A-7E could carry HARM's. Only one squadron in a CAG was a HARM squadron, the other squadron was the FLIR squadron. Also, by the mid 80's we hardly ever carried Mavericks. HTH Reddog :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andre Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Need to be careful, not every A-7E could carry HARM's. Only one squadron in a CAG was a HARM squadron, the other squadron was the FLIR squadron. Was this a hardware/wiring thing, or a training issue? And is there rhyme and reason to it, like F-14 TARPS units where the squadron with the highest (or lowest, I forgot which) modex numbers was the recce unit? Cheers, Andre Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lgl007 Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Reddog was a huge help to me in terms of getting my loadout right for the timeframe and the airframe I am doing on my A-7E project. Basically I'm going with fuel tanks on the inner pylons, 4 Rockeyes on each of the centre pylons on a MER, and 2 Rockeyes on each of the outer pylon on a TER... for a total, of 12 Rockeyes (loaded to bear :-). I'm also putting on 2x AIM-9G/H on the fuselage mounted stations (the two look pretty much the same) since I'm doing an early 70's bird. -Greg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Williams Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 When I get around to my 1/32 DS A-7E, I'm probably going to go with just 4 Rockeyes mounted individually on 4 pylons. The other two pylons will be removed, which was common. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alessio Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 mmmm for sure ill put the fuel tank..both on the outer pylons...than i was thinking on putting a maverik on each pylon in the middel..... but..i don't knwo what to put on the pylon that is closer to the fusolage... any place to see picture about a-7 that used to fly in the gulf war??? any book to buy??? thanks ina dvance alex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ivan T. Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 My 32nd A-7 , if it ever gets finished will have 3 HARMS , a single fuel tank, and a couple of AIM-9's , a real load out from Desert Storm - looks way cool, and it used up some of the extra HARMS from the Academy weapons locker I've built up over the years ! That sounds cool! Do you have some pics of a real plane with that load? Ivan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reddog Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Was this a hardware/wiring thing, or a training issue? And is there rhyme and reason to it, like F-14 TARPS units where the squadron with the highest (or lowest, I forgot which) modex numbers was the recce unit?Cheers, Andre This was a wiring issue, basically, one squadron had their jets wired for HARM and the other squadron had their jets wired for FLIR, there wasn't enough room in the jet for both sets of wiring and other equipment. Also, TARPS squadrons didn't go by modex. I was in two TARPS sqaudrons, VF-103 (Sluggers) and we were 2xx series and VF-143 and were 1xx series. Never heard the modex thing before and I was in Tomcats for 14 years. HTH Reddog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reddog Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 mmmm for sure ill put the fuel tank..both on the outer pylons...than i was thinking on putting a maverik on each pylon in the middel.....but..i don't knwo what to put on the pylon that is closer to the fusolage... any place to see picture about a-7 that used to fly in the gulf war??? any book to buy??? thanks ina dvance alex Just a suggestion, if you want to put tanks on put them on stations 3 and 6, flying a load with tanks on 1 and 8 was hardly done if ever, the normal stations would be 3 and 6. The only time we put tanks on 1 and 8 was for cross-country flights or when we configured the bird as a tanker. You could put the tanks on 3 and 6, Mavericks on 2 and 7 and then what ever you want on 1 and 8, that would be a more accurate loadout. Again, this is only a suggestion, it is your model and build it the way you want, that's what I do. V/R Reddog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alessio Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 thanks again to all... well at the end..my idea..was toahve an A-7E..more or less..like this one.... http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal5..._Rendon/00.shtm i really like it a lot..even if i don't know if the loadout.is ok... thanks anyway.. i have time t think about it...today..i'm going to put on the models..the decals...i really like this moment!! alex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Benner Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 check out Rampage55's A-7E build in here .. http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....howtopic=115451 BTW, A-7s on the first night of Desert Storm typically carried a single fuel tank besides HARMs Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reddog Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 thanks again to all...well at the end..my idea..was toahve an A-7E..more or less..like this one.... http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal5..._Rendon/00.shtm i really like it a lot..even if i don't know if the loadout.is ok... thanks anyway.. i have time t think about it...today..i'm going to put on the models..the decals...i really like this moment!! alex Alex, Just to let you know, the A-7E could only carry HARMs on stations 1, 2, 7 and 8, those were the only stations wired for HARMs. /r Reddog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alessio Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 THANKS AGAIN TO ALL... LOOKS LIKE I HAVE TO PUT THE FUEL TANK..IN A DIFFERENT POSITION THAN STATION 1 AND 8!! i hope that soon ill be able to show my work... ciao to all alex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reddog Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 THANKS AGAIN TO ALL...LOOKS LIKE I HAVE TO PUT THE FUEL TANK..IN A DIFFERENT POSITION THAN STATION 1 AND 8!! i hope that soon ill be able to show my work... ciao to all alex Alex, Don't build you model to any standard or specification but your own, it's your model, build it the way you want it. Reddog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andre Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 This was a wiring issue, basically, one squadron had their jets wired for HARM and the other squadron had their jets wired for FLIR, there wasn't enough room in the jet for both sets of wiring and other equipment.Also, TARPS squadrons didn't go by modex. I was in two TARPS sqaudrons, VF-103 (Sluggers) and we were 2xx series and VF-143 and