A-5 Vigilante Aircraft - Select models of the F-14 Tomcat would eventually carry the multi-sensor Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod (TARPS) and the Digital Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod (D-TARPS). Following up to present day, the weight of fighters such as the F-14 Tomcat and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet have evolved into the same 62,950 lb (28,550 kg) class as the Vigilante.
With the retirement of the F-14, the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighters and EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft are planned to cover the strike, reconnaissance, tanker and electronic warfare roles of the F-14 Tomcat , A-6E Intruder, A-7E Corsair II, RF-8G Crusader, RA-5C, KA-6D Intruder, Grumman EA-6B Prowler, S-3B Viking, ES-3A Shadow and EA-3B Skywarrior.
A-5 Vigilante Aircraft
I was in USN from 07/70 until 01/74. I went to RVAH-3 for training following "C" school, then deployed with RVAH-11 for WestPac 71 /72 and Med Cruise 73. I was a PH-2 when I got out after 3.5yrs (early out due to base move
Design And Development
from NAS Albany, GA to NAS Key West, FL. The Viggie was a great aircraft. I always remember the "nose up" attitude in flight, and how loud she was on take-off and landing. One of the biggest, nosiest AC
on a carrier. While the Vigilante served in the attack and reconnaissance roles, its design and planform was a direct descendant of the earlier WS-202 or XF-108 Rapier Mach 3 fighter, designed originally to escort the North American XB-70 Valkyrie bomber.
Although both experimental programs were ultimately unsuccessful, the Soviet's Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 "Foxbat" interceptor was greatly influenced by American advances in high speed flight.[11] [N 1] Although there is a superficial resemblance to the F-108/Vigilante configuration, the MiG-25 was an entirely unique design.[12]
The A3J-2 attack variant, later dubbed the A-5B, and the RA-5C reconn. variant were built later on. In all, 156 Vigilantes were built including the prototypes, one of which still survives on display at the Naval Aviation Museum
(Pensacola, Florida). I worked 14 of my 22 year tour on that aircraft. The flight controls were the latest and lots of fun to work on. Didn't like the back carts. All systems were a lot to learn.
I still can remember PIN numbers on amps. Was a real challenge for an old mo boy. Made a reunion in Sanford in 2004. Eight of 10 squadrons of RA-5C Vigilantes also saw extensive service in Vietnam starting in August 1964, carrying out hazardous medium-level reconnaissance missions.
Although it proved fast and agile, 18 RA-5Cs were lost in combat: 14 to anti-aircraft fire, three to surface-to-air missiles, and one to a MiG-21 during Operation Linebacker II. Nine more were lost in operational accidents while serving with Task Force 77. Due, in part, to these combat losses, 36 additional RA-5C aircraft were built from 1968 to 1970 as attrition replacements.[9]
The reconnaissance version of the Vigilante, the RA-5C, had slightly greater wing area and added a long canoe-shaped fairing under the fuselage for a multi-sensor reconnaissance pack. This added an APD-7 side-looking airborne radar (SLAR), AAS-21 infrared linescanner, and camera packs, as well as improved ECM.
An AN/ALQ-61 electronic intelligence system could also be carried. The RA-5C retained the AN/ASB-12 bombing system, and could, in theory, carry weapons, although it never did in service. Later-build RA-5Cs had more powerful J79-10 engines with afterburning thrust of 17,900 lbf (80 kN).
The reconnaissance Vigilante weighed almost five tons more than the strike version with almost the same thrust and an only modestly enlarged wing. These changes cost it acceleration and climb rate, though it remained fast in level flight.
what wonderful memories @ the naa columbus plant. i was lead man in the non destructive testing dept (x-ray) spent a lot of time x-raying the titanium duct work for the boundry layer control (blc) system that was a whole new control system concept.
at the time titanium was almost an exotic metal that was very difficult to form into the complex shapes for the system and consequently had to be welded from many small pieces and inspected for welding defects 100%.
the vig had a very strange trade mark sound that could be heard all over the east side of columbus in the wee hours out on the ramp @ run up. this was in 1963 / 1965. best job i ever had.
I was a Dynamicist from June 57 to May 63 on the A3J /RA5C. It was a beautiful airplane, esp the A3J. We had a great Group doing the analyses, lab tests, wind tunnel tests and flight tests.
George Hoskins was the Test Pilot on the A3J doing Flutter Tests, a GREAT test pilot. The A-5 Vigilante was originally developed as a supersonic nuclear bomber, but submarines had taken on the mission when the A-5 entered service in 1964. Fortunately, the Vigilante's excellent performance lent itself to the reconnaissance role.
A special 'canoe' fitted to the belly housed not only cameras, but infrared sensors, electronic surveillance devices, side-looking radar, and defensive electronic jammers. Vigilante's saw extensive service in the Vietnam War, flying hazarduous pre- and post-bombing raid reconnaissance and surveillance flights.
