Sorry, TMO, You got it all wrong!

What downward ejection seats in the A-3-3 are you talking about? The A-3
never had ejection seats!

Hell, we could get to 50,000 feet altitude in the FJ-3 in 1956!

A-3s flying back and forth over your black shoe radars without being
detected was so common off Pt Mugu that radar beacons had to be used to be
able to conduct ship's missile tests.

FYI, the A-3 probably had the most sophisticated ECM system in any USA
aircraft when the Vietnam "flail-ex" commenced. We took the ALQ-51 deception
repeaters out of our A-3s to install in A-4s flying over Hanoi. Later a
dozen other Navy.Marine a/c types also got the ALQ-51. We even had to cough
up fifty of them for Air Force photo recce a/c.

Meanwhile the USAF was putting the ALQ-76 "jamming pods on their F-4s.
"Protection" by that pod required their a/c to fly in rigid parade formation
to counter the Fansong radar. But if just one of the pod equipped planes
slid out of formation it was immediately tracked and nailed by Guidline
missiles. That was because the damned pods were actually beacons instead of
jammers!

CDR Dick Seymour [later the VADM commanding Naval Air Systems Command] took
a squadron set of ALQ-76 to Yankee Station with his A-4s but never put the
damned things on any of his aircraft going feet dry over NVN. He brought all
his pilots home safe.

Sorry, TMO, there's much more to the A-3 story than you are evidently aware
of.

WDA
VF-24, VA-192, 1955 - 1959

end
"TMOliver" wrote in message
...
"WDA" vented spleen or mostly mumbled...

In the 60s carrier based A-3 heavy attack bombers flying above 40,000
feet often could approach a warship and not be detected on the air
search radar even when passing overhead.


As a 60s era carrier based Air Intercept Controller, I'll argue your claim
from two contrarian perspectives...

A. Unless some here can establish reasonable evidence to the contrary the
number of A3 strike sorties (or EA3 missions) routinely flown above Angels
40 will fit over in the slim and none category. Ops above 40 with any
navy
a/c in the early 60s were simply not the norm, and even the most capable,
the F8s, were troubled by compressor stalls in certain attitudes.
Certainly, the advent of the F4 changed the picture, but F4s remained in
short supply until '64 or so.

B. I can't think of an aspect in which an A3 wasn't a well-painted target
(at least on the SPS-37 or 43, although I had no experience with low
flyers
(but I knew few former A3 drivers who were happy flying low, them downward
firing seats lending little survivability to a low altitude mechanical
problem). I "learned" on an SPS-12, a gadget of lesser range, but there
were controllers who worked SPS-6s, high art and good intuitive skill
required.

TMO