Next off the production line was the A-6E, which first flew on November 10, 1970. The A-6E featured modern, solid-state electronics, replacing the original radar with the Norden APQ-148 multi-mode system and adding the TRAM (Target Recognition Attack Multisensor). For the first time, the TRAM presented real-time television imagery of non-visual or non-radar-significant targets and permitted the delivery of "smart bombs." The TRAM system integrated forward-looking infrared (FLIR) with multi-mode radar target identification. As the result of this unending stream of modifications, the A-6 Intruder became the U.S. military's most versatile plane.
