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 for carrier aviation. The A-6 was the first true ?all-weather? strike aircraft in the Navy?s inventory and carried a conventional bomb load second only to the B-52. Covering both Navy and Marine Corps service, this is the operational history of the Intruder and the Naval service?s ?medium attack? community told in the words of the men who flew it from Vietnam to Desert Storm, and the numerous brush fire wars in between. Twelve chapters include detailed descriptions of the Intruder?s combat record in from its first deployment to Vietnam through the design?s retirement in 1997. Every fleet version of the aircraft, and each squadron that flew the mighty A-6 are covered in detail. This book is heavily illustrated with photographs, maps and detailed appendices including squadron histories, deployments, production details and airframe losses. The authors, both carrier-experienced flyers, bring the exploits of the Intruder to life in the words of aircraft?s aircrew. This work is the most comprehensive operational history yet produced on this true classic of Naval Aviation. 250 colour hb/w photographs
