A-3 Skywarrior Loadout

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Checking the information of the A-3 naval bomber I discover with the A-3 has the option of under wind station, some of the stations has used in the ERA-3B and the NRA-3B, but this stations was standard of the A-3 original bomber version of was added in a after version? What is the theoretical cargo capability of that under wind stations?

The NRA-3B
frm http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/NRA-3B_PTMC_DN-SC-83-05204.JPEG

Edit: Resized photo as attachement and link to source
 

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I just stumbled across this video to do with the EA-3B Skywarrior:


This is the first video produced by author and historian Bruce Gamble for his new channel, Skywarrior Media. Originally filmed by Bruce in the mid-1980s (using a bulky VHS camcorder), the video documents a reconnaissance mission over the Gulf of Oman by an EA-3B Skywarrior crew from the USS Carl Vinson. Viewers get a "dashcam" look at flight operations, a catapult launch, aerial refueling, and an arrested landing. Several Cold War era planes appear, including F-14s, A-7s, A-6s, and E-2Cs.
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Visit http://www.brucegamble.com for more information on Bruce's award-winning books and his video channel, Skywarrior Media.
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I find no mention of any standard A-3 being fitted with the underwing pylons - only occasional individual test/research and special-mission aircraft.

All A-3A (A3D-1) and A-3B (A3D-2) models could have had the underwing pylons (1 per wing) added, but there was never a need to seen by the USN.
 
BlackBat242 said:
All A-3A (A3D-1) and A-3B (A3D-2) models could have had the underwing pylons (1 per wing) added, but there was never a need to seen by the USN.
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Not surprising given that the A-3 had a sizeable bomb-bay from the beginning sized to carry large early nuclear bombs such as the Mark 6.
 
If only somebody had the exact dimensions of the A-3 bomb bay... I would be grateful.
 
**A-3 Skywarrior Bomb Bay Dimensions**
The bomb bay of the A-3 Skywarrior was designed to carry nuclear and conventional ordnance. Key specifications:
1. **Length** — 4.57 meters (15 feet), allowing accommodation of thermonuclear bombs like the Mk 15 or Mk 28.
2. **Width** — 1.5 meters.
3. **Maximum payload capacity** — Up to 5,443–5,806 kg, including nuclear bombs, conventional munitions (e.g., 12 × 230-kg Mk 82 bombs or 4 × 907-kg bombs), mines, or torpedoes.

**Design Features**
- The bomb bay was located in the central fuselage and equipped with a weapons management system, including the AN/ASB-7 radar for precision bombing.
- In reconnaissance (RA-3B) or electronic warfare (EA-3B) variants, the bomb bay was reconfigured to house cameras, fuel tanks, or electronic countermeasures (ECM) equipment.

**Data Sources**
- Dimensions are cited in technical descriptions of the aircraft from Russian-language resources.
- Payload specifications are confirmed by both U.S. and international sources.

For further details, refer to articles on the A-3 Skywarrior’s design in sources [1], [4], [6], [8].
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The only thermonuclear bomb that the A-3 carried as far as I know before the strategic nuclear-bombing mission in the USN was transferred to the Polaris SLBM was the Mk-15 TN bomb (The TX-15 ZOMBIE prototype was tested in the 1954 Castle Nectar shot yielding 1.69MT).
 
paralay said:
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Could you please reveal the sources for these data?
**Data Sources**
- Dimensions are cited in technical descriptions of the aircraft from Russian-language resources.
- Payload specifications are confirmed by both U.S. and international sources. For further details, refer to articles on the A-3 Skywarrior’s design in sources [1], [4], [6], [8].
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... is very vague.

Failing that, could you reveal which parameters you gave to deepseek to produce its answer?
 
theaviationgeekclub.com

Did you know that even though the A-3 Skywarrior didn’t have a bombsight was the most accurate dive bomber during the Vietnam War?

Did you know that even though the A-3 Skywarrior didn’t have a bombsight was the most accurate dive bomber during the Vietnam War?
theaviationgeekclub.com theaviationgeekclub.com

theaviationgeekclub.com

The NRA-3B Snoopy, the Skywarrior deployment during Operation Desert Storm and the last Days of the Whale - The Aviation Geek Club

The NRA-3B Snoopy, the Skywarrior deployment during Operation Desert Storm and the last Days of the Whale
theaviationgeekclub.com theaviationgeekclub.com
 
Arjen said:
Failing that, could you reveal which parameters you gave to deepseek to produce its answer?
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A-3 Skywarrior payload bay dimensions?

