EA-6B Prowler
A U. S. Navy EA-6B Prowler
Type	Electronic attack
Manufacturer	Grumman
Maiden flight	25 May 1968[1]
Introduced	July 1971
Status	Active
Primary users	United States Navy United States Marine Corps
Number built	170
Unit cost	US$52 million
Developed from	A-6 Intruder

The EA-6B Prowler is a twin-engine, mid-wing aircraft manufactured by Grumman (now Northrop Grumman Aerospace) as a modification of the basic A-6 Intruder airframe. An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading 20th century U The maiden flight of an Aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1968: Events January January 21 - a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1971: Events January January 6 - the United States Marine Corps The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading 20th century U Northrop Grumman Corporation ( is an Aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Mission

Designed for carrier and advanced base operations, the Prowler is a fully integrated electronic warfare system combining long-range, all-weather capabilities with advanced electronic countermeasures. A forward equipment bay and pod-shaped fairing on the vertical fin house the additional avionics equipment. It is the United States Navy's (USN) and the United States Marine Corps's primary electronic warfare aircraft. Electronic warfare ( EW) is the use of the Electromagnetic spectrum to effectively deny the use of this medium by an adversary while optimizing its use by friendly The primary mission of the aircraft is to support strike aircraft and ground troops by interrupting enemy electronic activity and obtaining tactical electronic intelligence within a combat area.

Since the retirement of the EF-111 Raven in 1995, it is one of the primary aerial radar jammers in the Department of Defense (DoD) arsenal. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout It has been utilized in practically every US combat operation and is frequently flown in support of the United States Air Force. The increased usage has shortened the airframes' lifetimes and the USN's aircraft are slated to be replaced by the EA-18G Growler. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Development

The Prowler has a crew of four, a pilot and three Electronic Counter-measures Officers (known as ECMOs). Powered by two non-afterburning Pratt & Whitney J52-P408 turbojet engines, it is capable of speeds of up to 950 km/h (590 miles per hour) with a range of 1,840 kilometers (1,140 miles). Pratt & Whitney is an American Aircraft engine manufacturer of products widely used in both civil and military aircraft. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout TurboJET (噴射飛航 is the brand name for the operations of the Hong Kong -based Shun Tak-China Travel Ship Management Limited (信德中旅船務管理有限公司 A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States Since EW operations are very demanding, the Prowler is a high-maintenance aircraft and also undergoes more frequent equipment upgrades than any other aircraft in the Navy.

Design particulars include the refueling probe being asymmetrical, appearing bent to the right; it contains an antenna near its root. The canopy has a shading of gold not for sunlight but to protect the crew against the radio emissions that the electronic warfare equipment produces.

A Marine EA-6A Intruder over Cherry Point, 1978.

Although designed as an electronic escort and command and control platform for strike missions, the EA-6B is also capable of attacking surface targets on its own, especially radars, SAM launchers, and other enemy defenses. Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships A surface to air missile ( SAM) or ground-to-air missile ( GTAM) is a Missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy Aircraft The AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) is the main offensive strike weapon of the Prowler. Gulf War Friendly Fire Incident During the Gulf War, the HARM was involved in a friendly fire incident when the pilot of an F-4G Wild Weasel escorting In addition, the aircraft is highly capable of conducting electronic intelligence (ELINT) collection.

An earlier EA-6A "Electric Intruder" was developed during the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Basically a straightforward conversion of the standard two-seat A-6 airframe fitted with EW equipment, it was essentially an interim aircraft used only by a few USMC squadrons. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

The much more advanced and substantially redesigned EA-6B first flew on May 25, 1968 and entered service in July 1971. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1968: Events January January 21 - a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1971: Events January January 6 - the United States Marine Corps ^[2]

Advanced Capability EA-6B (ADVCAP)

