A-7E's upgrades: When and what?

[FrankD]

Hello pilots,

 

could someone point me to a reliable and exhaustive source about the A-7E Corsair II and its upgrades?

 

Particularly, I want to know if and when they were updated with a passive (RWR) / active (jammer) ECM and a TACAN (ARN-118?).

 

Also, could you please clarify something that is bogging me for some time now. The small bulb below the air intake, is laser designator (Pave Penny?) or laser "receiver"?

 

The books I found talks about the A-7D but few details is wrote about the men's version.

 

Thanks for your attention and thanks by advance for the knowledge you will share. ;)

 

Best regards

Edited January 4, 2011 by FrankD

[MigBuster]

Not personally this any use? http://www.joebaugher.com/usattack/newa7.html

[FrankD]

Hello MigBuster,

 

thanks for your interest , that website is amongst my knwon source though.

 

It does mention "several upgrades" but doesn't go very much indepth, except for the FLIR, which, afaik, ain't in SF2 series.

 

Best regards

Edited January 4, 2011 by FrankD

[+Soulfreak]

Maybe ask the guys over @ http://www.arcforums.com

in the research sub forum

Edited January 13, 2011 by Soulfreak

[+Prowler1111]

Hello pilots,

 

could someone point me to a reliable and exhaustive source about the A-7E Corsair II and its upgrades?

 

Particularly, I want to know if and when they were updated with a passive (RWR) / active (jammer) ECM and a TACAN (ARN-118?).

 

Also, could you please clarify something that is bogging me for some time now. The small bulb below the air intake, is laser designator (Pave Penny?) or laser "receiver"?

 

The books I found talks about the A-7D but few details is wrote about the men's version.

 

Thanks for your attention and thanks by advance for the knowledge you will share. ;)

 

Best regards

 

Well, i have done quite some extensive research on SLUF´s do to the fact i developed (and still developing) simulated 3d versions for flight sims.Regarding the A-7D, the chin pod is a passive Pave Penny laser receiver and it´s the same sported by the A-10´s since it was developed for the A-10, no A-7E USN ever received such system (mainly because there was no space at the chin) but used a FLIR pod which was very heavy, and very unreliable since it tended to overheat pretty fast, but had some minor passive laser capacity(not as Pave Penny)LGB´s loaded SLUF´s used a designator aircraft in order to drop their ordnance. As for the electronic suite, on A-7E´s:

On board ECM:

AN/ALQ-100

AN/ALQ126

both on nose blisters

Same (but either one) on a tail blister

Also near the tailhook there is another set

of either one of both mentioned above

 

ECM Warning recievers (on tail)

AN/APR-27

AN/ALR-45 or AN/ALR-45F

On top of the plane (or spine)

AN/APR-27

AN/ALR-50 or AN/APR-43

On "cheeks"

AN/APR-25

AN/ALR-45 or AN/ALR-45F

same set near the nose gear

 

2 TACAN antennas (on top and belly)with various designations

 

Hope this helps

 

Best regards

Prowler

[FrankD]

Thank you very much Prowler1111, that helps a lot.

 

Soulfreak, thank you for that link, I didn't knew that forum.

 

Best regards to you both.

[firehawkordy]

If you want to a good history of the A-7A-P try getting your hands on this book,A-7 Corsair II In Detail and Scale, goes through the changes of each type and has real good "backstage" pics of the various areas on the birds.

 

http://www.amazon.com/-7-Corsair-II-detail-scale/dp/0830685324%3FSubscriptionId%3D1E2MCMDX6VVV67W7T882%26tag%3Dabs-bookdetailsapi-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0830685324

 

And Prowler was right about the FLIR pod for the A-7, big, heavy and a pain in the nuts to load. The pods on the Hornet were so much nicer to load.