The Douglas A3D Skywarrior originated from a US Navy requirement of 1947. An attack bomber with strategic strike capability was envisaged for the new ‘Forrestal’ class aircraft-carriers.

Douglas A3D / A-3 Skywarrior Article

The design was a high-wing monoplane, with retractable tricycle landing gear, two podded turbojets beneath the wing, and a large fifteen foot internal weapons bay to accommodate up to 5443kg of varied weapons. The wings were swept back 36° and had high-aspect ratio for long range, all tail surfaces were swept, and the outer wing panels and vertical tail folded.

Lateral control is by ailerons and spoilers on the outer wings. The wings are equipped with automatic leading-edge slats outboard of the engines, slotted trailing-edge flaps, and all-moving tailplane. Sideways opening airbrakes are on each side of the rear fuselage. Provision was made for twelve 4500 lb thrust jettisonable JATO rockets mounted on the side of the rear fuselage.

The first of two prototypes made its maiden flight on 28 October 1952, powered by 3175kg Westinghouse XJ40-WET3 engines, but the failure of this engine programme meant that the 4400kg thrust Pratt & Whitney J57-P-6 powered the production A3D-1. The first of these A3D-1s flew on 16 September 1953, and deliveries to the US Navy’s VAH-1 attack squadron began on 31 March 1956.

In 1962 the designation was changed to A-3, the initial three-seat production version becoming A-3A. Five of these were modified subsequently for ECM missions under the designation EA-3A. The A-3B (previously A3D-2) which entered service in 1957 had more powerful J57-P-10 engines and an inflight-refuelling probe. A reconnaissance variant with cameras in the weapons bay was designated RA-3B (A3D-2P), and EA-3B (A3D-2Q) identified ECM aircraft with a four-man crew in the weapons bay.

The EA-3B flew for the first time on 10 December 1958 as A3D-2Q and a year later the first batch of 24 production aircraft was delivered to the US Navy. Operated by VQ-1 and VQ-2 Squadrons, accidents reduced the number to about 12. The EA-3B, weighing around 33 tonne, operated regularly from aircraft carriers, fitted with hook for arrester cables and catapult.
Behind the three cockpit crew members, a pressurised cabin holds four electronics specialists. The Skywarrior’s antennae are located in a wedge-shaped ventral pod under the fuselage and in the tail. Some VQ aircraft stationed at Guam had antennae on top of the fin and on either side of the cockpit.

Apart from the American national insignia and the word NAVY, the registration number consists of one or two digits. Sometimes the identification letters PR from VQ-1 or JQ from VQ-2 were affixed, but sometimes nothing at all.

Other designations include 12 TA-3B (A3D-2T) trainers for radar operators, one VA-3B (A3D-2Z) executive transport, and the final variants in front-line US Navy service were KA-3B inflight-refuelling tankers and 30 EKA-3B tanker/counter-measures/strike aircraft. Skywarrior variants serving included TA-3B crew trainers, EKA-3B early-warning ‘aggressor’ trainers, and KA-3B tankers with Squadrons VAQ-33 at Key West and VAQ-34 at NAS Point Mugu, together with an NA-3B test aircraft operated by the Naval Weapons Test Center and NRA-3Bs with the Pacific Missile Test Center.

Of the 12 TA-3B Skywarrior built, three were converted to VIP transports with cabin windows in the forward fuselage.

An A3D-2 Skywarrior set a record takeoff weight from an aircraft carrier when it took off three times at 38,102 kg on 25 August 1959 from the USN’s newest aircraft carrier, the USS Independence, during suitability trials prior to the ship’s commissioning.

Gallery

XA3D-1
Engines: 2 x Westinghouse J-40 turbojets.

A3D-2 Skywarrior
Naval attack bomber
Engines: 2x Pratt & Whitney J57-P-2 turbojets, 10,000 lb. (approx.) thrust
Wingspan: 72 ft. 6 in
Length: 75 ft. 2 in
Loaded weight: 67,000 lb
Max. speed: nearly 700 m.p.h.
Ceiling: 45,000 ft.
Range: 1,500-2,000 miles.
Crew: 3
Armament: 2 x 20 mm. tail guns.