EA-6B ADVCAP

The Advanced Capability EA-6B Prowler (ADVCAP) was a development program initiated to improve the flying qualities of the EA-6B and to upgrade the avionics and electronic warfare systems. Avionics means "aviation electronics" It comprises electronic systems for use on aircraft artificial satellites and spacecraft comprising Communications Electronic warfare ( EW) is the use of the Electromagnetic spectrum to effectively deny the use of this medium by an adversary while optimizing its use by friendly The intention was to modify all EA-6B's into the ADVCAP configuration, however the program was removed from the Fiscal Year 1995 budget due to financial pressure from competing Department of Defense acquisition programs. The United States Department of Defense ( DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government

The ADVCAP development program was initiated in the late 1980s and was broken into three distinct phases: Full-Scale Development (FSD), Vehicle Enhancement Program (VEP) and the Avionics Improvement Program (AIP).

FSD served primarily to evaluate the new AN/ALQ-149 Electronic Warfare System. The program utilized a slightly modified EA-6B to house the new system.

The VEP added numerous changes to the aircraft to address deficiencies with the original EA-6B flying qualities, particularly lateral-directional problems that exacerbated recovery from out-of-control flight. Bureau Number 158542 was used. Changes included:

• Leading edge strakes (to improve directional stability)
• Fin pod extension (to improve directional stability)
• Ailerons (to improve slow speed lateral control)
• Recontoured leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps (to compensate for an increase in gross weight)
• Two additional wing stations on the outer wing panel (for jamming pods only)
• New J52-P-409 engines (increased thrust by 2000 lbf (8. 9 kN) per engine)
• New digital Standard Automatic Flight Control System (SAFCS)

The added modifications increased the aircraft gross weight approximately 2,000 pound (900 kg) and shifted the center of gravity 3% MAC aft of the baseline EA-6B. When operating at sustained high angles-of-attack, fuel migration would cause additional shifts in CG with the result that the aircraft had slightly negative longitudinal static stability. Results of flight tests of the new configuration showed greatly improved flying qualities and the rearward shift of the CG had minimal impact.

A Prowler during a preflight inspection at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq.

The AIP prototype (bureau number 158547) represented the final ADVCAP configuration, incorporating all of the FSD and VEP modifications plus a completely new avionics suite which added multi-function displays to all crew positions, a head-up display for the pilot, and dual Global Positioning System/INS navigation systems. The initial joint test phase between the contractor and the US Navy test pilots completed successfully with few deficiencies.

After the program was canceled, the three experimental Prowlers, BuNo 156482, 158542 and 158547, were mothballed until 1999. During the next several years, the three aircraft were dismantled and reassembled creating a single aircraft, b/n 158542, which the Navy dubbed FrankenProwler. It was returned to active service March 23, 2005. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[3]

Operational history

EA-6B Prowler takes off from Eielson AFB. Eielson Air Force Base is located in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska. Note the tint of the gold embedded in the canopy. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 The gold provides protection from electromagnetic (EM) interference and prevents some EM emissions

About 125 Prowlers remain today, divided between 12 Navy, 4 Marine, and 4 joint Navy-Air Force "Expeditionary" squadrons. Electromagnetism is the Physics of the Electromagnetic field: a field which exerts a Force on particles that possess the property of A JCS staff study recommended that the EF-111 Raven be retired to reduce Type/Model/Series aircraft dedicated to the same mission, which led to an OSD Program Decision Memorandum (PDM) to establish 4 "expeditionary" Prowler squadrons composed of Navy and USAF personnel to meet the needs of the Air Force. The Joint Chiefs of Staff ( JCS) is a group comprising the Chiefs of service of each major branch of the Armed services in the United States armed forces The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD is part of the United States Department of Defense and includes the entire staff of the Secretary of Defense.

