VA-176 Intruder on the cat, submitted by LCDR Hank Teommey, USN(ret.)

Grumman A-6E Intruder

The Grumman A-6E Intruder is the Navy's subsonic all-weather medium attack aircraft, capable of carrying up to 15,000 lbs. of every type of air-to-ground ordnance imaginable. Entering service as the A-6A during the Vietnam War, the A-6's all-weather capability, long range, and tremendous payload represented a quantum leap in carrier-based power projection. An early attack under cover of darkness by a pair of A-6As, for instance, was assessed by the North Vietnamese to have been the work of B-52s.

Current A-6Es mount the Target Recognition and Attack Multisensor (TRAM), a turret-mounted sensor package that includes a Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) targeting device and laser designating equipment for precision-guided munitions. Some Intruders also permit the use of night-vision goggles by the pilot and bombardier-navigator (B/N), giving the aircrew night vision capability above and beyond their aircraft-mounted systems.

Sadly, the aging A-6E is headed for retirement, to be replaced by newer versions of the F/A-18. Some Intruders had to be rewinged in the 80s because of airframe structural fatigue. However, the range and payload of the A-6E remains unmatched in a carrier-borne attack aircraft, even by the Hornets which will replace them.

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