A-6ETRAM Intruder | Encyclopedia of the Persian Gulf War

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A-4 Skyhawk–Aziz, Tariq Mikhail

A-4 Skyhawk

Only 25 A-4s served during Operation Desert Shield, all for the Kuwaiti Air Force (the planes were designated as A-4KUs). They were the only Kuwaiti Air Force planes to escape the Iraqi onslaught, and went on to fly 651 sorties against various Iraqi targets.

A two-seat attack fighter, the A-4 is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney J52-P-408 turbojet engine that provides 11,200 pounds (5,080 kg) of thrust. The plane weighs 10,456 pounds (4,743 kg), and has a maximum external load of 9,195 pounds (4,171 kg). Wingspan is 27 feet 6 inches (8.38 m), and its maximum speed is between 560 and 582 knots (645–667 mph; 1,037–1,074 km/h), with allowances for the carrying of armaments. Those armaments include four AGM-45 Shrike, three AGM-62 Walleye, or four AGM-65 Maverick missiles.

References:

Almond, Denise L., ed., Desert Score: U.S. Gulf War Weapons (Washington, DC: Carroll Publishing, 1991), 8–9;

Keany, Thomas A., and Eliot A. Cohen, Gulf War Air Power Survey, Summary Report (Washington, DC: GPO, 1993), 185.

A-6E/TRAM Intruder

The A-6E TRAM (target recognition and attack multisensor) Intruder was one of the mainstays of the Marine Corps fleet during the Persian Gulf War, flying a total of 5,619 sorties in the Kuwaiti Theatre of Operations (KTO), which includes Kuwait, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, according to the U.S. military.

The A-6E TRAM can deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons, and can transport about 18,000 pounds (8,165 kg) of armaments. It is an improved version of the Grumman A-6, which Walter J. Boyne, in his Weapons of Desert Storm, calls “a versatile two-seat, medium attack aircraft with all-weather, day-night attack capabilities.” Recently updated with the TRAM system, which fits into a small pod under the nose, the aircraft is suited for deep penetration nto enemy territory and close air support. With its cousins the EA-6B and the KA-6D (a refueling variant), the plane played a key role in the bombing of military installations in Libya on 15 April 1986.

The TRAM system includes what military authors Thomas A. Keaney and Eliot A. Cohen call “infrared- and laser-targeting sensors and multimode radar,” which is combined with laser-guided weapon deliverance. Among these weapons is the versatile Harpoon antiship missile and so-called iron bombs. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney J52-P-8B engines giving it 18,000 pounds (8,165 kg) of total thrust, the A-6E has a wingspan of 53 feet (16.15 m), a maximum speed of 684 mph (1,100 km/h), a maximum unrefueled range of 2,740 miles (4,409 km), and a maximum weight of 60,400 pounds (27,397 kg). The variant KA-6D is a refueling carrier, and the EA-6A is an electronics warfare version.

A-7 Corsair II

Nicknamed the Short Little Ugly Fellow, with a variation on the “fellow,” this plane first flew in 1965 during the Vietnam War. At the time of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, the craft was being phased out and therefore saw only limited action, flying from the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy in close air support (CAS) missions. A-7s flew 737 sorties during Desert Storm, according to the U.S. military. They were also the first planes to operationally utilize the AGM-84E SLAM (standoff land attack missile) in combat.