A-6A Intruder
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The Intruder was developed in response to a U.S. Navy specification for an all-weather carrier-based
attack aircraft to serve as a replacement for the piston-powered, World War II-era A-1 Skyraider.
Grumman was awarded the contract in 1957, and the resulting A2F-1 made its first flight on April
19, 1960. The jet nozzles were originally designed to swivel downwards, but this was dropped from
production aircraft. The pilot sits in the left seat, while the bombardier/ navigator sits to the right and
below. A unique CRT gives a synthetic display of terrain ahead which, with the additional crew
member, enabled low-level flying in all weather conditions. The wing is very efficient at subsonic
speeds compared to supersonic fighters such as the F-4 Phantom II, which are also limited to
subsonic speeds when carrying a paylod of iron bombs. A very similar wing would be put on pivots on
Grumman's later supersonic swing-wing F-14 Tomcat, as well as similar landing gear.
The Intruder received a new standardized DOD designation of A-6A in the fall of 1962, and entered
squadron service in February 1963. The A-6 became the USN and USMC's principal medium and
all-weather/night attack aircraft from the mid-1960s through the 1990s and as an aerial tanker either in the
dedicated KA-6D version or by use of a buddy store. This role was served in the USAF by the F-105
Thunderchief and later F-111 which was also later converted to a radar jammer as the EF-111 Raven. The
A-6 first saw combat in Vietnam and in later engagements in Lebanon and Libya. The Intruder saw further
duty during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, as well as over Bosnia in 1994, but it was phased out of
service quickly in the mid-1990s in a Navy move to reduce the Type/Model/Series aircraft in the carrier
airwing. It was intended for replacement by the A-12 Avenger II, but that program was canceled. The
Intruder was left to soldier on for a few more years before retiring in favor of the LANTIRN equipped F-14
Tomcat, which was in turn replaced by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Many questioned the shift to a shorter
ranged strike force compared to the older generation planes, the availability of USAF tanking assets in all
recent conflicts put a lesser premium on self contained range.
The last Intruders were retired 28 February 1997. A number of retired A-6 airframes were sunk off the
coast of St. Johns County, Florida to form a fish haven entitled Intruder Reef. However, contrary to popular
belief, surviving aircraft fitted with the new wings were stored at the AMARC storage center at
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and not sunk as artificial reefs. Although the Intruder could not match the
F/A-18's speed or air-combat capability, the A-6's range and load-carrying ability are still unmatched by
newer aircraft in the fleet.
attack aircraft to serve as a replacement for the piston-powered, World War II-era A-1 Skyraider.
Grumman was awarded the contract in 1957, and the resulting A2F-1 made its first flight on April
19, 1960. The jet nozzles were originally designed to swivel downwards, but this was dropped from
production aircraft. The pilot sits in the left seat, while the bombardier/ navigator sits to the right and
below. A unique CRT gives a synthetic display of terrain ahead which, with the additional crew
member, enabled low-level flying in all weather conditions. The wing is very efficient at subsonic
speeds compared to supersonic fighters such as the F-4 Phantom II, which are also limited to
subsonic speeds when carrying a paylod of iron bombs. A very similar wing would be put on pivots on
Grumman's later supersonic swing-wing F-14 Tomcat, as well as similar landing gear.
The Intruder received a new standardized DOD designation of A-6A in the fall of 1962, and entered
squadron service in February 1963. The A-6 became the USN and USMC's principal medium and
all-weather/night attack aircraft from the mid-1960s through the 1990s and as an aerial tanker either in the
dedicated KA-6D version or by use of a buddy store. This role was served in the USAF by the F-105
Thunderchief and later F-111 which was also later converted to a radar jammer as the EF-111 Raven. The
A-6 first saw combat in Vietnam and in later engagements in Lebanon and Libya. The Intruder saw further
duty during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, as well as over Bosnia in 1994, but it was phased out of
service quickly in the mid-1990s in a Navy move to reduce the Type/Model/Series aircraft in the carrier
airwing. It was intended for replacement by the A-12 Avenger II, but that program was canceled. The
Intruder was left to soldier on for a few more years before retiring in favor of the LANTIRN equipped F-14
Tomcat, which was in turn replaced by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Many questioned the shift to a shorter
ranged strike force compared to the older generation planes, the availability of USAF tanking assets in all
recent conflicts put a lesser premium on self contained range.
The last Intruders were retired 28 February 1997. A number of retired A-6 airframes were sunk off the
coast of St. Johns County, Florida to form a fish haven entitled Intruder Reef. However, contrary to popular
belief, surviving aircraft fitted with the new wings were stored at the AMARC storage center at
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and not sunk as artificial reefs. Although the Intruder could not match the
F/A-18's speed or air-combat capability, the A-6's range and load-carrying ability are still unmatched by
newer aircraft in the fleet.
A-6A
The initial version of the Intruder was built around the complex and advanced DIANE (Digital
Integrated Attack/Navigation Equipment), intended to provide a high degree of bombing accuracy even
at night and in poor weather. DIANE consisted of multiple radar systems: the Norden AN/APQ-92
search radar and a separate AN/APQ-112 for tracking, AN/APN-141 radar altimeter, and
AN/APN-153 Doppler to provide position updates to the AN/ASN-31 inertial navigation system. An
air-data computer and ballistics computer integrated the radar information for the bombardier/navigator
(BN) in the right-hand seat. TACAN and ADF were also provided for navigational use. When it
worked, DIANE was perhaps the most capable nav/attack system of its era, giving the Intruder the
ability to fly and fight in even very poor conditions (particularly important over Vietnam and Thailand
during the Vietnam War). It suffered numerous teething problems, though, and it was several years
before its reliability was established.
Total A-6A production was 488, including six pre-production prototypes. Many of the surviving
aircraft were converted to other variants.
The initial version of the Intruder was built around the complex and advanced DIANE (Digital
Integrated Attack/Navigation Equipment), intended to provide a high degree of bombing accuracy even
at night and in poor weather. DIANE consisted of multiple radar systems: the Norden AN/APQ-92
search radar and a separate AN/APQ-112 for tracking, AN/APN-141 radar altimeter, and
AN/APN-153 Doppler to provide position updates to the AN/ASN-31 inertial navigation system. An
air-data computer and ballistics computer integrated the radar information for the bombardier/navigator
(BN) in the right-hand seat. TACAN and ADF were also provided for navigational use. When it
worked, DIANE was perhaps the most capable nav/attack system of its era, giving the Intruder the
ability to fly and fight in even very poor conditions (particularly important over Vietnam and Thailand
during the Vietnam War). It suffered numerous teething problems, though, and it was several years
before its reliability was established.
Total A-6A production was 488, including six pre-production prototypes. Many of the surviving
aircraft were converted to other variants.
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