Going in Hot by William S. Phillips

Making its combat debut in Vietnam in 1965, the Grumman A-6 Intruder provided U.S. Naval Aviation with the capability to operate in some of the worst weather Southeast Asia could muster. Guided by digital integrated attack and navigation equipment, the aircraft ushered in a new era of aviation technology that all but eliminated visibility problems. An A-6 crew could take off, fly to its target at any altitude, drop its ordinance and return to base without the crew ever seeing the outside of the cockpit. The A-6's performances soon made it the standard carrier-based medium attack aircraft of the Navy and its uncanny accuracy earned the nickname the "mini B-52."

This A-6 of VA-196 is dropping through scattered clouds as it prepares to strike a target in the Vietnam hills. Mission completed, the aircraft will return to the USS Enterprise in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Signature:

Stephen Coonts, author