On the Prowl

Climb into the cockpit of a Grumman EA-6B Prowler in this silent video produced by VAQ-209-the "Star Warriors"-a squadron based at Naval Air Facility Washington, D.C., Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. The two-seat Grumman A-6 Intruder, an all-weather, Vietnam-era attack airplane for the U.S. Navy, later became the four-seat, advanced electronic warfare Prowler, which added two electronic countermeasures officers behind the pilot and bombardier/navigator. The arm extending from the front of the aircraft and visible through the windscreen is a probe to take on fuel in flight.Today, in addition to the Star Warriors, the EA-6B operates out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. These Prowlers periodically operate aboard the Navy's aircraft carriers, one of which, the USS George Washington, has a squadron forward-deployed at Naval Air Station Atsugi, Japan.Roughly half a century after the first A-6 Intruder flew, the Prowler's days are numbered as the Boeing EA-18G "Growler," a variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, gradually assumes its job. Video: U.S. Navy/VAQ-209