Though once considered being replaced by Common Support Aircraft, the original plan failed to materialize. The Common Support Aircraft ( CSA) is a proposed concept which has been considered by the United States Navy since at least the early 1990s to replace a number of Although EA-6B remains in service today, the Navy EA-6B Prowler community is slated to be begin transitioning in 2009 to the EA-18G Growler, a new electronic warfare derivative of the F/A-18F Super Hornet. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Electronic warfare ( EW) is the use of the Electromagnetic spectrum to effectively deny the use of this medium by an adversary while optimizing its use by friendly WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout All but one active duty Navy EA-6B squadrons are based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, located in the northwest corner of the state of Washington. VAQ-136 is stationed at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, as part of Carrier Air Wing 5, the forward deployed air wing that deploys aboard USS Kitty Hawk and VAQ-209, a Navy Reserve squadron, is stationed at NAF Washington, DC. Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5 is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Atsugi, Japan. 1961 to 1964 Following a shakedown in the Western Atlantic, Kitty Hawk departed Norfolk on 11 August 1961. Marine EA-6B squadrons are located at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point (* is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States

Operations in Afghanistan & Iraq

According to news reports, the Prowler has been used in anti-IED operations in the current conflict in Afghanistan for several years by jamming remote detonation devices such as garage door openers or cellular telephones. An improvised explosive device ( IED) is a Bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional Military action The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7 2001 as the U ^[4] Two Prowler squadrons are also based in Iraq, working with the same mission. ^[5]

Operators

•  United States
  • United States Marine Corps
  • United States Navy

An EA-6B Prowler from VAQ-138 carrying two wing mounted jamming pods. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

USN squadrons

• VAQ-128 Phoenix (disestablished 2004)
• VAQ-129 Vikings
• VAQ-130 Zappers
• VAQ-131 Lancers
• VAQ-132 Scorpions, (originally VAH-2)
• VAQ-133 Wizards
• VAQ-134 Garudas
• VAQ-135 Black Ravens
• VAQ-136 Gauntlets
• VAQ-137 Rooks
• VAQ-138 Yellow Jackets
• VAQ-139 Cougars
• VAQ-140 Patriots
• VAQ-141 Shadowhawks
• VAQ-142 Grey Wolves
• VAQ-209 Star Warriors

USMC squadrons

• VMAQ-1 Banshees
• VMAQ-2 Death Jesters
• VMAQ-3 Moon Dogs
• VMAQ-4 Seahawks

Incidents

While no Prowler has ever been lost in combat, over forty were destroyed in various accidents as of 2007. Electronic Attack Squadron One Two Nine (VAQ-129 is the United States Navy and Marine Corps ' only EA-6B Prowler training squadron Electronic Attack Squadron 135 (VAQ-135 is a United States Navy electronic attack squadron Electronic Attack Squadron 136 (VAQ-136 also known as "The Gauntlets" is a United States Navy Electronic attack squadron forward-deployed to Naval VAQ-137, also known as Electronic Attack Warfare Squadron 137 is a U Electronic Attack Squadron 139 (VAQ-139, also known as the "Cougars" is an EA-6B Prowler squadron of the United States Navy. VAQ-140 is a US Navy electronic attack squadron Known as the Patriots the squadron operates the EA-6B Prowler carrier-based Electronic warfare jet aircraft Electronic Attack Squadron 142 (VAQ-142 also known as "The Gray Wolves" is an EA-6B Prowler squadron of the United States Navy. Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 1 (VMAQ-1 is a United States Marine Corps electronic warfare squadron consisting of EA-6B Prowler jets Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2 (VMAQ-2 is a United States Marine Corps electronic warfare squadron consisting of EA-6B Prowler jets Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 3 (VMAQ-3 is one of four Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadrons in the United States Marine Corps. Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 (VMAQ-4 is a United States Marine Corps electronic warfare squadron consisting of EA-6B Prowler jets