Despite the Vigilante's useful service, it was expensive and complex to operate and occupied significant amounts of precious flight deck and hangar deck space aboard both conventional and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. With the end of the Vietnam War, disestablishment of RVAH squadrons began in 1974, with the last Vigilante squadron, RVAH-7, completing its final deployment to the Western Pacific aboard USS Ranger (CV-61) in late 1979. The final flight by
an RA-5C took place on 20 November 1979 when a Vigilante departed NAS Key West, Florida.[10] Reconnaissance Attack Wing ONE was subsequently disestablished at NAS Key West, Florida in January 1980. The Vigilante's early service proved troublesome, with many teething problems for its advanced systems.
Although these systems were highly sophisticated, the technology of the time was in its infancy, and its reliability was poor.[citation needed] Although most of these reliability issues were eventually worked out as maintenance personnel gained greater experience with supporting these systems, the aircraft
tended to remain a maintenance-intensive platform throughout its career. Re: Keene LittleCudos to you! In a previous comment, I mentioned as being in the first Vigilante squadron (also RCAH7) back when they were A5A's. This was in 1962. I'd love to see your movies and, if there is a picture of the Vigilante.
please email it? in flight suitable to put on a shirt?I reside still in Sanford, Fl. where there is a beautiful static display of an RA5C at the entrance to the old NAS! After leaving the Navy in Aug.
of 1959 as a 2nd class aircraft electronic tech. I went to work at North American Aviation in Columbus Ohio. Got to work on the A3J from the early stages and then on to the RA5C recon version.
A beautiful airplane and fast. I was on the team that set the altitude record for it's type and also help deliver the first A3J's to the Navy in Sanford Fl. The recon version had tons of electronic equipment.
and I got to work on the camera systems made by Chicago Areal Industries. Seems to me I remember a mad scramble to get one ready to take pictures over Cuba before it actually became operational.
I maintained, repaired, and tested the Auto Pilot system on the A3-J aircraft, in flight test. You could always tell when the A-3J was taxiing or flying in the area, as it had a sound all of it's own.
It was a very good program to work on. A lot of good people. Designated A3J-1, the Vigilante first entered squadron service with Heavy Attack Squadron THREE (VAH-3) in June 1961 at Naval Air Station Sanford, Florida, replacing the Douglas A-3 Skywarrior in the heavy attack role.[8]
All variants of the Vigilante were built at North American Aviation's facility at Port Columbus Airport in Columbus, Ohio, alongside the North American T-2 Buckeye and OV-10 Bronco. The Vigilante was designed as a Mach 2 carrier-based attack aircraft capable of carrying nuclear or conventional bombs.
The first prototype flew on 31 August 1958 and 57 production A-5A attack aircraft were delivered to the US Navy, becoming operational on board USS Enterprise in February 1962. The other major version of the Vigilante was the RA-5G, a reconnaissance type of
which more than 90 were built as new; most of the A-5A were subsequently converted to this standard. The RAN controlled all reconnaissance functions, although the pilot could assume control of the oblique-mounted serial frame cameras.
Each crewmember had a catapult/rocket-powered ejection seat, also designed and produced at the Columbus facility, capable of high-altitude, high-speed or ground-level recoveries. On December 13, 1960, Navy Commander Leroy Heath (Pilot) and Lieutenant Larry Monroe (Bombardier/Navigator) established a world altitude record of 91,450.8 feet (27,874.2 m) in an A3J Vigilante carrying a 1,000 kilogram payload, beating the previous record by over four
miles (6 km). This new record held for over 13 years.[13] Under the Tri-Services Designation plan implemented under Robert McNamara in September 1962, the Vigilante was redesignated A-5, with the initial A3J-1 becoming A-5A and the updated A3J-2 becoming A-5B.
The subsequent reconnaissance version, originally A3J-3P, became the RA-5C. The combination of the RA-5C Vigilante's ability to deliver conventional weapons, day or night in all kinds of weather, as well as to complete tactical reconnaissance missions made it one of the most versatile aircraft in the world.
RA-5Cs served throughout the Vietnam War and were retired from service in 1979. Fighters replaced the RA-5C in the carrier-based reconnaissance role. The RF-8G version of the Vought F-8 Crusader, modified with internal cameras, had already been serving in two light photographic squadrons (VFP-62 and VFP-63) since the early 1960s, operating from older aircraft carriers unable to support the
vigilante. The Marine Corps' sole photographic squadron (VMFP-3) would also deploy aboard aircraft carriers during this period with RF-4B Phantom II aircraft. These squadrons superseded the Vigilante's role by providing detachments from the primary squadron to carrier air wings throughout the late 1970s and early-to-mid-1980s until transfer of the recon mission to the Navy's fighter squadron (VF) community operating the Grumman F-14
Tomcat. RA-5C Vigilante, BuNo 156608, from Reconnaissance Attack Squadron 7 (RVAH-7) during what may have been its final flight in 1979. This aircraft is now on permanent display at Naval Support Activity Mid-South (formerly Naval Air Station Memphis)
, Tennessee. When I arrived at NAS Albany Georgia in August 1969 assigned to RVAH-3. We had the C-47,TA-3B,TA4J,and the best looking aircraft the Navy has ever purchased RA-5C. I got to work with some really good sailors while being assigned to RVAH-3.
