Castle Air Museum Adds Grumman A-6E Intruder

Following the recent announcement about the acquisition of the F-117 Nighthawk, the Castle Air Museum in Atwater,CA had a significant aircraft arrive on Friday, March 5th. The aircraft is a Grumman A-6E Intruder and is the last to have flown in the U.S. Navy. The Intruder that was loaded for delivery on March 7th at the Pima Air Museum for delivery to the Castle Air Museum. This acquisition was made possible thanks to the partnership between the museum and the A-6 Intruder Association. The mission commitment of Intruder Association is to preserve and promote the legacy of US Navy and Marine Corps A-6 Intruder Community, keep others informed of the A-6 aircraft mission and accomplishments, and provide for continued camaraderie among all those who flew and supported the aircraft and its squadrons.

Castle’s A-6E Intruder BuNo 159579, has the distinction of being the next to last Intruder to ever serve the United States Navy, and retired in the colors of VA-196, written about in Stephen Coonts’s novel, later made into the movie “Flight of the Intruder.” This A-6 Intruder is the last to be saved from the storage and reclamation center located at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona.