The A-6 Intruder is a versatile two-seat carrier-based medium-attack
aircraft with all-weather, day-night attack capabilities. This redoubtable aircraft has
seen combat in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf and was the star of the Paramount Pictures
Corp film "Flight of the
Intruder". Unlike other naval aircraft, such as the A-4
Skyhawk and the A-7 Corsair,  the Intruder carries no air-to-air weaponry. It relies
on stealth and its ability to fly in any weather to get past defending aircrafts, deliver
its bombs, and get home. The "heart" of the A-6 is DIANE, the Digital Integrated
Attack Navigation Equipment.
All A-6 variants feature a
side-by-side seating arrangement typical of much larger planes. The pilot occupies the
left seat, while the weapons system operator/navigator occupies the seat on the right.
The first prototype was called
the YA2F-1. After its test flight on 19 April 1960, it was renamed the A-6A Intruder and
later became operational in February 1963. The most numerous variant is the A-6E, which
was introduced in 1970. From 1974 onwards, all A-6Es were progressively converted into the
A-6E/TRAM (Target Recognition and Attack Multisensor). TRAM's electronics, which are
carried in a turret located under the nose, include infrared and laser- targeting sensors
and multimode radar. The lasers are used in conjunction with laser guided weapons. The
TRAM system on an A-6E can illuminate a target with a laser while a second A-6E launches
weapons against it, using the first A-6E's laser reflection to guide the projectile.
The venerable A-6 Intruder
medium attack bomber was retired from the US Navy at a ceremony held at NAS Whidbey Island
on 28 February, 1998. The last two Intruder units to stand down from active service were
VA-75 at NAS Oceania and VA-196 at NAS Whidbey Island. The A-6 Intruder has served the
Navy very well over its long career and while some will mourn the decision to retire the
aircraft, the Intruder will be remembered as one of the finest carrier-based attack
aircrafts ever built. For more than 30 years, the A-6 Intruder has been the "tip of
the spear" in combat operations, having served in Vietnam, Libya and "Desert
Storm", among other campaigns. |