A6 WAS A GREAT BIRD FOR NIGHT LOW LEVEL ATTACKS IN NVN. MUCH SAFER TO FLY AT NIGHT THAN ANY OTHER A/C & SAFER FOR AIRCREW THAN IN DAYLIGHT ATTACKS. BEST BOMBLOAD WAS 13 MK83 1000BOMBS CUZ LEAST DRAG FOR THE MAX PUNCH. COULD GET OVER 500KTS AT 200 FEET OVER RT PAK 6 IN NVN. SYSTEM HAD RELIABILITY PROBLEMS BUT B/Ns USED BACKUP MODES TO OVERCOME PROBLEMS.
VA 85 IN WESTPAC: '66,'67 & '68

The best aircraft for its assigned mission in the world. Nothing has really replaced it yet.

As a Marine Aviator, I piloted A6A's in VMA(AW)-225 at Da Nang AB, SVN, from Jan-Jul, 1969, for 150+ combat missions. At that time, VMA(AW)-242 flew A6A's from Da Nang and VMA(AW)-533 flew them out of Chu Lai. Several Navy squadrons also flew them off the carriers at Yankee and Dixie Stations. Our standard ordnance load was twenty-eight 500 # iron bombs, but we also used nape, Zuni rockets, 2.75 rocket packs, and a few CBU's and Walleye glide bombs. We flew mostly night interdiction hops over the HC Minh Trail, plus TPQ, Beacon and CAS missions in northern SVN, Laos and occasionally into Cambodia. It's a great bird, very dependable and airworthy in combat with excellent radar and ECM gear when operated by a proficient B/N. It was in reality a B/N's plane; the pilot merely followed the steering bug and committed the system to drop on B/N-selected targets; the B/N handled all the finesse stuff. The ALQ-100 ECM gear worked fantastically, providing the aircrew with audio and visual indications of all ground threats. Nightime in-flt refueling off KC-130 tankers could be a handful due to the buffet from the 130's props and the airwave passing over the Intruder's bulbous nose. It made the basket rise dramatically just when you neared the nose-mounted IFR probe to the basket. You needed to use 3-5 kts positive closure on the basket to catch it just as it was rising up. We carried about 2 hours of fuel internally giving us excellent time-on-station. The Intruder's bombing accuracy was unparalleled when flown with a seasoned B/N. All in all, if you had to go to war, the A6A Intruder was a trustworthy airplane to do it in.

Originally it was born as the A2F. the first three built had tiltable tailpipes which was supposed to aid in short field take-off and carries ops. However, the benefit derived was penalized by the weight. I was a flight test Bombardier Navigator for Grumman. Have flown over 1600 hours flight testing as a B/N.

Originally it was born as the A2F. the first three built had tiltable tailpipes which was supposed to aid in short field take-off and carries ops. However, the benefit derived was penalized by the weight. I was a flight test Bombardier Navigator for Grumman. Have flown over 1600 hours flight testing as a B/N.

The only jet that could replace the AD on the Carrier. In performance it has to be considered one of the best we ever produced. Nothing has taken it's place as yet.

There was also a 2 seat electronics variant, the EA-6A as well as the A-6B SAM Superission Variant and of course the KA-6D Tanker version.
You have a great website.. Thanks.. Joe

The two crew members were positioned in side-by-side seating. There was also an electronics warfare variant that had four crew members, the two extra seats added behind the two original seats. This plane was notable for the gold-colored shine that could be seen in the canopy glass. The story was that the glass was coated with a thin gold layer to protect the crew from the radio emissions of the electronic warfare equipment.