Hmm, I need to find information about the dimensions of the A-3 Skywarrior's weapons bay. Let's look at the search results provided.

Webpage 1 states that the bomb bay must be at least 4.57 m long to accommodate a nuclear bomb or a combination of conventional weapons with a total weight of 5,439 kg. This directly indicates the length of the bay. 1

Webpage 2 in Chinese mentions that the payload reaches 5,800 kg, and also specifies that the bay can accommodate various types of bombs, including nuclear ones. Although the exact dimensions are not specified, this confirms the capacity. 2

Webpage 4 in Russian describes the bomb bay as 4.5 m long and 1.5 m wide, which matches the data from other sources. It also mentions a capacity of up to 5,443 kg. 7

Webpage 8 gives similar figures: length 4.57 m, width 1.5 m, maximum payload 5806 kg. This repeats the information from other sources, confirming its reliability. 13

Webpage 6 also gives the bay length of 4.5 m and width 1.5 m, and the maximum payload weight up to 5443 kg. 9

Putting everything together, the basic parameters of the A-3 Skywarrior's combat bay are: length about 4.5 meters, width 1.5 meters, capacity up to 5800 kg. These data are confirmed by several sources, making them reliable.
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5700 - 5800 mm x 1500 mm
 

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@paralay Thank you for the effort, and for including the drawing.
As with other AI generated search results, sources will be impossible to trace. I do not think we should continue on this path, unless AI starts listing its sources explicitly.
In the linked reply, it is immediately clear AI generated gibberish. In other cases, it will be harder to judge.
 
Here's what the DeepSeek gave me:

The A-3 Skywarrior, also known as the Douglas A-3 Skywarrior, was a versatile carrier-based aircraft used by the United States Navy. Its payload bay dimensions were designed to accommodate a variety of weapons, equipment, and mission-specific configurations. Here are the details:

A-3 Skywarrior Payload Bay Dimensions​

  • Length: Approximately 22 feet (6.7 meters).
  • Width: Approximately 5 feet (1.5 meters).
  • Height: Approximately 4 feet (1.2 meters).
These dimensions allowed the A-3 to carry a wide range of payloads, including nuclear bombs, conventional bombs, and reconnaissance equipment.

Sources​

  1. "Douglas A-3 Skywarrior: The U.S. Navy's Versatile 'Whale'" by Robert F. Dorr (Osprey Publishing, 1989).
    • This book provides detailed technical specifications of the A-3 Skywarrior, including payload bay dimensions.
  2. "The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft" by David Donald (Barnes & Noble Books, 1997).
    • Contains general specifications of the A-3 Skywarrior, including its payload capacity and bay dimensions.
  3. National Naval Aviation Museum (official website and archives).
    • The museum's documentation on the A-3 Skywarrior includes technical details about its design and payload capabilities.
  4. "U.S. Naval Air Power: The Aircraft Carriers and Their Units" by Mark Stille (Osprey Publishing, 2007).
    • Discusses the A-3 Skywarrior's role and capabilities, including payload bay dimensions.
 
Dilandu said:
Here's what the DeepSeek gave me:

The A-3 Skywarrior, also known as the Douglas A-3 Skywarrior, was a versatile carrier-based aircraft used by the United States Navy. Its payload bay dimensions were designed to accommodate a variety of weapons, equipment, and mission-specific configurations. Here are the details:

A-3 Skywarrior Payload Bay Dimensions​

  • Length: Approximately 22 feet (6.7 meters).
  • Width: Approximately 5 feet (1.5 meters).
  • Height: Approximately 4 feet (1.2 meters).
These dimensions allowed the A-3 to carry a wide range of payloads, including nuclear bombs, conventional bombs, and reconnaissance equipment.

​

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That's big enough for two or maybe even up to four Tomahawks.
 
If the bomb bay is almost 7 meters when the A-3 is a little more than 21 m long, then that's approximately 1/3rd.

https://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2015/06/a3d-2-3b-skywarrior-bomb-bay.html

A3D+Bomb+Bay+Tank+Illustration.jpg


EKA3B_08a.jpg


Wikipedia J57 entry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_&_Whitney_J57

Length: 244 in (6197.6mm) but that's with afterburner, albeit the A-3 nacelles add some length.

6024735577_683b7ce9c7_c.jpg
 
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