The Intruder parades through the former Castle Air Force Base to its spot at the Air Museum.
The A-6E Intruder moves out of the restoration hanger.
The final resting spot at Castle for the newly restored Intruder.
Volunteers at Castle Air Museum in Atwater rolled out their latest addition — a Grumman A-6E Intruder — last Saturday, March 25.
The aircraft underwent a 2-year restoration effort after it arrived on a truck in March of 2021. This particular plane was the next to last Intruder flown by the U.S. Navy. It was assigned to VA-196 “Main Battery” — the same unit written about in the story by Stephen Koontz titled “Flight of the Intruder.” The story was later made into a movie starring Danny Glover and William DeFoe.
The museum’s Intruder participated in Operation Southern Watch over Iraq and Operation Desert Storm in 1991.