• On May 26, 1981, an EA-6B crashed onto the flight deck of the USS Nimitz and caused a blaze, killing 14 crew men and injuring 45 others. Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Ship's history The USS Nimitz was first deployed to the Mediterranean in 1976 in company with the nuclear powered Cruisers USS ''South Carolina'' ^[6]
• A USMC EA-6B Prowler, BuNo 163045, from VMAQ-2 caused the Cavalese cable-car disaster on February 3, 1998, cutting the cables of a ski-lift in Italy and killing 20. Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2 (VMAQ-2 is a United States Marine Corps electronic warfare squadron consisting of EA-6B Prowler jets The Cavalese cable car disaster occurred on 3 February 1998 near the Italian town Cavalese when a U Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest
• In 1998, a memorial at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island was dedicated to 44 crew members lost in EA-6B aircraft accidents. ^[7] Later that year on November 10, 1998, that total increased to 48 when four crew members were killed when an EA-6B collided with an S-3 Viking during night landing practice on USS Enterprise (CVN-65). Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Design Enterprise was intended to be the first of a class of six but construction costs ballooned and the remaining vessels were never laid down resulting in her ^[8] Five more aircraft have been lost since 1998, but none resulted in fatalities.
• On February 11, 2008, 20 miles NE of Guam a EA-6B from VAQ-136 was destroyed. All four crew members survived.

Specifications (EA-6B)

Two EA-6B Prowlers over Turkey flying in support of Operation Northern Watch, 2002.

An EA-6B patrols the skies over Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1995.

Data from US Navy Fact File,^[9] UA Navy history page^[10]

General characteristics

• Crew: four (one pilot, three electronic countermeasures officers)
• Length: 59 ft 10 in (17. 7 m)
• Wingspan: 53 ft (15. The wingspan (or just span) of an airplane or a Bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip 9 m)
• Height: 16 ft 8 in (4. 9 m)
• Wing area: 528. 9 ft² (49. 1 m²)
• Empty weight: 31,160 lb (15,130 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 61,500 lb 61,500 (27,900 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney J52-P408A turbojet, 10,400 lbf (46 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 566 knots (651 mph, 1,050 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 418 kt (481 mph, 774 km/h)
• Range: 2,022 mi (tanks kept) / 2,400 mi (tanks dropped) (3,254 km / 3,861 km)
• Service ceiling 37,600 ft (11,500 m)
• Rate of climb: 12,900 ft/min (65 m/s)
• Wing loading: 116 lb/ft² (560 kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: 0. The Maximum Takeoff Weight or Maximum Takeoff Mass of an Aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot of the aircraft is allowed to attempt to take off WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout TurboJET (噴射飛航 is the brand name for the operations of the Hong Kong -based Shun Tak-China Travel Ship Management Limited (信德中旅船務管理有限公司 In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such The maximal total range is the distance an Aircraft can fly between Takeoff and Landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft or cross-country In Aeronautics, a ceiling is the maximum Density altitude an aircraft can reach under a set of conditions In Aerodynamics, the rate of climb RoC is the speed at which an Aircraft increases its Altitude. In Aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing Thrust-to-weight ratio is as its name suggests the ratio of instantaneous Thrust to Weight (where weight means weight at the Earth ’s surface 34

Armament

• Up to 4 AGM-88 HARM antiradar missiles
• Up to 5 ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System (TJS) external pods
• Up to 5 300 gallon external drop tanks

Avionics

• ALQ-99 on board receiver (OBS), ALQ-99 pod mounted jamming system (TJS)
• USQ-113 communications jamming system

See also

Related development

• A-6 Intruder
  

Comparable aircraft

• EF-111 Raven
• EA-18 Growler
  

Related lists

• List of active military aircraft of the United States
  

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• EA-6B Prowler Fact File and EA-6B history on Navy.mil
• Grumman EA-6B Prowler on NASA Langley site, discussion of ADCAP VEP and cooling modifications.
• EA-6B Prowler on GlobalSecurity.org

• EA-6B Gondola Mishap, Cavalese, Italy, February 3, 1998, Aviation Safety Consulting Services,
• "Navy pilots honor philanthropic locals", East Oregonian News, April 29, 2006. Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
• "Navy Making Significant Investment To Keep Prowlers Flying", Defense Daily, October 16, 2007. Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.