Editing Grumman A-6 Intruder (section)

{{short description|1960 attack strike aircraft family by Grumman}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
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{{Infobox aircraft
 |name= A-6 Intruder
 |image= File:Grumman KA-6D Intruder of VA-34 in flight, in 1988.jpg
 |caption= KA-6D Intruder of Attack Squadron 34 (VA-34 "Blue Blasters")
 |type= {{Plainlist|
* [[Attack aircraft]]
* [[Aerial tanker]] (KA-6D variant)}}
 |national_origin= United States
 |manufacturer= [[Grumman]]
 |designer=
 |first_flight= 19 April 1960
 |introduction= 1963
 |retired= 28 April 1993 (USMC) <br />28 February 1997 (USN)
 |primary_user= [[United States Navy]]
 |more_users= [[United States Marine Corps]]
 |number_built= 693 <!--totals minus rebuilds-->
 |status= Retired from military use
 |produced= 1962–1992
 |variants=
 |developed_into= [[Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler]]
}}

The '''Grumman A-6 Intruder''' is a [[twinjet]] all-weather subsonic [[attack aircraft]] developed and manufactured by American aircraft company [[Grumman|Grumman Aerospace]]. It was formerly operated by the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] and [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]].

The A-6 was designed in response to a 1957 requirement issued by the [[Bureau of Aeronautics]] for an all-weather [[attack aircraft]] for Navy long-range interdiction missions and with [[STOL|short takeoff and landing (STOL)]] capability for Marine close air support. It was to replace the [[piston-engine]]d [[Douglas A-1 Skyraider]]. The requirement allowed either single or twin-engined aircraft, as well as either [[turbojet]] or [[turboprop]]-based engines.<ref>https://archive.org/details/202417484a6intruder/page/n5/mode/2up, p. 3</ref> The winning proposal from Grumman was powered by a pair of [[Pratt & Whitney J52]] turbojet engines. The A-6 was the first U.S. Navy aircraft to have an integrated airframe and [[weapons system]]. Operated by a crew of two in a [[Tandem#Side-by-side seating|side-by-side seating]] configuration, the workload was divided between the pilot and weapons officer (bombardier/navigator or BN). In addition to conventional munitions, it could also carry [[nuclear weapon]]s, which would be delivered using [[toss bombing]] techniques.

On 19 April 1960, the first prototype made its [[maiden flight]]; the type was introduced to squadron service during February 1963. The A-6 was operated by both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps as their principal all-weather/night attack aircraft between 1963 and 1997, during which time multiple variants were developed and introduced. One derivative of the type was the [[EA-6B Prowler]], a specialized [[electronic warfare]] aircraft. Another was the KA-6D, a dedicated [[aerial refueling]] tanker.<ref>{{Cite web |title=K-90866 KA-6D Intruder tanker-Configured Aircraft |url=http://public2.nhhcaws.local/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/Other/K-90866.html |access-date=7 August 2024 |website=Naval History and Heritage Command |language=en-US}}</ref> The definitive attack version of the aircraft, which was furnished with vastly upgraded navigation and attack systems, was the A-6E. While the development of further variants, such as the A-6F, were explored, they ultimately did not come to fruition.

The A-6 saw active combat across multiple conflicts. Its combat debut was the [[Vietnam War]], in which the type operated from both carriers and shore facilities. The type proved vulnerable to conventional ground fire and ground-based [[anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft measures]], which brought down 56 A-6s. In the 1980s, both the [[Multinational Force in Lebanon]] and [[Operation El Dorado Canyon]] made use of the type. During the [[Gulf War]], a combination of U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps A-6s conducted in excess of 4,700 combat sorties against a variety of Iraqi ground-based targets. During the 1990s, the A-6 was intended to be superseded by the [[McDonnell Douglas A-12 Avenger II]], but this program was ultimately canceled due to cost overruns. Thus, when the A-6E was scheduled for retirement, its precision strike mission was initially taken over by the [[Grumman F-14 Tomcat]] equipped with a [[LANTIRN]] pod, and later passed on to the [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet]].