Designation: LTV A-12 Avenger II Attack Jet

I. Dimensions:

II. Service History:

• A-12A: Served with the United States Navy during the Third World War.
• A-12B: Served with the UNDF Navy and Air Force from 2003 until replaced by the -C.
• A-12C: Served with the RDF Air Force and Navy from 2009 until 2020, and with the Southern Cross Navy until replaced by the -E.

III. Type:

• Two man medium jet bomber.

IV. Propulsion:

• 2 x General Electric F-400-900 chemical turbofans, total afterburning thrust 88.3 kN.

V. Performance:

• Maximum speed : 1100 kph (Mach 1) @ all altitudes.
• Stall speed : 170 kph.
• Range (typical) : 3700 km.
• Maximum altitude : 16,765 meter.
• Design-g limits : 6 g.

VI. Electronics:

Typical set for A-12C variant:

Radar System:

• Hughes AWG-20 X-band pulse-Doppler radar, providing long-range detection and tracking of targets at all altitudes, as well as extensive surface search, attack, navigation, and mapping modes.

Optical tracking:

• Thomson LT-3 multi-frequency laser ranger/designator
• Zeiss FOI-8 infra-red imaging sensor and low-light level camera system in retractable optic ball-turret under the nose.

Tactical Electronic Warfare System (TEWS):

• Elettronica Radar Warning Receiver (RWR)
• OlDelft Infra-red Warning Receiver (IRWR)
• Westinghouse ALQ-200 active radar jammer
• Chaff dispenser
• Flares
• Active missile jammers.

VII. Armament:

• 2 Conformal hardpoints under the engine nacelles (A and B variants) for two AIM-7G/N Sparrow or AIM- 120A/C Scorpion or BAe Skyflash II or Aspide radar guided missiles or two BAe ALARM anti-radiation missiles;
  (C variant) 2 medium range (65 km) Mach 3.0 combined active radar and thermal imager guided Stiletto missiles.
• 8 Hardpoints under the wings, suited for MERs, with a typical load of:

  A and B variants

  • 6 AGM-65R Maverick missiles on triple MERs, and six AGM-84 Harpoon missiles,
  • or 8 MERs for a total of 40 mk81 113kg GP bombs,
  • or 8 triple/pentuple MERs for mk82 226kg GP bombs, mk83 454kg GP bombs, CBU-87/B cluster bombs or any other compatible bomb load,

    C variant

  • All armament options of the A and B versions are possible, in addition to one triple rack for AMM-1 Stiletto multi-purpose missiles per hardpoint, or two Derringer missiles on a horizontal MER per hardpoint.
• Total maximum underwing payload is 9 tons.
  • Bomb bay for three 454kg mk83 bombs, sensor pallet, GAU-12/U 25mm cannon with ammunition or (most commonly) an extra fuel tank.

VIII. Armor:

The skin of the Avenger is composed of an advanced titanium-steel alloy. The skin provides excellent protection against small grenade and shell fragments, good protection against small arms fire, and poor resistance to heavier infantry weapons, such as the 12.7mm machinegun round, as well as from fragments and near misses from higher caliber weapons. The armored 'bathtub' in the pilots' compartment stops all small arms fire, provides good protection against heavier infantry weapons, such as a 12.7mm machinegun round, and fair resistance to light mecha-mounted weaponry, such as the Zentraedi 22.3mm HE autocannon round. The Avenger provides full protection from nuclear, biological, and chemical hazards, using an overpressure cockpit environment activated by radiation and hazardous chemical sensors, or manually when biological warfare conditions are anticipated. The internal consumables supplies can provide atmosphere for twelve hours maximum.

VIII. Development:

The A-12 Avenger was a medium bomber designed to replace the A-6 in the US Navy. Although the USN had always wanted a stealth design, no plane was taken into production, and the attack arm of the carriers was converted to attack-loaded Tomcats and F/A-18E/F's. These craft were not precisely what the Navy wanted, and the search for a better plane went on. LTV took on the challenge, with assistance from Grumman when this company began to develop the radar-absorbing skin covers later installed on the F-203 Dragon. A conventional plane equipped with such a cover could become 'stealthy', and thus a simple, cheap plane would fulfill the Navy's demands. The resulting plane became the Avenger. Pilots often joked, when viewing the external form of the plane, that it was put together by committee: the nose resembled that of the F-111 Aardvark, the hull resembled that of an A-6 and the tail was reminiscent of the Blackburn Buccaneer. The engines were an off-the-shelf design also fitted to the F/A-18 Hornet, and the design - largely the result of the intense labors of Grumman's design teams - was of the same ruggedness that had given the Grumman the nickname 'Ironworks'. It was not armed with a cannon, although a cannon pod could be installed in its small internal bomb-bay, but two missiles in a conformal storage position under the engine nacelles were standard, and often the positions were filled by ALARM missiles so the Avenger could fight its way through anti-aircraft batteries to the target. In addition, there were eight underwing hardpoints. The Avenger was an immediate success. It was no surprise then when the UNDF decided to adopt the plane, and the plane was not only used on aircraft carriers, but, with a certain reluctance on the part of the UNDF Air Force's generals, it also equipped a large number of Air Force bomber wings. The plane received additional armor and a standard UNDF radar/electronic warfare system. The hardpoints were at a later date also fitted to take Stiletto multi-purpose missiles. In this form, the Avenger saw use during the Zentraedi uprisings. However, since the plane was definitely not a fighter, it was most often used as a more traditional bomber or as a stand-off missile launcher. As such, it saw service until 2020.

See additional design notes.

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