![]() The complex avionics would require a second crewman for its effective use.Īn operational requirement was established by the office of the Chief of Naval Operations in 1956 for an all-weather tactical airplane, combining the carrier attack mission with the Marines' close-support, short-field capability. However, their limitations - including no all-weather attack systems in the A4D and the adverse impact of the A3D's large size in carrier operations - led to studies showing that the application of new avionics technology could produce a carrier-based, all-weather attack aircraft capable of long-range conventional or nuclear strike missionsįlown at low terrain clearance altitudes, below radar interception. ![]() Both of these attack types were designed for nuclear strike missions, as well as being capable of delivering conventional ordnance. These ranged from the smallest attack jet - the A4D (A-4) Skyhawk-through various fighters, to the long-range, heavy attack A3D (A-3) Skywarrior. Meanwhile, the Navy was introducing the first of a new generation of jet carrier aircraft. By the mid-1950s, the Marine Corps defined its need for an all-weather close support airplane capable of operating from the shortest possible expeditionary field runways. ![]() ![]() The Navy's Korean War experience, with no jet all-weather strike capability and limited carrier air group night or all-weather effectiveness, prompted research on avionics systems to overcome this deficiency. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |