US Grumman A6 ''Intruder'' Fighter Jet

By Crusader1307

The Grumman A-6 (nicknamed The “Intruder”), was an all-weather, Carrier-based Fighter Jet, first introduced in 1963. The A-6 saw extensive device during The Vietnam War in Southeast Asia. Deployed with both The US Navy and US Marine Corps, it was the replacement to The A-1 “Skyraider”. The A-6 was unique in that it was the only US Fighter to have Pilot and Navigator seated side by side (as opposed to front and back seated). This meant a much larger Cockpit with a slender, tapered fuselage. The A-6 was 56-feet in length with a wingspan of 53-feet. Powered by Twin Pratt & Whitney J52 Turbo Jet Engines, it could achieve airspeeds of 650-mph. It was tested to 800-mph, but this was considered too dangerous. The A-6 had an operational ceiling of 43,000-feet. The “Intruder” was a heavily armed Fighter. It carried combination packages of AIM Anti-Radar, TV Guided, Air to Ground, Anti-Ship, Air to Air and Decoy Missiles. The A-6 Ordnance package included 500 to 1,000-pound Bombs as well as the ability to deploy Tactical, Low Yield Nuclear weapons. The A-6 utilized then State of The Art Electronic Targeting and Evasion Radar Systems. The “Intruders” claimed to Dame in Vietnam was their constant deployment against The North Vietnamese Capital of Hanoi and it’s extensive Surface To Air (SAM) Sites. Replaced in 1996 as a Carrier Fighter by The F-4 “Tomcat”, it would be completely phased out of The US Navy and Marine Corps the in 1997.