Description
VMA(AW)-533 Nighthawks A-6e Intruder Model
Proudly display this 18 inch wooden model of the VMA(AW)-533 A-6 Intruder. Each model is carefully carved and painted by master craftsman. This is perfect for the goat locker or office and will provide a perfect aid for aviator told stories!
- Length – 18 inches
- Made from Mahogany
- US Veteran Owned Business
- The product is not intended to be used by children 12 years and younger.
- 1969: Delivered to the US Navy.
- Converted to A-6C.
- Upgraded to A-6E.
- 1980-82: VMA(AW)-533 as ED-07.
- 1984-85: VMA(AW)-224 as WK-10.
- 1985: VMA(AW)-332 as EA-10.
- 1990: VA-34 as AG-500.
- 1993: VA-36 as AJ-501.
- 1994: VA-75 as AC-554.
- 7/1994: Put into storage at the AMARC bone yard.
The Vietnam War
Soon after transitioning to the A-6, VMA(AW)533 deployed to Chu Lai Air Base, Republic of Vietnam to support combat operations. They remained there from 1967 to 1969, then redeploying to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. All told, VMA(AW)-533 accumulated over 10,000 combat sorties in these busy years, garnering them the Commandant’s Aviation Efficiency Trophy. In one noted incident, on October 25, 1967, three A-6A Intruders from VMA(AW)-533 attacked the Phúc Yên Air Base outside of Hanoi and the action was so intense all three pilots were awarded the Navy Cross. These pilots were among the few aviators to receive Navy Crosses awarded to fixed wing pilots during the Vietnam War.[4]
This would not be the last time that the Hawks would see combat over Southeast Asia. They returned to service over Vietnam in 1972, deploying for a year to Royal Thai Air Base Nam Phong, Thailand. They were soon flying mission over Cambodia and Laos, as well. They returned to MCAS Iwakuni in September 1973, and then to MCAS Cherry Point in November 1975, where they received their first A-6E the following year.
The Gulf War & the 1990s
The squadron deployed to Bahrain in December 1990 for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Following participation in those hostilities, VMA(AW)-533 returned home after an “around the world” deployment that lasted eleven and a half months.
-Wiki
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