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EA-6B Prowler US Navy Jet Fighter
on the deck of the aircraft carrier
Photo by C. Jeff Dyrek
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EA6B Prowler is strictly built for electronic countermeasures and electronic
warfare. You can see that it is built to seat 4 crew members.
This
aircraft was very classified and high tech. The big thing sticking out
above the nose is a fuel boom.
Take a close look at the canopy.
you can see a slightly golden tint in the windshield.
This is because
the windshield actually had gold impregnated into it.
In real life
the gold tint is much more evident.
I was told that these special
windshields were 500,000 each.
The gold was used to protect the
sensitive electronic equipment inside.
EA-6B Prowler Model Kit, Click the Picture
0009229ALT="EA-6B Prowler 1/72 Model Airplane Kit" HSPACE=10 VSPACE=10 BORDER=2 height=105 width=250 align=RIGHT>
The gold tint you mention was not used to protect electronic equipment inside the cockpit, it was used to protect the pilots from the radiation produced by the ECM pods. (The pods were hung under the wing or belly hardpoints and were recognizable by the small prop on the front). The aircraft itself had a weight on wheels switch which prevented activation of the pods while on deck. The reason being that if they did activate, anyone with-in range would be cooked from the inside out - much like what being inside a microwave oven would be. Also, on the Vigilante, if you recall, they always placed rubber protective strips along the trailing edges of the rear horizontal stabilizers. The reason was that the trailing edge was so sharp a person could cut themselves if they happened to bump into it. I was on the cruise also. Worked in Airframes Shop, VA-52 Knightriders. AMH1 M. M. Perkins (1974-1982) Go Navy!! |
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| I was viewing
your web page and i read where you said you don't believe the prowler has
weapons. The fact is it can hold up to 4 HARM missiles ( high speed anti-radiation
missiles) theses missiles can be placed on stations 1,2,4,5 they are used
to take out enemy radar. iserved 4 years
in the navy working on the prowler.
Sincerely AD3 Rick K Williams |
Click here for A-6 Intruder and Prowler Books.
Click Here for A-6 Intruder and Prowler Models |
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