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| EA-6B Prowler Specifications and HistoryWing span: 53 feet
Length: 60 feet
Height: 16 feet
Weight: empty: 32,162 pounds
maximum takeoff: 65,000 pounds
Speed: maximum at sea level: 651 mph
cruise: 481 mph
Ceiling: 38,000 feet with five ECM pods
Combat range: maximum external fuel: 2,083 nautical miles
Power plant: two Pratt and Whitney J52-P-408 turbojet engines
Crew: four (pilot and three electronic warfare officers)
Contractor: Grumman Aerospace
The EA-6B Prowler was designed to complement the Navy's defenses
in today's electronic warfare environment. Electronic countermeasures
required improvement to compete with the ever-increasing complexity
of hostile radar-guided guns, missiles and aircraft. The Prowler
was the first aircraft built from the drawing boards to fulfill
the role of an electronic warfare aircraft.
The first EA-6B was received by the Navy at NAS Whidbey Island,
Washington in January 1971 and deployed to Vietnam in 1972. This
"standard version" of the aircraft was replaced in 1973
with the "expanded capability" (EXCAP) EA-6B which augmented
the frequency coverage of the ECM system. In 1976 the "improved
capability" (ICAP) version entered service. The ICAP II EA-6B
was the follow-on and a more sophisticated version. Its first
deployment was in 1985. It featureed updated operator displays,
an inertial navigation system, expanded frequency coverage and
a "tactical EA-6B mission support" (TEAMS) system which
allows sophisticated pre-flight planning and programming.
Combining a fully integrated electronic warfare system with
long range, all-weather capability, the EA-6B has the ability
to intercept, analyze and effectively neutralize hostile radars.
Built by Grumman Aerospace Corporation, it is designed for carrier
and advanced base operations. It has the basic airframe of the
A-6 series with the addition of a forward cockpit, increasing
the crew complement to four: one pilot and three electronic counter-measures
officers (ECMO's).
The EA-6B supports strike aircraft, ships, and ground troops
by degrading the enemy's early warning capability and electronic
weapons systems. The avionics contained in the aircraft enable
it to navigate under all weather conditions without reference
to ground navigation aids, fly high altitude or low level profiles,
and intercept and jam enemy electronic emissions by means of its
primary "weapon", the Tactical Jamming System (TJS).
The TJS consists of an Onboard Electronic System (OBS) and
externally mounted jammer pods. The OBS is capable of monitoring
the electronic environment and displaying it to the ECMO's. When
a threat is detected, action is taken to tune and direct the jammer
pod antennae to the hostile radar.
EA-6B improvements have been many and varied to meet the current
and projected threat. Other additions include incorporation of
the "high-speed anti-radiation missile" (HARM) and improved
communications jamming capability. The EA-6B ICAP II Block 89
program is providing new safety, structural and avionics modifications
for the aircraft. This aircraft is projected to be operational
through the year 2015.
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