BeechTalk - BT - what is this plane, early 1950's US Navy ?

Username Protected · **Posted:** 26 Mar 2021, 03:28

Elderly couple in our neighborhood passed. Their grandkids are here cleaning out their house, and found some 35mm slides in a box labelled "CV-47 Philippine Sea April 1953"

They asked me about this picture. Sorry for the poor quality, this is a slide projected on a wall photographed with a cell phone.

What is it ? an early version of AWACS ?

Username Protected · **Posted:** 26 Mar 2021, 03:44

I would say it is a Douglas AD-4 "Skyraider"

some info:
http://www.wings-aviation.ch/32-FAA/2-A ... er/AEW.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFHvpKNXebc&t=562s

Username Protected · **Posted:** 26 Mar 2021, 07:50

It appears to be an AD4W or AD5W variant of the Skyraider. The pod houses an "Airborne Early Warning" RADAR, and so it is indeed a very early implementation of the E2/E3 early warning concept. I had never heard of it until now, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of information on it via Google, but that's what it is.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 26 Mar 2021, 12:43

Username Protected wrote:

It appears to be an AD4W or AD5W variant of the Skyraider. The pod houses an "Airborne Early Warning" RADAR, and so it is indeed a very early implementation of the E2/E3 early warning concept. I had never heard of it until now, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of information on it via Google, but that's what it is.

AD-3W or AD-4W. 5 is like a station wagon for the top. 3 and 4 are single pilot and a tunnel canopy aft. 5 is side by side with Pilot in the Left seat. Large cabin continues aft. IIRC the manual said the aft cabin could be configured for 4 Officers or 12 enlisted, being 4 large individual seats or a bench seat on either side.
AD-5 could outfly its oil supply with 3 drop tanks so a drum of oil could be loaded in the cabin with a transfer pump arrangement to move it up to the oil tank, which was more than 35 gallons IIRC.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 26 Mar 2021, 21:41

It's called a "Guppy."

Username Protected · **Posted:** 26 Mar 2021, 23:53

There appears to be one in a museum in the UK.

https://www.fleetairarm.com/exhibit/Dou ... 30-54.aspx

Username Protected · **Posted:** 27 Mar 2021, 08:07

There are several AD-4 flyable but I believe this is the only AD-4W still flyable.
http://www.ericksoncollection.com/aircr ... skyraider/
Although today it lacks the radar and dome on the belly. You can see the configuration of the upper fuselage evident in the original photo posted above.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 27 Mar 2021, 09:13

The AD-4W was, as previously reported an airborne early warning aircraft for the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy. The USN replaced it with the Grumman Tracer that had a newer radar. The AD used the AN/APS20 radar. Interestingly, the RN and later the Royal Air Force continued using the AN/APS20 radar sets into the 1990s. The radars long outlasted the Skyraiders in British service. The AD-4W (AEW.1 to the Britis) was replaced in 1960. But, not the radar sets. They were finally retired when the RAF replaced its Avro Shackleton AEW Mk.2s with the Boeing E-3D Sentrys in 1991.