Flight of the Intruder (novel)
Encyclopedia
Flight of the Intruder is a novel written by Stephen Coonts
in 1986 telling the stories of United States Navy
aviators flying the A-6 Intruder
– a two man, all-weather, aircraft carrier based strike aircraft on missions during the Vietnam War
. The main character is Jake "Cool Hands" Grafton, a naval aviator who appears in a series of sequels. The book, which was made into a movie of the same name
, marked the beginning of Stephen Coonts' career as a best-selling novelist.
. Although there are many militarily valuable targets in North Vietnam, Grafton and other aviators are instead routinely ordered to hit worthless targets—typically “suspected truck parks”. The pilots are barred from hitting the more valuable targets because of restrictive “rules of engagement
” imposed on American forces. Despite the minimal damage even a successful strike will inflict on the enemy (whom the aviators derisively refer to as “Gomers”), North Vietnamese airspace is heavily defended, making the missions extremely dangerous for the aviators. Grafton and Morg elude most of the defenses, but a stray shot fired by a lone farmer on the ground fatally wounds Morg.
Traumatized by the loss of his good friend, Grafton begins to question whether his efforts have been worth it. He is eventually paired up with Virgil 'Tiger' Cole as his new navigator. Cole, an aggressive veteran with experience over the most heavily defended areas of North Vietnam, becomes aware of Grafton’s frustrations, and the two begin to plan an unauthorized mission against a Communist Party center in Hanoi
, which will be a serious violation of the restrictive rules of engagement. With the help of one of the Shiloh’s intelligence officers, Cole and Grafton locate and plan the mission. Flying the mission nearly proves fatal due to problems with the A-6’s weapons system. Once completed, they don't even know if they successfully hit anything.
Grafton’s superiors soon learn of the unauthorized strike—there is no way to hide the fact that Grafton’s plane was shot at by Surface to Air Missiles, yet no SAM sites were positioned near the target they were supposed to hit.
Both Grafton and Cole are prosecuted by the Navy, with a conviction being certain. The charges are dropped however, as the Richard Nixon
administration is about to authorize a massive new air war campaign against Hanoi, “Linebacker II
”. The Navy decides that they can’t prosecute pilots for flying a mission against Hanoi when the President is about to order an escalation along the same lines.
The remainder of the novel follows Grafton’s exploits in what became known as The Christmas Bombings. He also romances Callie, his future wife. He is shot down during the offensive, and is forced to confront the horror of war on the ground, and the story closes with Grafton being rescued.
and Desert Storm.
Eventually, he finds himself serving as an assistant to the Joint Chiefs, and is last heard from in the book The Disciple, working for the CIA (by this time in his late 50s to early 60s).
Stephen Coonts
Stephen Coonts is an American thriller and suspense novelist.Coonts grew up in Buckhannon, West Virginia, a small coal-mining town and earned an B.A. degree in political science at West Virginia University in 1968...
in 1986 telling the stories of United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
aviators flying the A-6 Intruder
A-6 Intruder
The Grumman A-6 Intruder was an American, twin jet-engine, mid-wing attack aircraft built by Grumman Aerospace. In service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps between 1963 and 1997, the Intruder was designed as an all-weather medium attack aircraft to replace the piston-engined A-1 Skyraider...
– a two man, all-weather, aircraft carrier based strike aircraft on missions during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. The main character is Jake "Cool Hands" Grafton, a naval aviator who appears in a series of sequels. The book, which was made into a movie of the same name
Flight of the Intruder
Flight of the Intruder is a 1991 film directed by John Milius, which is based on the novel of the same name by A-6 Intruder pilot Stephen Coonts...
, marked the beginning of Stephen Coonts' career as a best-selling novelist.
Plot summary
Flight of the Intruder begins with a night attack mission flown by Jake Grafton and his navigator Morgan “Morg” McPherson from the USN aircraft carrier, USS Shiloh, striking a target in North VietnamNorth Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
. Although there are many militarily valuable targets in North Vietnam, Grafton and other aviators are instead routinely ordered to hit worthless targets—typically “suspected truck parks”. The pilots are barred from hitting the more valuable targets because of restrictive “rules of engagement
Rules of engagement
Rules of Engagement refers to those responses that are permitted in the employment of military personnel during operations or in the course of their duties. These rules of engagement are determined by the legal framework within which these duties are being carried out...
” imposed on American forces. Despite the minimal damage even a successful strike will inflict on the enemy (whom the aviators derisively refer to as “Gomers”), North Vietnamese airspace is heavily defended, making the missions extremely dangerous for the aviators. Grafton and Morg elude most of the defenses, but a stray shot fired by a lone farmer on the ground fatally wounds Morg.
