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...

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


Just one niggle TM, A-3s had no ejection seats, but they did have a
chute on the bottom of the fuselage.
If WDA's memories were of ops in the MED, his post has some merit.
There were many, many times in the summer months the SPS-10 (surface
search) would paint aircraft at angels 33 (verified with SPG-55 and
mode c) and not paint the carrier at 15,000 yards, while the SPS-49
would paint dead cow carcasses and other floatsam and jetsam (depress
the antenna on the 49 and it would paint a periscope really well) on a
glassy sea surface and not show the first aircraft above angels 5.