"The A-6 was the US Navy medium attack bomber� during the Vietnam �conflict.
���It flew at tree-top level in any weather,� at night and� alone.
���The aircraft had no defensive weapons."

���������� It was called .............

"THE INTRUDER"

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.

A- 6E Intruder Specifications