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Camouflaged Aircraft and related topics

E2C Mech said:
All black VAP-61 RA-3B SkyWarrior about to catch the wires on the Connie late 60's

planesg2img12qo3.jpg
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Those guys came and went and their paint scheme was for another reason.
 
AllAmerican75 said:
Who are those guys and why did they come and go? Also, what was the reason for their all-black livery? I'm guessing they flew primarily at night. Am I close? :)
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VAP-61 and 62 flew around the clock as Heavy Photographic Squadrons. In 1966, Bob Skillen (he shared stories from Vietnam with us during a ride-along on USS America when his son served with us in VF-102 and) flew first missions at night over Ho Chi Minh trail at 1500' and 350 knots. They noticed winking lights on the surrounding hills above them. Later, they realized that the lights were noyt fireflies, but AAA and their shiny gull gray paint was likely visible to gunners looking down at them against the dark jungle on moonlit cloudless nights. He sent the maintainers to the exchange in Cubi to buy as many cans of black spray paint as they could find. Then all hands available helped paint the aircraft black.
 
VA-72 had the classic Desert Storm color scheme:
a7e_golfo.jpg


Here is a A-6A from the Tigers of VA-65, circa 1966. I have a magazine with another picture of this bird.
65_3.jpg


How about the Blue Blasters (VA-34) commerating the 50th anniversary of D-Day, June 6 1994:
34_thomastye_2.jpg


Lots of great Intruder pics here:
http://www.mindspring.com/~salted1/a6frame.htm
 
I guess it was supposed to blend in w/ the green desert in Iraq. Oh wait, it's not green.
 
E2C Mech said:
Anybody have more info :D

http://www.network54.com/Forum/1496...n+A-6E+aboard+Connie+in+a+Euro+1+scheme,+1990
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Here's what was written on VA-165's camo experiment in the Summer 1990 edition of The Hook magazine (used here by permission of The Hook magazine)

BOOMERS IN CAMOUFLAGE
In a ComNavAirPac approved project, the Boomers of VA-165 painted some of their livery in temporary browns and greens and flew them at Red Flag and during their around-the-Horn transit in Constellation. The paint used is waterbased, can be quickly applied over existing paint and (most important) can be quickly removed using normal aircraft wash procedures.
The project was developed by LT Mike Overson and LCDR Graham Gordon of VA-165's maintenance department with the intent of using the aircraft color scheme to tactical advantage during Exercise Red Flag 89-5 at Nellis AFB. LT Overson had previously worked for Boeing Aerospace co. and discovered the alkaline-based emulsion used to protect parts during manufacturing there. After gaining permission for the test in early August 1989, the Boomer corrosion control work center, under the supervision of AMS1 Richmond Voss, applied the two-tone brown paint overnight to two A-6E aircraft. Details such as simulated canopies painted on the undersides of the aircraft were added. Tactical use of the scheme brought positive results during numerous Red flag missions. Once back at Whidbey, the paint was removed.
Phase II of the test took place at sea in Connie in winter 1990. The coating was tested for resistance to sea spray and catapult steam as well for resistance to visual acquisition over different terrain. Phase III is scheduled for fall 1990 and includes mixing of separately stored pigments and adding them to a neutral base to crease the desired color.

*****

It's not known how Phase III turned out. In the article, there's one color inflight shot and one b/w flight deck shot of the camo birds.
 
Find some photos of the desert camo Boomer bird. I would guess that this is from Phase I of the experiment, whereas the green camo at sea was from Phase II.

Looks like the line at Nellis:
165_6.jpg


Inflight, you can see the fake canopy as well.
165_thomastye_1.jpg


BTW, Graham Gordon was the CO of VA-95 when I checked in for my first cruise in June 1993.
 
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