Work on an electronic warfare version of the A-6 Intruder began as early as 1960 with in house studies by Grumman. In 1962 the Marine Corps selected the EA-6A as the replacement for their obsolete Douglas F3D-2Q Skyknights. The initial EA-6A version of the aircraft was a two-seat aircraft very similar to the A-6 Intruder. By 1965 when the first EA-6A aircraft were entering service it had become apparent that technical advancements had already outpaced the new aircraft. Grumman determined that a complete redesign of the aircraft was needed to accommodate these advances. These changes resulted in a larger four-seat aircraft that split the electronic warfare workload between three crewmen. The renamed EA-6B Prowler entered service with the U.S. Navy in 1971. Prowlers served in U.S. Navy squadrons until their retirement in 2014. The Marine Corps plans to have their Prowlers retired no later than 2019.
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