A-4E Skyhawk Vietnam Weapons Loadout

[Crossofiron1971]

HI All,

Thinking about a Weapons Load Out on a Marines A-4E Skyhawk - CAS Configuration.

Aircraft will be the VMA-311 Tomcats stationed at  Chu Lai 1968/9

 

 

How does this sound?

 

Centre Line: MER - 6 x Mk.82 with Airbrake (Front set daisy cutters)

Inner Stations 2 & 4: MER - 6 x Mk.82 with Airbrake (Front set daisy cutters)

Outer Stations 1 & 5: BLU-32 Finned Napalm 500lb Canister

 

Should stick the hump on as well?

 

Cheers

Steve

 

[Giorgio N]

Every picture of VMA-311 aircraft operating from Chu Lai I've seen featured a tank on the centerline pylon, so I'd go for this.

MER at the inner stations seem to have been the standard, however I've never seen a fully loaded MER. In particular, the front inner point is always empty, may have something to do with interference with the wheel well doors. Mk.82 were a very common load, and your idea of using airbrakes and daisy cutters sound good and is proven by pictures, I'd probably stick with 5 instead of 6 though. Smaller loads on the MER were not uncommon and the same adaptor was used to carry 2 750 Lbs. bombs.

Loads I've seen on the outer pylons include the Mk.82 in various variants and napalm tanks, I've not seen the finned version though.

 

Regarding the dorsal hump, it would depend on the aircraft you're reproducing. The Tomcats seem to have received aircrafts with the dorsal hump in 1969, all earlier pictures show aircrafts without this feature.

For a number of pictures of aicrafts of this unit, I'd recommend the A-4 Skyhawk Association website, that is a must for everything Skyhawk-related.

A number of very good pictures can be found on Naval Fighters. Nr.52, dedicated to the A-4E/F in USMC service

 

http://a4skyhawk.info/article-unit/vma311

 

[NAVY870]

Carting that lot about on internal fuel wouldn't get very far at all.

At the minimum you'd need an AERO-1D tank on the centre line (Station 3)

with a bob tail fairing. (the aircraft would need tanker support as well)

We didnt use MER's in the RAN but I have seen mention of the requirement to leave

one position clear when MERs are  carried on stations 2 & 4 to ensure the MLG door has clearance.

[Crossofiron1971]

Thanks Gents, invaluable as ever...

 

[Finn]

Here are a couple pics with full loads:

 

 

 

note you could only have a max of 3 Mk-82s on the inboard pylons on a MER:

 

Jari

 

[ziggyfoos]

I'd change the napalm selection as well. I gathered somewhere around 250+ pics of VMA-311 in Vietnam, while napalm is common on the outer stations, none show finned BLU-32 tanks.

 

311 at that late 60s period used all kinds of ordnance, you could go pretty wild between combos of the Mk.80 series bombs, napalm, Zunis, cluster bombs, and HIPEG. Bombs could be slicks or snakeyes and either the 18 or 36 fuze extenders (or none obviously).

 

The hump really is dependent on the specific scheme you're representing.

[Finn]

The Mk-77 was usual napalm carried by the A-4. If you look here:

 

https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/virtualarchive/items.php?item=1201098018

 

click on the PDF icon to open it you'll get a listing of what weapons (pg 5) the squadron used during that month.

 

Jari

[Crossofiron1971]

Thanks all gents...

So then, to replicate the photo above;

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AOA32011

 

A-4 E, VMA-311 Tomcats, #0091 (Has the hump)

 

Stations 1&5:

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/QAB320043

 

Stations 2&4;

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ED632102

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ED632096

 

1 off Mk82 - Lower Front, 1 off Mk82 Front Outer, 1 off Mk82 Rear Lower

 

Station 3;

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ED632102

 

6 off;

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ED632097

 

How's that?

I will also need to speak to my bank manager for a loan...

 

 

[Finn]

As for the Mk-82 Snakeyes with early airbrakes i have yet to see any pics of those being carried, the Mk-81 Snakeye had a similar tail unit. Conical tail units were common so you could use those instead of the Snakeyes or you could have 5 Mk-81s on Stn 2 & 4 MERs. 