A-3B
Engine: 2 x Pratt & Whitney J57-P-10 turbojets, 4763kg / 10,500 lb each
Max take-off weight: 37195 kg / 82001 lb
Empty weight: 17876 kg / 39410 lb
Wingspan: 22.10 m / 72 ft 6 in
Length: 23.27 m / 76 ft 4 in
Height: 6.95 m / 22 ft 10 in
Wing area: 75.43 sq.m / 811.92 sq ft
Max. speed: 982 km/h / 610 mph
Cruise speed: 837 km/h / 520 mph
Ceiling: 12495 m / 41,000 ft
Range: 1690 km / 1050 miles
Armament: 2 x 20mm rear-firing cannon, 5500kg / 12,000 lb of bombs

US Air Force involvement in the Korean War highlighted an urgent need for a high performance day/night tactical bomber. To speed the availability of such an aircraft it was planned to procure a land-based version of the A3D Skywarrior then being developed for the US Navy. To this end Douglas was given a contract for five pre-production Douglas RB-66A all-weather/night photo-reconnaissance aircraft, the first of which was flown on 28 June 1954 at the Long Beach plant. Although retaining the basic overall configuration of the A3D Skywarrior, the USAF’s RB-66A Destroyer dispensed with the arrester gear, strengthened landing gear and wing-folding of the naval version; it introduced aerodynamic changes in the wing design, revised accommodation for the three-man crew who were provided with ejection seats, and detail changes in equipment, including a multiple-camera installation and the provision of bombing and navigation radar. Power for this initial version was provided by two 4341kg thrust Allison YJ71-A-9 turbojets.

Douglas A3D / B-66 Article

Successful testing of the RB-66As led to a contract for the first production version, the RB-66B powered by 4627kg thrust Allison J71-A-11s or J71-A-13s. The first of 145 RB-66Bs was flown in March 1955 and deliveries to the USAF began on 1 February 1956.

Deliveries of RB-66 were made to the USAF 19th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at RAF Sculthorpe, Norfolk, in 1957 to replace North American RB-45 Tornado.

Douglas RB-66s in Europe Article

Production versions included also the B-66B bomber (72 built), which had the same powerplant as the RB-66B and could carry up to 6804kg of bombs in place of reconnaissance equipment.

The new Douglas factory at Torrance (Plant B-6) in May 1954 was in volume production with both the AD-5 and 6 Skyraider and the F4D-1 Skyray, the latter with the J57 turbojet with afterburner. This leaves the El Segundo division almost clear to turn out twin-jet Skywarriors. The U.S.A.F. version of this machine (B-66) is made at Long Beach, and the main factory, at Santa Monica, makes Globemasters and DC-7s.

The RB-66C (36 built), was an electronic reconnaissance and ECM-aircraft with J71-A-11 or J71-A-13 turbojets and a crew of seven including five specialist radar operators, four of them accommodated in what had initially been the bomb bay. The WB-66D (36 built) was a combat-area weather reconnaissance aircraft with J71-A-13 engines and a crew of five (two plus equipment in the bomb bay).

ECM versions of the B-66/RB-66 proved of great value during operations in Vietnam, locating, classifying and jamming enemy radars, but withdrawal of US forces from Southeast Asia brought retirement of these aircraft.

Gallery

Douglas WB-66D Destroyer
Variation: Northrop X-21

RB-66A
Reconnaissance-bomber
Engines: 2x Allison J71-A-9 turbojets, 10,000 lb (approx) thrust.
Loaded weight: about 75,000 lb.
Max. speed: over 650 m.p.h.
Ceiling: over 45,000 ft.
Range: over 1,500 miles
Crew: 3
Armament: 2 x 20 mm. tail guns.

RB-66B
Engines: 2 x 4627kg / 10,200 lb thrust Allison J71-A-11s or J71-A-13s
Wingspan: 22.1 m / 72 ft 6 in
Wing area: 72.46 sq.m / 779.95 sq ft
Length: 22.9 m / 75 ft 2 in
Height: 7.19 m / 23 ft 7 in
Max take-off weight: 37648 kg / 83,000 lb
Empty weight: 19720 kg / 43475 lb
Internal fuel: 3738 USG
Max. speed: 1015 km/h / 631 mph at 10,000 ft
Cruise speed: 845 km/h / 525 mph
Ceiling: 11855 m / 38900 ft
Range: 3000 km / 1864 miles
Crew: 3.
Armament: 2 x 20mm M-24A-1 cannon.

RB-66C
Engines: 2 x 4627kg thrust Allison J71-A-11 or J71-A-13 turbojets