Grumman A-6E Intruder – 1:72

A little Grumman A-6 Intruder’s History

The Grumman A-6 Intruder, the iconic plane from the movie “Flight of the Intruder” flew for the first time on April 19, 1960. As soon as it entered service, it participated in the Vietnam War with the US Navy and Marine Corps. . From the outset, the Intruder is designed to enter enemy territory, flying low and at night. Flying low to the ground, its advanced targeting systems made it a very dangerous and destructive intruder for the time.

Like the Phantom, the Grumman A-6 Intruder could load any air-to-ground munition in the US Navy arsenal. Its robust fuselage and reliable engines gave it a warlike payload never before seen on an aircraft carrier. Like the Phantom II, the Intruder was in service with the US Navy well into the 21st century. He served with merit in Vietnam, Libya, Lebanon, the two Persian Gulf Wars, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and Bosnia (to name a few).

Its side by side cabin and its aerodynamics made it easily recognizable. It was the first bomber in the United States Navy to incorporate radar targeting and navigation systems. This gave him the ability to attack at night and at all times unprecedented until then. There were four basic variants of the Grumman A-6 Intruder, the A-6A, the A-6C (initial wild weasel version), the EA-6A and the A-6E (with new avionics and partial redesign of its wings for greater war load ).

Due to the success of the EA-6A in its war against anti-aircraft systems and SAMS, the navy decided to create the EA-6B Prowler. The success of the Prowler was such that until the development and commissioning of the F / A-18G Growlers they were active.

The US Navy tried to replace the A-6 with other aircraft models such as the A-7 Corsair II from the Vought or the F / A-18 from the McDonnell Douglas.

Talking about the Model

Unmistakably the Grumman A-6 Intruder captures our attention and imagination thanks to the extraordinary feats recorded during its operational life. His long history of service attests that none of his replacements has been able to effectively replace the offensive role of the “Intruder.”

For this project we rely on the magnificent book of In Detail & amp; Scale – No024 where the plane appears in every detail. A series of three photos, on page 21 caught our attention. They show how to maintain the engine and where it is placed when it is removed from the fuselage inside the narrow hangars of the aircraft carrier.

Click on the image below to see the full article