Grumman A-6 Intruder

Warbird Tech Volume 33
By Dennis R. Jenkins
Specialty Press, 2002
104 Pages, Softbound
ISBN 1-58007-050-7
$16.95

Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl

Navy aircraft and Grumman go hand in hand, dating back to before the Second World War. While mainly known for its ‘cat’ fighter lineage, Grumman also produced one of the most successful attack aircraft in Navy history: the A-6 Intruder. Designed during a time when everything had to be bigger, faster and higher, the A-6 was an anachronism of the times, designed for low altitude and subsonic flight. This is exactly what the Navy needed, though, and the A-6 quickly found its way into fleet service. First seeing combat in the skies over Vietnam, it soldiered on through the 70s and 80s until entering combat again in Desert Storm. Nearly thirty-seven years after the first A-6 flew the type was retired from service in 1997, even though there was no effective replacement for the type. Not until the F/A-18E/F came onto the scene did the Navy have a plane that could deliver the same amount of ordnance over the same range.

While some would say the A-6 is an ugly plane, I find it to be a rather attractive design, combining both utility and attitude. This probably is due to my living in the same state as the West Coast Intruder base for most of my life and knowing what these guys can do down on the deck. This book covers the 30+ years of the Intruder’s life, showing the gestation and growth of this aircraft. While the basic shape didn’t change much over the years, the Intruder did receive many updates and upgrades, including rewinging many airframes in the mid-1980s. What this book does not cover are the electronic warfare A-6s, the EA-6A and EA-6B, but hopefully we’ll see a future Warbird Tech on these two Intruder derivatives in the future.

I can highly recommend this title to all A-6 fans out there, and US Navy aficionados as well. The coverage of the type is excellent and includes photos from all periods of its service. If you’re interested in getting a copy for yourself, you order it direct from Specialty Press either at their website or by calling 800-895-4585. There is a $4.95 shipping & handling added to every order.

Our thanks to Specialty Press for the review sample.