On 10/10/03 3:38 PM, in article IMEhb.83326$%h1.87290@sccrnsc02, "John R
Weiss" wrote:

"Doug "Woody" and Erin Beal" wrote...

I seem to remember discussions (never pen to paper) of a MER for the A-6
back when the JDAM was still AIWS. Think about that--22 MK-82 JDAM on an
Intruder... It would have to be a SWIP Block 1A or better yet an F.

That, too. IIRC, one problem was that the 1553 subset of the 1760 interface
on
the A-6 SWIP was not complete enough. It probably would have been for the
A-6F
only. In fact, the "smart VER" (or whatever they called it) would have
required
rewiring the F/A-18A/B (not sure of the C/D) to get GPS info to the stations;
the coax was not in the initial contract.


You are correct, J.R. 1553 would have needed to be upgraded to 1760. The
standard SWIP aircraft sans GPS could not have handled even a single JDAM.
GPS on the nav solution is a REQUIREMENT to drop JDAM. The SWIP Block 1A
(flew it at China Lake for about 80 or so hours) could have handled multiple
JDAM nicely (in theory/Woody speculation). It never made it past prototype,
but it was quite capable:

- ASN-139 RLG INS
- GPS
- CP-4 (vice CP-3B) Mission Computer 3X the memory, 4X the speed (still
not blazing)
- A no-kidding HUD for the pilot
- A (get this) DDI for the B/N
- An aerodynamic strake mod allowing it to max trap 9 knots slower at
38,400 lbs vice 36K. (As an aside, I once flew it on speed clean
wing at the field with 2.5 on the gas at 104 KIAS.)

All in all, it was to the Intruder what the F-14D is to the Tomcat, but it
was canned when the retirement of the Intruder was moved up.

The F/A-18A was re-wired/GPS'd to handle JDAM/JSOW. It's called the
F/A-18A+ (ECP-560/583).

However, AIWS became JSOW, not JDAM. JDAM started in the USAF and merged with
the USN ABF (Advanced Bomb Family) program. Navy kept the JSOW lead; Air
Force
kept JDAM lead.

Enough alphabet soup yet? ;-)


You're absolutely right... My faux pax. I always got ABF and AIWS mixed up
before they AGM-154A'd and GBU-32/35/31'd them.

ABC's right back atcha, J.R. |:-)

--Woody