Marcel111 Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Hi guys, From the research I’ve done so far the Bengals mostly carried LDGP and Mk7 CBU on the 1972 combat cruise. Does anyone know if an AGM-78 and/or AGM-45 loadout would be feasible? Thx, Marcel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thierry laurent Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 I did not look at that for many years but I think A-6A were not wired for Iron Hand missions. Keep in mind there was no multirole naval plane at that time. Moreover, you are referring to a Marines squadron and such missions were clearly out of their scope. So. In one word, I'm convinced the reply is 'NO'. LSP_K2 and Marcel111 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easixpedro Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 You can download their command history here (BTW, Texas Tech University has everything you ever want to know about Vietnam, and the archive is very easy to navigate): Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive (ttu.edu) The A-6A could do Iron Hand. The B had better sensors and could carry the AGM-78. There were limited airframes though and they bounced between squadrons. By that time, the A-7Es that were part of CAG-15 were the preferred Iron Hand birds. I also recommend either "Fast Movers" or "Afterburner" by John Sherwood. In Fast Movers he has an entire section dedicated to Blinky Sheets and the Bengals during this cruise. If it was me, I'd be doing their epic mission to mine Haiphong! HTH -Peter Marcel111 and JeepsGunsTanks 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel111 Posted October 3, 2023 Author Share Posted October 3, 2023 Thanks guys… yep looks like some iron bombs on my next Intruder (already have CBU on my TRAM). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finn Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 From the Texas Tech site mentioned by Peter, the squadron got some A-6B to use with the Standard Arm: https://vva.vietnam.ttu.edu/images.php?img=/images/1201/1201088008.pdf from the USS Coral Sea site: Jari Bill Cross, Marcel111, easixpedro and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petrov27 Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 AOA Decals has a A-6B from this squadron on their sheet "Intruders from the Sea" 32-009. Marcel111, LSP_K2 and phasephantomphixer 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finn Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Here is another one from the Coral Sea site, going up on a test hop, note the drop tank has the squadron designation stenciled on it: Jari Marcel111, LSP_K2 and phasephantomphixer 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel111 Posted October 3, 2023 Author Share Posted October 3, 2023 Thanks guys! Just ordered that AOA sheet! phasephantomphixer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel111 Posted October 3, 2023 Author Share Posted October 3, 2023 According to Mark and Rick Morgan‘s book, the Bengals operated three A-6B‘s and had AGM-78-toting duties during the 1972 combat cruise. Boy, would be helpful if the Steel Beach conversion where still available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thierry laurent Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 The cockpit modifications are unfortunately not easy to track... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finn Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Some useful A-6B info here: http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2016/01/grumman-6b-iron-hand.html Jari thierry laurent and LSP_K2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phasephantomphixer Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Like that first pic has it with the early main wheel. Second pic the -78 has a blue body which I thought (oh boy, here we go again..) was inert or for testing, so doing some training there? Marcel111 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel111 Posted October 4, 2023 Author Share Posted October 4, 2023 Anyone have close-up pics of the horizontal stab modifications specific to the A-6B? Can’t make out the exact shape of it from the tailspin topics post. Any additional close-up pics of the A-6B would be much appreciated. I’ll likely generate 3D-printed parts for the modification. Thx, Marcel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easixpedro Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Wish I could help you more. Rick Morgan (and his brother) have written a bunch about the Intruder/Prowler and at one point Rick had a website with all his glorious pics, including some good info on the various Mods. For the life of me I can't find it now. I think Tommy's Tailspin topics is the best you'll get. Don't know how deep you're willing to research to find which BuNos and what A-6B mod they had and when. Those mods are a mess--at least Tommy spells them out for you, allowing you to make an honest effort. Marcel111 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel111 Posted October 4, 2023 Author Share Posted October 4, 2023 26 minutes ago, easixpedro said: Wish I could help you more. Rick Morgan (and his brother) have written a bunch about the Intruder/Prowler and at one point Rick had a website with all his glorious pics, including some good info on the various Mods. For the life of me I can't find it now. I think Tommy's Tailspin topics is the best you'll get. Don't know how deep you're willing to research to find which BuNos and what A-6B mod they had and when. Those mods are a mess--at least Tommy spells them out for you, allowing you to make an honest effort. Thanks! Looks like I just need the Mod 0 modifications as covered in the Steel Beach set. Biggest headscratcher are the horizontal stab tip mods, the pic on Tailspin doesn’t really show me all I’d like to see… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now