Wild Blue Yonder 1: 50 Years of Gs & Jets/Wild Blue Yonder - Episode 1 - 50 Years of Gs and Jets (Digital Ranch) (Spectrum Holobyte)(1-107-40-101)(1994).iso/control/printext.dir/00065_Field_65.txt

Text File | 1994-08-29 | 2KB | 32 lines

The Versatile DIANE


The Navy received the first production A-6As in February of 1963.
Throughout its production run (which eventually totaled 482
aircraft), the A-6A Intruder went through constant modification.
Initially it could carry up to 17,000 pounds of ordnance and was
quickly put to work fighting in Vietnam.  But sixty-two Intruders
were also converted to KA-6D tankers, capable of refueling other
aircraft in flight with 21,000 pounds of fuel.

The A-6 Intruder was the first true all-weather attack plane.  By
depending on DIANE (Digital Integrated Attack & Navigation
Equipment), the Intruder could identify and attack a target at
night or in the foulest weather.  The sophisticated DIANE system
included high-resolution radar, a digital ballistics computer, an
inertial navigation platform, and integrated cockpit displays.
This system was designed to be used continuously from takeoff to
landing, while navigating to and from the target area, hitting
the target, and making a low-level escape.

Next off the production line was the A-6E, which first flew on
November 10, 1970.  The A-6E featured modern, solid-state
electronics, replacing the original radar with the Norden APQ-148
multi-mode system and adding the TRAM (Target Recognition Attack
Multisensor).  For the first time, the TRAM presented real-time
television imagery of non-visual or non-radar-significant targets
and permitted the delivery of "smart bombs."  The TRAM system
integrated forward-looking infrared (FLIR) with multi-mode radar
target identification.  As the result of this unending stream of
modifications, the A-6 Intruder became the U.S. military's most
versatile plane.