Nearly thirty-seven years and 693 Intruders later, on February 28th, 1997, VA-34 the ‘Blue Blasters’, retired the Navy’s last operational A-6E Intruders. The Navy's experience in the Korean War showed the need for a new long-range strike aircraft with high subsonic performance at very low altitude, an aircraft that could penetrate enemy defences and find and destroy small targets in any weather.