I had orders to RVAH-9 but transferred to Naval hospital Jax and never got to go on cruise with her. After 31 years active duty and now working at Pax River MD the Vigilante in the air museum was one I had worked on.
The RA-5C featured a high, thin swept wing and all-movable slab-type tail surfaces with spoiler/deflectors in lieu of conventional ailerons for lateral control. The wing was equipped with flaps and droopable leading edges with boundary layer control, which, when used in conjunction with the spoiler/deflectors, improved low-speed flight characteristics.
The Vigilante, designed and built for the U.S. Navy by North American Aircraft Division at Columbus, Ohio, was the only Mach 2 bomber to serve aboard a Navy carrier. Initially designated the A3J-1 attack bomber, it was one of the largest and heaviest aircraft ever accepted for service aboard U.S.
Navy carriers. Production began in 1956, and it entered squadron service in June 1961. It was redesignated the A-5 and fully deployed by August 1962, when the USS Enterprise, the Navy's first nuclear aircraft carrier, made its inaugural cruise.
In 1968, Congress closed the aircraft's original operating base of NAS Sanford, Florida and transferred the parent wing, Reconnaissance Attack Wing ONE, all subordinate squadrons and all aircraft and personnel to Turner AFB, a Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-52 and Boeing
KC-135 base at Albany, Georgia. The tenant SAC bomb wing was then deactivated and control of Turner AFB was transferred from the Air Force to the Navy with the installation renamed Naval Air Station Albany. In 1974, after barely six years of service as a naval air station, Congress opted to close NAS Albany as part of a post-Vietnam force reduction, transferring all RA-5C units and personnel to NAS Key West, Florida.
Served with RVAH-1, NAS Sanford, 1964-66, Heavy 1 flew off the USS Indepence CVA-62 in 1965 in South China Sea. Biggest beast on the Carrier & fastest. But now protection over mission site. The Vigis took the heaviest losses per mission of the war.
Like to go back to Sanford and see the place. Guess we won't hear "Launch the Heavies" anymore. This is one of the most underrated aircraft ever. I observed them coming on board the ship. Then if you have had the opportunity and when you saw them show off and do what they were designed for, it takes your breath away.
There is nothing in the air that can compete with it today. Years ahead of its time. A few years ago the Navy wanted to bring them back, but Politics got in the way. Worked in airframes in Key West.
Yes a neat airplane but hard to keep in the air the older it got. The flight control system and hydraulic system was not mechanic friendly. Still the coolest looking plane in the air by far!
Despite being designated by the US Navy as a "heavy", the A-5 was surprisingly agile for such a large aircraft. Without the drag of bombs or missiles, even escorting fighters found that the clean airframe and powerful engines made the Vigilante very fast at high and low altitudes.
However, its high approach speed and high angle of attack in the landing configuration made returning to the aircraft carrier a challenge for inexperienced or unwary pilots.[5] In 1953, North American Aviation began a private study for a carrier-based, long-range, all-weather strike bomber, capable of delivering nuclear weapons at supersonic speeds.[2]
This proposal, the NAGPAW (North American General Purpose Attack Weapon) concept, was accepted by the United States Navy, with some revisions, in 1955.[3] A contract was awarded on August 29, 1956. Its first flight occurred two years later on August 31, 1958 in Columbus, Ohio.[4]
RA-5C BuNo 151629 on outdoor display in RVAH-3 markings at the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in Pueblo, Colorado in November 2007. This aircraft has since been repainted in RVAH-7 markings and is now displayed indoors. TravisFlew RA-5c version '70-74.
In '81 went to work at AEDC in wind tunnels as an aero. Worked there for over 30 years. Worked with quite a few folks from GD/FW. Mack Shafer and I became good friends. The Vigilante had advanced and complex electronics when it first entered service.
It had one of the first fly-by-wire systems of an operational aircraft (with mechanical/hydraulic backup) and a computerized AN/ASB-12 nav/attack system incorporating a head-up display (Pilot's Projected Display Indicator (PPDI), one of the first), multi-mode radar, Radar-Equipped Inertial Navigation System (REINS, based on technologies developed for the Navaho missile), closed-circuit television camera under the nose, and an early digital computer known as VERDAN (Versatile Digital
Analyzer) to run it all.
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