ATWATER, California (KSEE/KGPE) — Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California will house a Grumman A-6 Intruder, which is the last of the specifically designed attack bombers used in the navy.

Castle Air Museum is located at 5050 Santa Fe Drive in Atwater. The museum collection includes vintage military aircraft dating from pre-WWII to the present across the 25 acres of its grounds.

Joe Pruzzo, the air museum’s Executive Director speaks about the history of the A-6, “When in service, these aircraft would be sent into high threat areas. They bombed targets in and around Benghazi and Libya and were also used in Operation Desert Storm. “

Executive Director of Castle Air Museum Joe Pruzzo with retired U.S. Navy Jr. Grade Greg Smith and Lt. Commander Gary Poe welcoming the Grumman A-6E Intruder by the Castle Air Museum Restoration hangar in Atwater

The last pilot to have flown the aircraft, Retired United States Navy Junior Grade Greg Smith, along with his bombardier navigator at the time Lieutenant Commander Gary Poe, were one hand to receive the aircraft marking 24 years to the day the aircraft had its final flight to the Arizona desert for storage.

Smith flew the aircraft on its final flight to the Arizona desert for storage 24 years ago at “the boneyard” located on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.

After his final flight with the Intruder, Smith wrote a message in the left side of the plane saying “Thanks for the memories, Intruders forever!” That message is still there more than a decade later.

“The Intruder” was in service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps between 1963 and 1997.