Description

The Grumman A-6 Intruder was designed to replace the A-1 Skyraider. It's the first all-weather attack aircraft of the US Navy. The aircraft were called as the A-2F before 1962 and got the new name, the A-6 Intruder, while already in service. The outstanding all-weather capability soon made the A-6 the main strike force of the Navy and Marines going into the Vietnam War. The A-6E is the last production type of the Intruder family. They were developed for strike missions. A new AN/APQ-148 radar and the latest computer system were installed. In the late 1970s the new navigation system CAINS were equipped; the CAINS A-6E can be distinguished by the extra air scoop on top of the fuselage near the vertical stabilizer. Starting in 1979 all of the A-6E Intruders were armed with the AN/ASS-33 detection and ranging set, which a part of the TRAM system. They were located inside a small turret under the radome. The A-6E TRAM participated in most of the military actions of the Navy in the last century. All of the Intruders were replaced by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in 1997.