A-6E Intruder BuNo 154159
of VMA(AW)-242 ‘Batmen’ flies over
the Pacific Ocean near San Clemente
Island in the early summer of 1984.
Frank B. MormilloT
HE US MARINE Corps accepted its
first Grumman A-6E Intruders in
1974 — it was the definitive version
of this family of attack aircraft.
The A-6E first joined training unit
VMAT(AW)-202 at MCAS Cherry
Point, North Carolina. The A-6 was operated
by seven marine fleet and training squadrons.
Nearly 450 examples of the A-6E were
delivered, many of which were upgraded
earlier versions.
VMA(AW)-242 ‘Batmen’ had been the first USMC
unit to receive the initial A-6A variant, doing so
in 1964. Two years later the unit deployed to Da
Nang in Vietnam and the A-6s played a pivotal
role in combat operations during the war in
South-East Asia.
The F/A-18D ‘Night Attack’ Hornet ultimately
replaced the last A-6Es in USMC service.
VMA(AW)-242 ‘Batmen’ flew the A-6E until
December 1990 when its last aircraft was
transferred to the US Navy’s VA-128 ’Golden
Intruders’ at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington.
VMA(AW)-533 ‘Hawks’ at MCAS Cherry Point was
the final Marine Corps Intruder unit, retiring its
last examples in 1995 as it too converted to the
F/A-18D.http://www.combataircraft.net // September 2019 97
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