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All-weather attack aircraft, entered service in 1963. The A-6 is an ugly mid-wing aircraft, with side-by-side seating in a blunt nose. The subsonic A-6 is a true all-wheater attack aircraft; it has good range and carries a heavier load than any previous USN attack aircraft. It is still in service, but near the end of its career. Over 660 were built. 51 were converted to KA-6D trainers. The attack aircraft was the basis for two electronic warfare versions, the two-seat EA-6A and the four-seat EA-6B Prowler. The EA-6B carries up to five AN/ALQ-99 pods, each with two jamming transmitters.
Type: A-6E
Function: attack
Year: 1972
Crew: 2
Engines: 2 * 41.4kN P&W J52-P-8A
Wing Span: 16.15Â m
Length: 16.69 m
Height: 4.93 m
Wing Area: 49.13 m2
Empty Weight: 12093 kg
Max.Weight: 27397 kg
Speed: 1043 km/h
Ceiling: 14480 m
Range: 4690 km
Armament: 8165 kg
Unit cost: 25 million USD
Type: EA-6B
Task: electronic warfare
Year: 1971
Crew: 4
Engines: 2 * 49.8kN P&W J52-P-408
Wing Span: 16.15 m
Length: 18.11 m
Height: 4.93 m
Empty Weight: 14588 kg
Max.Weight: 29485 kg
Max. Speed: 1048 km/h
Ceiling: 12550 m
Max. Range: 3861 km
Armament: possibly HARM-missiles.
Grumman A-6 Intruder
Contractors: Northrop Grumman (Prime), Boeing, Norden, Hughes, Sundstrand
Aircraft Description
Powerplant:
Two Pratt & Whitney J52-P8B/C, nonafterburning, axial-flow turbojet engines; each rated approximately 9,300 lb. thrust. The C version is a reliability and maintainability improvement to the combustion chamber, fuel nozzles and seals in the oil tank. The engine, used in other internationally operated aircraft is supported by several corporations.
Accommodations:
Crew of two: pilot and bombardier/navigator.
Performance:
Maximum speed 568 knots at sea level, max range greater than 2,800 miles.
Armament:
Provision for carrying up to 18,000 lbs. of ordnance on 5 external weapon stations.
Aircraft Mission and Capabilities
The A-6E is the U.S. Navy's heavy payload attack aircraft that provides all-weather, day or night, long-range strike capability. It has recently been modified with a composite wing to extend the plane's operational fatigue life another 20 years and is equipped with an all-weather multiple-mode radar, DRS (Detecting and Range Set), and a self-contained carrier airborne inertial navigation system. The APQ-156 integrated radar provides the capabilities of search, target tracking, airborne moving target identification, and beacon interrogation. The high resolution, real beam ground mapping radar, complemented by the Tactical Altitude Director (TAD) system, also provides terrain clearance and avoidance for low-level navigation. The DRS contains a FLIR, laser range-finder designator, and forward air control (FAC) receiver located beneath the nose in a sensor turret for precision attacks against tactical targets at night and in adverse weather. The A-6E can deliver the Navy's entire arsenal of available air-to-ground weapons from general purpose bombs to ground attack missiles, and the AIM-9L/M air-to-air missile. The SWIP (Systems Weapons Improvement Program) is the latest upgrade that enables the Intruder, through a MIL-STD-1553 avionics multiplex databus to employ multiple advanced precision guided missiles against land- and sea-based targets and emitters. Most A-6Es have been further modified to night multi-place attacks. The integrated attack navigation weapon system coupled with a two man, side-by-side crew, significantly enhances crew coordination, situational awareness, and safety of flight by reducing data saturation associated with the real world tactical environment.
Program Summary
The A-6E was removed from U.S. Naval Air Forces in February 1997. One hundred (100) aircraft are stored in War Reserve and the additional excess aircraft are stored for potential Foreign Military Sales (FMS) all of the SWIP composite wing configuration. The A-6F, the next generation Intruder, started development in 1984 incorporating General Electric F404 engines, an inverse synthetic aperture radar with air-to-air mode, and improved structural changes. This program was cancelled in 1989 with 5 prototypes built.
The A-6 has played an essential part in the changes that have reshaped the world: Vietnam War - 1963-1971, Lebanon/Libya/Grenada - 1971-1986, and Operation Desert Storm in 1991. A total of 693 production A-6s were built, including 488 A-6As, 95 A-6Es, 71 A-6E TRAM, 34 A-6E SWIP and 5 A-6Fs. Over its 33 year history, the A-6 has been in active service in 17 U.S. Navy and 7 U.S. Marine Corps squadrons.
Presently the attack version and/or the Tanking Version (KA-6E) are being offered by the U.S. Navy for FMS.
GRUMMAN A-6E INTRUDER
Dimensions
Wing span - 53 ft / 16.15 m
Wing span (folded) - 25 ft 2 in / 7.67 m
Overall length - 54 ft 7 in / 16.64 m
Height - 16 ft 2 in / 4.93 m
General Data
Crew - 2
Power Plant Number - 2
Manufacturer - Pratt & Whitney
Type - J52-P-B/C Turbojet
Rating - 9,300 lb / 41.1 kN
Performance
Maximum speed - 560 kt / 1,037 km/hr
Average cruise speed - 412 kt / 763 km/hr
Approach speed -122 kt / 226 km/hr
Min. T.O. distance - 4,820 ft / 1,469 m
Min. landing distance - 2,700 ft / 823 m
Service ceiling - 41,000 ft./12,496 m
Ferry range -2,380 naut mi / 4,408 k
Weight
Weight empty- 27,892 lb / 12,649 kg
Internal fuel -15,939 lb / 7,230 kg
External fuel - (5 300 gal drop tanks) 10,025 lb / 4,546 kg
External stores maximum capacity - 18,000 lb / 8,165 kg |
