First Flight:
The first EA-6B Prowler, a modified A-6A Intruder, made its maiden flight on May 28, 1968.
Electronic Countermeasures:
Naval Aviation introduced electronic countermeasures (ECM) against enemy defenses during World War II, with some TBF/TBM Avenger torpedo bombers releasing chaff and employing equipment to jam enemy radar. A version of the versatile AD Skyraider served in the ECM role during the Korean War, the years that followed bringing more sophisticated antiaircraft defenses, including radar-guided surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). Countering them became increasingly important as U.S. aircraft engaged in a prolonged and intensive bombing campaign over North Vietnam beginning in 1965. The Navy modified A-3 Skywarriors to the EKA-3B configuration to perform the ECM role, creating the VAQ (Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron) designation in 1969. With the Marine Corps employing the EA-6A Intruder in the ECM role in Vietnam, the Navy turned to Grumman to develop an enhanced platform for the mission.
Enter the Prowler:
While it had a family resemblance to the A-6, the EA-6B was nearly 5 feet longer and had a crew of four consisting of a pilot and three electronic countermeasures officers (ECMOs). The AN/ALG-99 Tactical Jamming System proved highly capable in countering enemy threats, the EA-6B designed with the flexibility to expand capabilities as they were introduced. As such, the airplane went through four major versions and three notable versions during its service. In 1985 the Prowler added the AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) to its arsenal, providing the ability to not only detect the threat, but neutralize it.
Into the Fleet: The VAQ-132 Scorpions were the first squadron to to receive the EA-6B and the aircraft began its fleet service in time to take part in the final stages of the Vietnam War. A total of 18 Navy and four Marine Corps squadrons operated the Prowler during its service, the aircraft’s capabilities becoming increasingly important not only in Naval Aviation, but in the Joint Force. During Operation Desert Storm, EA-6Bs logged 1,623 combat sorties, launching over 150 HARMs. By the mid-1990s, with the decision to retire the Air Force’s EF-111A Raven, the EA-6B became the U.S. military’s sole ECM platform, a vital element of U.S. air campaigns. Thus, the legacy begun in Vietnam carried forth through operations over Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq and other trouble spots around the world.
Mission Accomplished:
“Of course, what makes defining the Prowler’s combat record even
more difficult to quantify is that its weapon system operated in a warfare
domain that no human can really sense,” wrote former ECMO LCDR Rick Morgan, USN (Ret.). “While fighter pilots can see a
burning wreck of their vanquished foe and attack crews a smoking hole, the only people who really know how effective jamming is won’t tell you. Sometimes the measure of success is by intuition and faith, but then when all of the strikers come home afterward, you know you did your job.”
The Museum’s Aircraft:
The museum’s example of the EA-6B, Bureau Number 156481, is the first Prowler not converted from an A-6 Intruder. When it was flight delivered to the museum in June 2010, from the VX-23 Salty Dogs, it was the oldest operational EA-6B.
