Wild Weasels

[Daryl J.]

What aircraft could have served as alternate WW aircraft?   I personally know virtually nothing about required sizes, speeds, and carrying capacities of the aircraft involved.   In fact, seeing the missile under the wing of the Thunderchief leaves me 3 impressions:  big, pointy, and dangerous.    YeppereeBob, I'm pretty ignorant. 

Could the following have been used?   B-57, Sea Vixen, Intruder, TSR-2,  Buccaneer?  Etc.

Thanks for any information and/or links.
Daryl J.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

A-6B Intruder [source: Wikipedia - Grumman A-6 Intruder]

To provide U.S. Navy squadrons with a defense suppression aircraft to attack enemy antiaircraft defense and SAM missile systems, a mission dubbed "Iron Hand" by the U.S. Navy, 19 A-6As were converted to A-6B version during 1967 to 1970.[13] The A-6B had many of its standard attack systems removed in favor of specialized equipment to detect and track enemy radar sites and to guide AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-78 Standard anti-radiation missiles, with AN/APQ-103 radar replacing earlier AN/APQ-92 used in the A-6A, plus AN/APN-153 navigational radar replacing earlier AN/APN-122, again used in the A-6A.

Between 1968 and 1977, several Intruder squadrons operated A-6Bs alongside their regular A-6As. Five were lost to all causes, and the survivors were later converted to A-6E standard in the late 1970s.

The A-6B was cleared to carry the AGM-45 Shrike and the AGM-78 Standard ARM. 


Buccaneer could carry the MARTEL missile in two variants of which one was the AJ.168 electro-optical (TV) guided and the other was the AS-37 which was a dedicated anti-radar missile. 


The B-57 Canberra did not have the electronics systems to support the Wild Weasel/Iron Hand SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) mission.  But it was a bomb dropper, rocket shooter, and a strafer so if there was any kind of Electronics on board to alert the pilot and navigator to any radar threat it could have been used to vector on to the emitter and if located visually it could attack and destroy the target. 

F-100F was modified to perform the SEAD mission under the Wild Weasel program.  It was cleared to carry the AGM-45 Shrike and it was the first of many to perform the USAF SEAD mission.  During the Korean war the A-26 Invader was modified to home in on enemy radars and attack them with bombs, rockets, and guns.  During WW2 some Hawker Typhoons were modified to home in on and attack German radar sites with bombs, rockets, and guns. 

Some versions of the Sea Vixen were cleared to carry the AGM-12 Bullpup.  The launcher adapter unit for the Bullpup could also accomodate the AGM-45 Shrike ARM so who knows, maybe it could and maybe not.  I know very little about the Sea Vixen other than what it looks like. 

[Daryl J.]

Would it be more appropriate to use the term SEAD than Wild Weasel if using a time frame after say about 1976?

[kitnut617]

This is what this will be, an SEAD STOVL Canberra.  The plan is to have up to four pylons under each wing plus the drop tank one. A mix of Martels and AS-30's (I think that's what they are)

[Kerick]

Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) is a strategy for disabling the air defense system so friendly aircraft can get in and get out of a target area. The Wild Weasel aircraft had the mission of actually attacking radar sites to destroy them or get them to shut down for a period of time. SEAD could use Wild Weasel, artillery, a strike package, cruise missles, electronic jamming or any combination to accomplish its objective. IMHO any strike aircraft with the load carrying capacity and the electronic ability could be a Wild Weasel aircraft.

[upnorth]

The RAF was examining the potential for the Tornado F.3 in the SEAD role some years ago, but I don't think it got far.

I imagine the  Buccaneer would be pretty good for it too. Used the bulged weapons bay option to house electronic gear and come in real low with the strike.

[elmayerle]

One of McAir's trials F-15s flew with a simulated HTM faired in under the nose as part of an effort toward an EF-15.  I can see some definite potential there including Wild Weasel-specific conformal tanks or a conformal belly pod for the AN/ALQ-99 as carried by the EF-111A.  It could make for a good mix of offensive and defensive radar-surpression weaponry.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Would it be more appropriate to use the term SEAD than Wild Weasel if using a time frame after say about 1976?