 

Jari

[Crossofiron1971]

Cheers Jari,

 

10 of these then;

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MA-32006

 

If I'm reading between the lines here, if you were to have general purpose bombs i.e. no airbrake, you would not mix the them up per mission?

So they would be all  General Purpose or all Airbrake ber mission?

 

 

[ziggyfoos]

The issue is the "early" airbrake set. The "late" set would be appropriate instead, but Eduard hasn't released them in 1/32 (not yet at least).

Easy visual difference is the notch cut out midway on the petal fins, those "late" notched ones are the ones you'd want, not the full straight edged ones that are in the early set.

AMS Resin and Videoaviation (http://www.videoaviation.com/accessories/132-mk82-snakeye-bombs-8-pcs/) have the correct snakeyes in 1/32.

I don't recall though seeing many mixed loads of slicks/snakeyes.

 

0091 definitely had the hump (of course the real 0091 is on the decal cover). That photo is 1970 btw.

 

Edited May 6, 2017 by ziggyfoos

[Finn]

Normally they didn't mix Snakeyes with conical tail bombs, however it was done as you can see below. With Snakeyes you could have the option to drop them free fall or high drag, have the petals open up. An A-4C with Mk-83s on the wing pylons and Snakeyes on the c/l:

 

 

a F-4B with Mk-82 Snakeyes and Mk-83 on the same TER:

 

 

Another option for bombs would be 1:32 Zoukei-Mura Weapons Set 2 for A-1J Skyraider which comes with Mk-81s, M-82s (conical tails) along with rocket pods and other weapons.

 

Jari

[Antoine]

1 hour ago, Finn said:

Normally they didn't mix Snakeyes with conical tail bombs, however it was done as you can see below. 

 

Hi Jari,

Most certainly done when they were going to bomb south of the DMZ, where FAC often asked for multiple pass, if AAA was permissive enough.

[Crossofiron1971]

12 hours ago, Finn said:

Normally they didn't mix Snakeyes with conical tail bombs, however it was done as you can see below. With Snakeyes you could have the option to drop them free fall or high drag, have the petals open up. An A-4C with Mk-83s on the wing pylons and Snakeyes on the c/l:

 

 

 

a F-4B with Mk-82 Snakeyes and Mk-83 on the same TER:

 

 

 

Another option for bombs would be 1:32 Zoukei-Mura Weapons Set 2 for A-1J Skyraider which comes with Mk-81s, M-82s (conical tails) along with rocket pods and other weapons.

 

Jari

 

Thanks for this Jari,

What is the red caged item sticking out from the undercarriage?

 

Edited May 7, 2017 by Greg B
Needlessly repeated photos removed

[CharlieNZ]

24 minutes ago, Crossofiron1971 said:

 

Thanks for this Jari,

What is the red caged item sticking out from the undercarriage?

 

I'm pretty sure it is part of the starter. A big air hose was connected and this spun up the engine. A4s didn't have a self start capability until the M.

 

Later A4s didn't need the thing in the red cage, you just hooked up the air from a GTC directly to a connector inside an access panel right where you see it there. Perhaps the C didn't have the smaller access panel so needed the entire fwd hell hole panel to be dropped.

Edited May 7, 2017 by CharlieNZ

[Crossofiron1971]

Many thanks again all, invaluable as always.

Could I ask some last questions?

 

It's about the internal colour schemes, I cannot find reference to them.

The Engine Bay I have seen in airframe aluminium. but what about the hell holes and Avionics Bays?

 

Do I also assume the Wheel Wells are in white or that off-colour white like the Phantoms?

 

Cheers

Steve

 

[NAVY870]

Hell holes are the same colour as the rest of the engine bay

Utility and flight control reservoirs are  aluminium 

Interior surfaces and fittings various are what looks like a dark interior green.

Gear wells are white smeared with mank general, for the use of.

Edited May 12, 2017 by NAVY870