were 1xx series. Never heard the modex thing before and I was in Tomcats for 14 years. Alright, thanks for the info! Always good to know that there are people around here with firsthand experience. Cheers, Andre Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scotthldr Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I'm surprised no ones mentioned the AGM 62 Walleye Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andre Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I'm surprised no ones mentioned the AGM 62 Walleye That's probably because currently there are no Walleye II's available in any scale - those used in the lo-viz A-7 era were Walleye II and II ERDL's, which feature greater diameter and length in both warhead and wings than the Walleye I's in the Hasegawa weapon sets. Cheers, Andre Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reddog Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 (edited) Actually we flew the Mk 4 Walleye a lot, the Mk 4 was a training version of the Walleye. All you have to do it take the Walleye I, paint the body blue, nose section white and the wings white and you have a Mk 4. We rarely flew any other version of the Walleye, either Walleye I or II. I can only remember loading a Walleye II a few times, mostly for proficiency loading or aircrew training. Most of the time when we did fly a Walleye (Tactical) it was the Mk 21 Walleye I EDRL, the Walleye would go on station 2 and the ERDL would go on Station 7 or another aircraft. Reddog :D Edited November 20, 2008 by Reddog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fuji Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Just talked to my buddy who flew A-7s in DS. He was with the Bluehawks, VA-72. His squadron flew HARM missions most of the first few days. The interesting thing with 72 is that they took the pylons off stations 2 and 6. Later they started coming back, but many jets kept this configuration throughout the war. Anyway, three Harms were carried, stations 1, 7 and 8. NO Tanks were carried. The A-7s from his squadron never carried tanks the entire conflict. They wanted speed and with the pylon configuration and plenty of air force tankers available, there was no need. Also, I checked with him on the FLIR / HARM wiring. ALL A-7s were wired for BOTH. 3xx Modexed squadron trained for FLIR and 4xx Modexed squadron trained for HARM missions to divi-up training and missions though the jets were pretty much the same in capabilities. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reddog Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 "Also, I checked with him on the FLIR / HARM wiring. ALL A-7s were wired for BOTH. 3xx Modexed squadron trained for FLIR and 4xx Modexed squadron trained for HARM missions to divi-up training and missions though the jets were pretty much the same in capabilities. " I can not disagree with that statement more. I was in VA-82, 3xx modex and HARM squadron. VA-86 (our sister squadron) was the FLIR Squadron and 4xx series. Maybe at the end of the A-7's career were they all wired for both but that was not the case when I was in A-7's from 84 to 87. We may have had the wiring in the jet and pylons but not the avionic boxes in the av bays or cockpit so we could not do FLIR even if we wanted to. VA-86 never loaded HARM's and were not even trained to do it. I have loaded FLIR but I was helping VA-86 move the pod from one jet to another and they didn't have a skid, boy where those things heavy. What your friend is say may have been for his CAG, but again, that was not the way it was in the east coast fleet in the mid 80's. /r Reddog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fuji Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 "Also, I checked with him on the FLIR / HARM wiring. ALL A-7s were wired for BOTH. 3xx Modexed squadron trained for FLIR and 4xx Modexed squadron trained for HARM missions to divi-up training and missions though the jets were pretty much the same in capabilities. "I can not disagree with that statement more. I was in VA-82, 3xx modex and HARM squadron. VA-86 (our sister squadron) was the FLIR Squadron and 4xx series. Maybe at the end of the A-7's career were they all wired for both but that was not the case when I was in A-7's from 84 to 87. We may have had the wiring in the jet and pylons but not the avionic boxes in the av bays or cockpit so we could not do FLIR even if we wanted to. VA-86 never loaded HARM's and were not even trained to do it. I have loaded FLIR but I was helping VA-86 move the pod from one jet to another and they didn't have a skid, boy where those things heavy. What your friend is say may have been for his CAG, but again, that was not the way it was in the east coast fleet in the mid 80's. /r Reddog All I can say is what he told me. Photo's I have seen of 46 and 72 over the years confirm this, 46 had the FLIRs and 72 had the HARMS, this was late 80s though DS. He spent his entire A-7 days in these two squadrons, since 1976, only swapping out for a stint at 174 and CAG Paddles tour with CAG-7. The fact that 46 was also HARM shooting in DS and pics I have just prior to their deployment in Desert Shield show they also carried the FLIR. As you say, things may have changed from your time with the Winders and Marauders, but he was the XO of 72 and a HARM shooter on the first day. I have to believe what he says were the full capabilities of the jet which he had 15 years experience flying. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reddog Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 The only thing I can think of is that both VA-72 and 46 had a mix squadron of HARM and FLIR aircraft. These two squadrons were the last one's so when other squadrons were giving up their aircraft for transition to F-18's VA-46 and 72 was getting the best aircraft from those squadrons. Basically, both squadrons would have six HARM and six FLIR jets a piece so that would be why both squadrons would have dual capabilities. Again, this is MHO. His statement saying that ALL A-7'S where wired is what I have an issue with. For his last tour VA-46 and VA-72 may have had their jets wired and all the boxes because there were no other squadron around that needed them so they had the whole store to themselves but to say that all A-7's had the mod is incorrect. I think this only applied to VA -46 and 72, they were the only ones on the block. v/r Reddog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Benner Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 hey fuji, any chance he has close up pics of 400 before the "Desert Storm" paint job? Some things I'm not sure about on the tail; I want to build that jet as part of my DS collection. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.