Grumman A-6 Intruder: Books - History and Deployment

A-6 Intruder

Grumman's A-6 Intruder served as the Navy's pre-eminent all-weather, medium attack aircraft from 1963 to 1997. Nearly 700 were built. The Intruder was aptly named, as the A-6 quickly proved it could perform its mission - flying low and alone in any weather - better than any aircraft of its era. Known for its versatility, the subsonic Intruder also gained a workhorse reputation due to its range, ability to carry vast quantities of ordnance and fuel, and its day and night striking capability.

The A-6 served with distinction in Vietnam, where it dropped more ordnance than the B-52. Flying low-level raids, the aircraft was susceptible to ground fire. 84 Intruders were lost, but the toughness of the planes and their pilots made them legendary, and inspired the book and film The Flight of the Intruder.

In the years after Vietnam, the aircraft built on its reputation. It served in the skies over Lebanon in support of United Nations actions and flew punitive raids on Libya in 1986, neatly evading over 100 guided missiles in the process.
During Operation Desert Storm, the plane logged more than 4,700 combat sorties. The A-6 was retired by the Marine Corps. in 1993, and by the U.S. Navy in 1997. A variant, the EA-6B electronic warfare platform continues to fly.

This pilot's manual for the A-6 was originally printed by Grumman and the U.S. Navy. Originally classified "restricted", it has now been declassified and is here reprinted in book form.

A-6 Intruder Units 1974-96

In the three decades following Vietnam, the veteran A-6 Intruder remained the most powerful strike aircraft available to the US Navy and Marine Corps. Engaged in operations over Cambodia, Lebanon and Libya during the 1970s and 80s, the A-6 maintained its reputation as the 'Main Battery' of carrier aviation, remaining in service through the First Gulf War up until 1996 when its duties were taken over by the F-14 Tomcat.

Following on from his study of the A-6 Intruder's exploits during the Vietnam War, Rick Morgan details the technological developments that were introduced to the airframe after that conflict and how it shaped the operational employment of the aircraft.
Filled with first-hand accounts from pilots and navigators, as well as profile artwork and photographs, this is the complete story of the US Navy's main medium attack aircraft in the latter part of the Cold War.

Intruder - The Operational History of Grumman's A-6

The legendary Grumman A-6 Intruder was born into battle, making its first deployment off the decks of the USS Independence into Southeast Asia in 1966. For the next three decades, it was the "main battery" of the U.S. fleet and the primary strike weapon.

This book tells the whole story of the A-6.

A-6 Intruder Units of the Vietnam War

Designed in the years following the Korean War and then manufactured for over 30 years starting in 1960, the A-6 quickly became the most capable attack aircraft in the US Navy's stable.
The first squadron, VA-75, made its initial deployment directly into combat in south-east Asia in 1965, and, over the next eight years, ten US Navy and four Marine Intruder squadrons would conduct combat operations throughout Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. After initial problems and a high loss rate, the type proved itself beyond all doubt as the Naval services' best night and foul-weather platform, particularly during the region's notorious monsoon season.

The A-6 Intruder became a true classic of naval aviation over the skies of North Vietnam but the cost was high as 69 Intruders were lost in combat to all causes during the war. This work tells the complete story of these aircraft in combat during the Vietnam War.

Contents: Introduction - Underway - The only war we have - Semper Fi - Marines from the Beach - Crescendo - Appendices.