Suppression of Enemy Air Defense is probably a better description of the task.  The program names Wild Weasel and Iron Hand are more popular and easy to remember for some reason.  The mission or task to suppress enemy radar has been around since WW2.  Attacking ground based radar installations was performed by RAF Typhoons tasked to take down the German radar network in Normandy prior to the invasion.  There was a code word assigned for this mission but I have not found it.  I thought it was Rhubarb but that code word applies to the low level fighter sweeps searching for targets of opportunity (sort of like armed reconnaissance missions) so it could very well have been one of the tasks of thsee Rhubarb missions to seek out these radar sites and destroy them.  I do remember reading about the Typhoon in having special radio receiving equipment on board that was tuned to the frequencies known to be in use by the German radars and it was by homing in on these signals that the Typhoons were able to locate the radar sites and when acquired visually to destroy them.  A most dangerous mission as they had to fly straight at the radar site and through any ground defenses along the way so they were in a very vulnerable position while trying to accomplish their mission. 

I can not recall anything to show what efforts the USAAF did for anything similar to this during WW2.  There is an image in the Squadron A-26 Invader in Action book that shows an A-26 on the ramp in Korea that has a very unique antenna mounted just ahead of the cockpit, above the bombardier/navigators station and the description states that this aircraft was tasked with an anti-radar mission that required it to home in on the radar signal and when acquired visually to destroy the target.  Ordnance would have been what was cleared for the A-26 which included all variety of demolition bombs, fragmentation bombs, incendiary bombs, fire bombs, rockets, and guns. 

Attacking radar sites was just one more task in the mission menu with no real specialist ordnance available until the introduction of the AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-78 Standard ARM.  Both of these weapons were developed by the Navy and the USAF showed up late for the party.  The only real anti-radar missile in the USAF inventory was armed with a nuclear warhead and not allowed on the playground in Vietnam.  It was also carried by the B-52


Some further reading on the subject:

National Museum of the Air Force Fact Sheet - Operation Iron Hand

National Museum of the Air Force Fact Sheet - First In, Last Out: Wild Weasels vs. SAMs

Air Force Magazine - "Take It Down!  The Wild Weasels in Vietnam"*PDF file document that can be downloaded or viewed on-line.

USAF Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL, School of Advanced Airpower Studies - "Planting the seeds of SEAD: The Wild Weasel in Vietnam."*PDF file document that can be downloaded or viewed on-line.

Society of Wild Weasels

Wikipedia - SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defense)

Wikipedia - Operation Iron Hand

Wikipedia - Wild Weasel

Wikipedia - Anti-Radiation Missile

[Daryl J.]

Could a prop job such as an Invader, A-1E, or such performed the role in Vietnam?   

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Could a prop job such as an Invader, A-1E, or such performed the role in Vietnam?

Depending on the air defense system anything is possible.  The A-26 Invader under the Nimrod project did attack air defense artillery and automatic weapons sites along the HCMT successfully as part of their mission while trying to stem the flow of supplies into the South.  The Skyraider may well have done the same thing. 

Keep in mind that aircraft like the A-26 Invader were not loaded down with a lot of extra electronics for that purpose.  They were attack aircraft servicing targets of opportunity as they became visible to the crew during the course of a mission.  So they were essentially trolling the HCMT looking for tracers in the dark of the night.  Some of the Invaders did have the benefit of a first generation Starlight Scope but that was used by the co-pilot and was of limited value due to the field of view and other quirks. 

[elmayerle]

I keep thinking of an EA-5 variant for both electronic and physical SEAD operation.  Replace the recce equipment with AN/ALQ-99 and converting the pod to a radome ala' the EF-111A and carry ARMs on at least some of the wing pylons.  Perhaps with a antenna fairing on top of the vertical similar to what the EA-6B and EF-111A used?

I wonder if it would end up in USAF or USN markings?