Traumatized by the loss of his good friend, Grafton begins to question whether his efforts have been worth it. He is eventually paired up with Virgil 'Tiger' Cole as his new navigator. Cole, an aggressive veteran with experience over the most heavily defended areas of North Vietnam, becomes aware of Grafton’s frustrations, and the two begin to plan an unauthorized mission against a Communist Party center in Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, which will be a serious violation of the restrictive rules of engagement. With the help of one of the Shiloh’s intelligence officers, Cole and Grafton locate and plan the mission. Flying the mission nearly proves fatal due to problems with the A-6’s weapons system. Once completed, they don't even know if they successfully hit anything.
Grafton’s superiors soon learn of the unauthorized strike—there is no way to hide the fact that Grafton’s plane was shot at by Surface to Air Missiles, yet no SAM sites were positioned near the target they were supposed to hit.
Both Grafton and Cole are prosecuted by the Navy, with a conviction being certain. The charges are dropped however, as the Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
administration is about to authorize a massive new air war campaign against Hanoi, “Linebacker II
Operation Linebacker II
Operation Linebacker II was a US Seventh Air Force and US Navy Task Force 77 aerial bombing campaign, conducted against targets in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam during the final period of US involvement in the Vietnam War...
”. The Navy decides that they can’t prosecute pilots for flying a mission against Hanoi when the President is about to order an escalation along the same lines.
The remainder of the novel follows Grafton’s exploits in what became known as The Christmas Bombings. He also romances Callie, his future wife. He is shot down during the offensive, and is forced to confront the horror of war on the ground, and the story closes with Grafton being rescued.
Characters
- Jake “Cool Hand” Grafton – Naval aviator, protagonist.
- Virgil “Tiger” Cole – An experienced aviator. He has flown in missions over Hanoi at least twice, and his favorite missions are those against missile sites.
- Commander Frank Camparelli – The commanding officer of Grafton's A-6 squadron.
- ”Cowboy” – also a naval aviator. Cowboy will appear in the sequel Final Flight. A man of few words, Cowboy’s persona hides a man of above average intelligence.
- Morgan “Morg” McPherson; Grafton’s navigator and close friend.
- Callie – Grafton’s love interest. They meet when Grafton tours Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. - ”Rabbit” Wilson – A naval aviator with seniority over Grafton, but hobbled by his fear of night flying, which has led to his being mocked by other pilots. Wilson avoids many night missions by “finding” technical faults with his assigned aircraft. Eventually, his “downing” of a night mission aircraft comes to the attention of superior officers. His fate is never specified, though it is presumed that he is removed from flying status.
Aircraft appearing/mentioned
- The Grumman A-6 IntruderA-6 IntruderThe Grumman A-6 Intruder was an American, twin jet-engine, mid-wing attack aircraft built by Grumman Aerospace. In service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps between 1963 and 1997, the Intruder was designed as an all-weather medium attack aircraft to replace the piston-engined A-1 Skyraider...
. A two-man, twin-engine bomber flown from aircraft carriers. The Intruder uses sophisticated electronics to find and attack targets in bad weather and/or at night—though the equipment often proves unreliable. The Intruder also lacks any defensive weapons against fighters.
- The McDonnell DouglasMcDonnell DouglasMcDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...
F-4 Phantom, also a two-man, twin-engine warplane flown from USN aircraft carriers. It lacks the sophisticated ground attack capability of the Intruder, but is also more capable than that plane against enemy fighters. An enemy pursuing Grafton is driven off by a Phantom.
- The VoughtVoughtVought is the name of several related aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace , Vought Aircraft Companies, and the current Vought Aircraft Industries. The first incarnation of Vought was established by Chance M...
A-7 Corsair IIA-7 Corsair IIThe Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-based subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the United States Navy's Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, initially entering service during the Vietnam War...
, a simple, one-man, carrier-borne, ground-attack aircraft. Grafton compares his own Intruder to the Corsair, wishing the Intruder were armed with an internal gun like the Corsair was.
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 Farmer, a twin-engine, supersonic interceptor flown by the air force of North Vietnam. In one mission, Grafton is tasked to attack a group of MiG-19’s on the ground. The Mig-19 is derided as a day fighter that would be "mincemeat" if caught in the air by Phantoms.
Sequels
Flight of the Intruder lays the groundwork for other Stephen Coonts novels. In particular, The Intruders, which details Grafton's flying in the immediate aftermath of the Vietnam War, and Final Flight (written before the other sequels) which shows Grafton as CAG of an aircraft carrier boarded by terrorists. In other books, the character of Jake Grafton eventually continues serving the USN into the 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Desert Storm.
Eventually, he finds himself serving as an assistant to the Joint Chiefs, and is last heard from in the book The Disciple, working for the CIA (by this time in his late 50s to early 60s).