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1980-01-10
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A-6E INTRUDER
Wingspan: 53 ft.
Length: 54 ft., 9 in.
Height: 16 ft., 2 in.
Weight: 60,400 lbs.
Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney J52-P-8B turbojets
Engine thrust: 9,300 lbs.
Operating altitude: 42,400 ft.
Top speed: 806 mph
Maximum range: 2,740 miles
Date of service: 1963
One of the most flexible and accurate strike planes in the Navy today is
the A-6 Intruder. Contracted by Grumman in 1957, the Navy wanted a low-
level attack bomber capable of carrying conventional bombs, rockets, mis-
siles, or nuclear weapons. This bomber is capable of carrying out its
strike in any kind of weather, day or night. Well over 600 Intruders have
been built, and the plane has been purchased by the Marine Corps also.
The Intruder can carry a wide range of weapons. A typical load might be
28 500-pound bombs and two 300 gallon drop tanks with extra fuel. The
drop tanks are jettisoned when the fuel they contain has been used up.
Each pylon has the capacity to carry a weight of 3,600 pounds, and the
A-6 can carry Sidewinder missiles for self-defense against enemy fighter
planes if necessary. It carries no gun. For certain missions, the
Intruder can carry the Harpoon or HARM missile. The A-6E features a
sophisticated senor package that enables the Intruder to detect, identify,
and attack a wide variety of targets.
The U.S. Navy operates 12 to 14 carrier-based squadrons of A-6Es, with 10
aircraft to a squadron. The United States Marine Corps also continues to
fly the A-6. During Operation Desert Storm, eleven A-6E squadrons pro-
vided much of the Navy and Marine night attack capability against Iraq.
The bombing of Iraq continued for over six weeks with the A-6E Intruders in
the air virtually every day and night. During the war, the Navy lost four
of its Intruders in combat and another to non-combat related causes. The
Marines operated their A-6Es without loss.
To extend the life of the existing A-6Es, Boeing Company has developed an
unusual wing for the Intruder. Made of graphite and expoxy, it is stronger
than the plane's original aluminum wing and offers greater resistance to
corrosion. This new wing is expected to give another 15 years of operation
to the A-6E.