Posted on Sep 9, 2023
Why the EA-6B (Prowler) Had a Nuclear Trefoil Nose Art
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Naval Flight Officer explains why the EA-6B (Prowler) had a nuclear trefoil nose art:
‘The “trefoil” helped Paddles confirm visually whether it was a Prowler or Intruder in the groove,’ Andy Burns, US Navy Surface Warfare & Flight Officer.
In 1960, as part of the development of the new A2F (later A-6) Intruder all-weather attack aircraft, Grumman engineers began evaluating an ECM version of the airplane. The result was the EA-6A Intruder, which entered service in Marine Corps squadrons in December 1965. Concurrently, Grumman developed Tactical Jamming System and defined the requirements for the airplane to serve as a platform for it. The result was the EA-6B Prowler, which built upon the success of the EA-6A, but differed in some respects including size to incorporate a four-man crew consisting of one pilot and three electronic counter-measures officers (ECMO).
The first Prowlers arrived at VAQ-129 at NAS Whidbey Island, WA, in December 1971, and the initial fleet squadrons equipped with the new airplane flew combat missions over North Vietnam as part of Operations Linebacker I and II. This began a lengthy service that lasted over four decades with the Prowler developing into the foremost electronic attack platform in the US military arsenal, supporting combat missions in Grenada, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Bosnia, and Afghanistan and other crises around the world.
As the main image of this post shows, the EA-6B had a very distinctive feature: “nuclear trefoil” painted on its nose.
‘The “trefoil” helped Paddles confirm visually whether it was a Prowler or Intruder in the groove,’ Andy Burns, US Navy Surface Warfare & Flight Officer.
In 1960, as part of the development of the new A2F (later A-6) Intruder all-weather attack aircraft, Grumman engineers began evaluating an ECM version of the airplane. The result was the EA-6A Intruder, which entered service in Marine Corps squadrons in December 1965. Concurrently, Grumman developed Tactical Jamming System and defined the requirements for the airplane to serve as a platform for it. The result was the EA-6B Prowler, which built upon the success of the EA-6A, but differed in some respects including size to incorporate a four-man crew consisting of one pilot and three electronic counter-measures officers (ECMO).
The first Prowlers arrived at VAQ-129 at NAS Whidbey Island, WA, in December 1971, and the initial fleet squadrons equipped with the new airplane flew combat missions over North Vietnam as part of Operations Linebacker I and II. This began a lengthy service that lasted over four decades with the Prowler developing into the foremost electronic attack platform in the US military arsenal, supporting combat missions in Grenada, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Bosnia, and Afghanistan and other crises around the world.
As the main image of this post shows, the EA-6B had a very distinctive feature: “nuclear trefoil” painted on its nose.
Why the EA-6B (Prowler) Had a Nuclear Trefoil Nose Art
Posted from stationhypo.com
Flying
Aircraft Carriers
Marines
NAS Whidbey Island
Vietnam War
Posted 8 mo ago
Responses: 2
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Sgt Douglas Berger
Once out of the military I got my pilots license there is nothing like a smooth flight just you and the plane.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Burns concludes:
‘If you’re asking why the “nuke” symbol in particular was used: the Prowler’s mission was electronic attack, i.e., jamming radar and radios. You do that by pumping out a lot of electronic energy, which is after all just another form of radiation.’"
..."Burns concludes:
‘If you’re asking why the “nuke” symbol in particular was used: the Prowler’s mission was electronic attack, i.e., jamming radar and radios. You do that by pumping out a lot of electronic energy, which is after all just another form of radiation.’"
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