The Grumman EA-6B Prowler was a 4-seat electronic countermeasures attack aircraft developed during the Vietnam War. You can quickly differentiate an EA-6 from the A-6 Intruder upon which it was based by the longer airframe, the second cockpit canopies, and that distinctive bulb on the tail.
The A-6 Intruder was designed 1957 as a carrier-based strike and attack aircraft. That airframe was so successful that the last A-6 was retired in 1997. Along the way, Grumman produced several variants, including an airborne tanker, and the EA-6B Prowler.
The Prowler joined the Navy in 1971, serving in every theater of war from Vietnam through Afghanistan.
Her role was to identify, jam, and attack enemy air defense systems. She carried a pilot and three electronic countermeasures officers, referred to as ECMOs. The pilot brought the plane within range of the enemy’s defenses while the ECMOs located enemy radar installations.
The enemy’s defensive radar was to allowed to “sweep” the plane, which meant the Prowler was identified as a target. The Prowler’s defense was an aggressive and punishing attack on the installation, first by blinding the radar with radio waves and then destroying it with air-to-surface missiles.
It was hairy, dangerous work. Stunningly, not a single aircraft was ever lost in combat.
The Prowler’s mission and sophistication continued to evolve, such that by the time the plane served in Afghanistan and Iraq, the ECMOs could identify and disrupt specific cell phone communications.
Beginning in 2019, the Prowler’s role was beginning to move over to the two-seat Boeing EA-18 Growler, an adaptation of the wildly successful F/A-18 attack airframe.
In April of 2024, the Navy dedicated a plaque to the EA-6B at Point Mugu Missile Park in recognition of the service provided by these legendary aircraft.
Included in the gallery at the top of this page is an A-6 undergoing restoration at the Estrella Warbirds Museum for comparison.
These images were taken at the Point Mugu Missile Park in Point Hueneme, and at the Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles.
Marvelous Air Museums 