A-6E Loadout Med '86

[bdt13]

Greetings, all-

Since I know this forum is the font of all wisdom , I thought I should ask here. Can any of you point me to pictures or references for A-6E loadouts from the Prairie Fire/El Dorado Canyon Ops in the Spring of '86? I am building a jet from this time, and would like it to have something appropriate under the wings.

Thanks!

[PlasticWeapons]

Prarie Fire: Blue Blasters had carried Harpoons. Black Falcons dropped Rockeyes...

El Dorado Canyon: VA-34 16 Mk.82 Snakeyes (four aircraft)...two aircraft carried 8 Mk.83 with high drag fins

Just some info I happened to be reading the same time I saw this post. Info from Intruder, the Operational History of Grumman's A-6. Pages 170-185.

[bdt13]

Thanks, Ryan! I take it the pylons not carrying MERs (inboard and centerline) would have tanks or be empty?

The book looks a little pricey. Does it have pictures from this timeframe?

[Finn]

There are some pics here:

http://www.defenseimagery.mil/index.html

just type in Libya or A-6E in the search. A-6E will give you 42 pages of various Intruder pics over the years. I've also seen some pics of A-6's being prepped for the strike and the loads included Mk-82 Snakeyes and CBU-59 APAMs, which use the Rockeye dispenser but have a lightning mark on the side to indicate that they are APAMs.

Jari

[A6BSTARM]

VA-55 off the Coral Sea carried both Mk82's and CBU's during the actual raid on Benina Airfield and during Praire Fire they carried Harpoons and CBU's. Remember that VA-55 got a Libyan Patrol Frigate as well. If you don't want to make a Priarie Fire/El Droado specific aircraft then at anytime you could go with Mk83's, Mk84's CBU's, Mk60 Quickstrikes. They did a series of NATO exercises during time frame as well. I will have to dig around, but I use to have a picture of a strike package of VA-85 tankers with VA-55 bombers flying in and back out of a range in Turkey. The bombers were carrying a mix of Mk82s, Mk83's,Mk84's.

Edited May 1, 2010 by A6BSTARM

[Stephen]

I recall seeing a picture of an A-6E taking off with MER's on stations 1/5 with two Rockeyes on each of the bottom MER stations,an AIM-9L on station 2 and a Harpoon on station 4.Station 3 had the centreline tank.

Stephen

Edited May 2, 2010 by Stephen

[bdt13]

Thank you all for your prompt and helpful information.

Stephen - This is a very intriguing load, can you confirm that it was VA-55, or at least the Mediterranean in 1986? I can imagine the explaining I'd have to do putting this one down on the club or even a contest table, explaining that yes, this was for real.

A6BSTARM - The ship killer look is what I'd prefer to go with, as my decals have the exploding frigate mark. You mention the Harpoons and CBUs; does the load Stephen mentions sound plausible?

Jari - I had photos of Hornets from this operation with the APAM, but never knew the significance of the lightning bolt! I also did some Defenceimagery searches, and found an A-6E escorting a Bear. Maybe it was carrying an AIM-9? I can imagine the confusion of Ivan in the Bear looking at the ungainly attack jet shadowing him. I think I'd be a little insulted that the USN couldn't send a Tomcat, or at least a Hornet!

Ryan - I re-read your message, Mk. 83 with high-drag fins! That's a bomb you don't see modeled too often. I think I may have two in an old Italeri weapons set (1/72), I'll need to check. Do you recall what the config is on a MER for two 1000 pounder? As far as 16 x 500 lb, would this be four MERs in a slant four config, with the inboards empty? I know I've seen a lot of photos with A-6's rocking the slant four, esp. inboard.

Thanks again. You all have given me a lot to choose from!

[Finn]

Don't know which year the photo was taken but i saw a pic of an A-6E refuelling another a/c, where the photo taken from. The Intruder had a load of outboard ext tanks, refuelling pod on the c/l, left i/b pylon had a MER with 2 Rockeyes on the bottom racks and on the right i/b pylon was a Harpoon. The weapons look real so it was in an area where trouble may be brewing.

Jari