Flight of the Intruder

1972, North Vietnam. A vicious war is being fought on the ground, but in the skies above, life is perhaps even more precarious; especially for those flying the A-6 Intruders just above the treetops. Navy aviator Jake 'Cool Hand' Grafton and his bombardier-navigator Morgan 'Morg' McPherson are only too aware that each flight could be their last. And when a farmer's bullet hits Morg during an attack mission on yet another suspected truck depot, Grafton is forced to question whether these missions are really worth risking their lives for.
Grafton is next paired up with veteran bombardier Virgil 'Tiger' Cole, and it doesn't take long for the two to formulate a plan. They choose a new target: a Communist Party centre in Hanoi; an unauthorized mark that not only defies the American military's rules of engagement, but one that will require all the skill and nerve they can muster. Told with an authenticity possible only from someone who has shared the experiences of his protagonist, Flight of the Intruder is widely considered a classic of naval aviation fiction.
The first in the hugely popular Jake Grafton series, it also marked the beginning of Stephen Coonts' career as a bestselling author.