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1994-09-26
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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, missiles, 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 va-
riety 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 provided
much of the Navy and Marine night attack capability against Iraq. The bomb-
ing 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 Intru-
ders 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.