A-6 Intruder Grumman

The A-6 Intruder is an American twin jet-engine, mid-wing attack aircraft built by Grumman Aerospace. In service between 1963 and 1997, the Intruder was designed as an all-weather replacement for the piston-engined A-1 Skyraider medium attack aircraft. A specialized electronic warfare derivative, the EA-6B Prowler, remains in service as of 2007. As the A-6 was slated for retirement, its precision strike mission was taken over by the now retired F-14 Tomcat equipped with LANTIRN, which has subsequently passed on the role to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Type: Carrier launched attack bomber
Crew: 2 (pilot, bombardier/navigator)
Manufacturer: Grumman
Models: see variants
Maiden flight: April 19, 1960
Service Delivery: 1963
Number built: 693


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Specifications: A-6E Intruder
Powerplant:
Model: Pratt & Whitney J52-P8B
Type: Turbojet
Number: Two
Thrust: 9,300 lb

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dimensions:
Length:54 ft 7 in (16.6 m)
Wingspan: 53 ft (16.2 m)
Height: 15 ft 7 in (4.75 m)
Wing area: 529 ft² (49.1 m²)
Airfoil:
NACA 64A009 mod root
NACA 64A005.9 tip
Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0144
Drag area: 7.64 ft² (0.71 m²)
Aspect ratio: 5.31
Weights:
Empty: 25,630 lb (11,630 kg)
Loaded: 34,996 lb (15,870 kg)
Max takeoff: 60,626 lb (27,500 kg)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 648 mph (1,040 kph)
Range: 3,245 mi (5,222 km)
Service ceiling: 40,600 ft (12,400 m)
Rate of climb: 7,620 ft/min (38.7 m/s)
Lift-to-drag ratio: 15.2



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bombload:
– 18,000 lb (8,170 kg) on five external hardpoints


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Design and Development:
The Intruder was developed in response to a U.S. Navy specification for an all-weather carrier-based attack aircraft to serve as a replacement for the piston-powered, World War II-era A-1 Skyraider. Grumman was awarded the contract in 1957, and the resulting A2F-1 made its first flight on 19 April 1960.

The jet nozzles were originally designed to swivel downwards, but this was dropped from production aircraft. The pilot sits in the left seat, while the bombardier/ navigator sits to the right and below. A unique CRT gives a synthetic display of terrain ahead which, with the additional crew member, enabled low-level flying in all weather conditions.

The wing is very efficient at subsonic speeds compared to supersonic fighters such as the F-4 Phantom II, which are also limited to subsonic speeds when carrying a payload of bombs. A very similar wing would be put on pivots on Grumman's later supersonic swing-wing F-14 Tomcat, as well as similar landing gear. The Intruder was also equipped with the "Deceleron", a type of airbrake on the wings with two panels that open in opposite directions, in this case, one panel goes up, another goes down.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources:
Wikipedia: A-6 Intruder