In the end, this didn't pan out either, getting canceled in 1991. This was most likely due to the fact that Grumman was working on the A-12 Avenger II at the time. Unfortunately, however, the A-6F program was canceled in the late 80's when only three of the five prototypes had flown. The A-6F prototypes flew very well and the revamped aircraft exceeded expectations. Judging by the shape, they were most likely meant purely for air-to-air missiles such as the Sidewinder or AMRAAM. The Intruder II shows off its extra weapon pylons. At this time, all A-6Es had been fitted with the TRAM system, so the A-6F could target and self-designate laser guided munitions. The Intruder II was originally going to use a composite wing akin to the Harrier II, but it wasn't ready by the time the other upgrades were installed on five A-6Es for testing, so they used the normal steel wing. Grumman engineers also took the opportunity to install new systems such as a new radar array (which enabled it to use 2 AMRAAMs), GPS system, electronic countermeasures suite, and two more weapons pylons under the wings. This gave the Intruder II almost 2,000 extra pounds of thrust per engine over its predecessor. One of the bigger changes was replacing the J52 with a non-afterburning version of the General Electric F404 engine, the same engine used by the F/A-18 Hornet. A contract was drafted for an upgrade program during the mid-1980's, which changed several things about the aircraft. It was no secret that by the 1980's, the Pratt & Whitney J52 turbojet engines that powered the Intruder were showing their age. The A-6F Intruder II was Grumman's attempt to modernize the aging A-6 platform for continued service.
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