AGM-62 Walleye for Squadron vehicle A4E

[SkyEye 857]

With the addition of the A4E i noticed that among the camouflages available to it was that of the Navy squadron VA-212 Rampant Raiders. Six members of which called the Succulent Six Smart Bombers where the first to prove the newly developed AGM-62 Walleye's combat effectiveness in Vietnam.

 

 

The AGM-62 Walleye

 

 

The Walleye was an unpowered TV-guided glide bomb of the U.S. Navy, which was temporarily designated as a guided missile and is therefore included in this missile directory.

In 1963, the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS, later Naval Weapons Center NWC) at China Lake began the development of an unpowered television-guided glide bomb, to be named Walleye. Although it had no propulsion system, it was designated as AGM-62A in the newly created missile and rocket designation system. AGM-62 was actually the first new designation allocated in this series, as all lower numbers were used up for redesignations of existing missiles. Walleye was to provide the pilots of strike aircraft with a fire-and-forget high-precision air-to-ground weapon, i.e. the aircraft should be able to turn away as soon as the weapon was launched. The only guided tactical air-to-ground missile available at the time, the AGM-12 Bullpup, required the pilot of the attacking aircraft to manually guide the missile all the way to the target. After an industry-wide competition for a missile design for the NOTS TV-guidance system in 1964/65, Martin received a production contract for Walleye in January 1966. In 1967, Walleye entered service with the U.S. Navy. In that year the USAF also ordered its first batch of Walleyes, but Air Force use of this weapon was very limited.

 

Tech data

 

 

 

Ingame characteristics

 

 they could have similar caveats to that of torpedo's in that they have to be in certain "sweet spot" to be dropped. going too slow (sub 300) or too fast ( high transonic and Mach 1+) will make the Walleye unable to be dropped. Being glide bombs their range and time to target will depend on how fast and how high the aircraft is on release. Once the bomb release button is held down the aircraft would go into auto pilot mode leveling the plane out as the weapon is being guided. When guiding the weapon the view would go into the sight of the bomb and stay there either until the button is released or the bomb hits its target. example of what the sight could look like:

 view taken from the PS2 game: Secret Weapons Over Normandy

If for what ever reason the guidance is cancelled then it can no longer be reentered. For gameplay purposes guidance limitations it could be made so that not only must you be above 3000 meters and at least 10 km to have a "signal" to guide the weapon, stray out of the 12 km range or fly below 1000 meters and the signal will be lost. Controlling the bomb is the same as the current guided weapons ingame. (Bullpups/Nords)

 

As the A4E was the planform used test the effectiveness of the bomb so to can the aircraft do so ingame to test the viability of similar weapons in the future.

 

 

 

These video goes into far more detail of the Walleye development and combat use with the VA-212 in Vietnam and beyond.

 

sources

• http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-62.html
• https://youtu.be/cPgVsz_TnkE?t=2724 ( video )
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGM-62_Walleye
• ( video example from Secret weapons over Normandy) https://youtu.be/cPb1SiO6Tys?t=196

 

These are just some of my ideas for how this and similar weapons could work in WT's environment if anyone has better ways to implement them i'd be happy to hear them out. Thank you.

[leroyonly 4,300]

Open for discussion. 

[Josephs_Piano 7,015]

WE already have a guided unpowered bomb in the form of hte German Frit-X, so probably some of its characteristics would be simlar.

[Milocat 4,830]

+1 from me, this would be a perfect new payload option for the  A4E.

[EvilAcidUk 8]

I also like the idea. +1

 

If the guiding system is introduced as suggested, I assume the guided bomb would stay on target if one leaves the optical guidance view?

 

Have a good 2021!

Edited January 4, 2021 by EvilAcidUk

[Z3r0_ 4,126]

I'd be fine with adding this.  Based on how this is described it'd be pretty difficult to use under most circumstances (at least without making yourself easy pickings for AAA or roving fighters), but quite lethal if one pulls it off.  On the other hand you just KNOW the tankers are gonna whine about another stand-off weapon to worry about (considering how much they already do about stuff like AGM-12s and A.S.20s) because they want to have their cake and eat it too.

Edited January 10, 2021 by Z3r0_

[MandolinMagi 603]

I'm not sure you understand how the guidance system works. Once you lock on and drop, the weapon guides itself. The pilot has no influence over it once it drops

Edited January 4, 2021 by MandolinMagi

[SkyEye 857]

15 hours ago, MandolinMagi said:

I'm not sure you understand how the guidance system works. Once you lock on and drop, the weapon guides itself. The pilot has no influence over it once it drops

I know how the guidance works but it seem you didnt watch the entire video from were i start it from but at about 1:24:24 to 1:27:40 they talk about the Walleye was planned to have a data link from the start to be able to either adjust its target mid flight or remotely guide it toward its target. but only receiving it towards the end of the active part of the war with the early data links having a range of 50 - 60 miles estimate. The characteristics i gave for how they could work ingame were for what would be the later Vietnam variants as well how i thought they could work in a WT environment as we know the main targets these will be used on are tanks and ships.

 

also though i don't know if the they would do this but similar to the FJ-4B VMF they could change not only the A4E early name ingame to something like "A4E VA-212" or "A4E Succulent Six" and ( if the A4E ever gets it accurate cockpit model ) have the special TV screen placed it each of their A4s.

[CaptaInArcher 4]

It would be an interesting addition to the A-4E +1 from me

 

[csla1972 839]

+1

[RanchSauce39 395]

I would say no because this is supposed to be an A4E "early".  yes it specifically has the early in the name. Not representative the specific A4E squadron this was first tested and deployed with in 67 , Nor A4E "Late" which would be the Humback A4E's, the ones retrofitted to A4F avionics standards which iirc was came about in 1968.

 

In short in order to use walleyes it would mean replacement/swap out of the Radar AN/APG53A radar scope display  for  Tv screen applicable to aircraft tht went through AFC 395.  ( no radar means no CCRP aided bomb drop, or ground radar returns should gajin model that)

 

Eventually with the updated AN/APG53B ( aircraft upgraded under AFC318)  radar which came a dual purpose display was added that a pilot could switch between radar scope display, and TV mode, but in the US navy this appear in the  in some A4E "late"  and in A4F's further into its life.

 

SO I think IF gajin will add Walleyes it would be for a Future A4E "late" derivative, or an A4F. OR  for a potential A-7E corsair ( navy version)

[leroyonly 4,300]

As the AGM-62 Walleye has been previously implemented with update 2.11 Ground Breaking,

 

Moved to Implemented Suggestions.