"The Curious Case of the A3D-1Q Crew Size " Topic

"Every once in awhile someone asks a question that causes me to do a fact check and research that leads to a different answer than I would have given otherwise. In this case, the question was: "Can anyone tell me why these A3D-1Q's had open bomb bay doors…if they were originally (sealed) to accommodate the ECM* monitors in an unpressurized bomb bay compartment. It would seem that opening the bomb bay would be impossible if it was converted to an ECM* compartment"
*Strictly speaking, the mission wasn't ECM (Electronic CounterMeasures) but electronic reconnaissance. The A3D-1Qs were recording communication, navigation, and radar emissions, not jamming them.

Five Douglas A3D-1s bombers were converted to have an electronic reconnaissance mission capability by the Navy, reportedly at the Navy repair and overhaul facility at Norfolk, Virginia, and redesignated A3D-1Q. The A3D-1Q Characteristics Summary (CS) dated 15 July 1957 gives the Bureau Numbers and states that it had a crew of seven and a "pressurized cabin". Other published sources state that the bomb bay was not pressurized (the bombs didn't need it) even though there were guys sitting back there or that there was a pressurized "capsule" installed in the bomb bay.

The bomb bay door that's open is the one on the left. The right one was modified for (or replaced by structure with) a canoe-like fairing to house antenna(s). There were also antennas located in the fairings on the side of the forward fuselage and the tip of the tail…"
Full article here
thanlont.blogspot.com.ar

Amicalement
Armand

I suspect that the 'bomb bay door' is being used as an access panel.

If it was like the Nimrod R1, instead of the bomb bay doors of the MR versions they had fibreglass doors that opened to allow for maintenance

Dee, that was where they hid the Stealth Mode kit and the Extendable Ear pods.

Are those similar to cotton buds? :-)

Sssh! Need to know.