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[1978.014.001] Aircraft - 'RA-5C Vigilante' |
| Accession Number |
1978.014.001 |
| Accession Date |
11/10/1978 |
| Creator |
| Creator |
Creator Role |
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Manufacturer |
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| Date Created |
1970 |
| Object Desciption |
The first A-5 North American Vigilante attack aircraft were delivered to VA-30 in June 1961. Intended to replace the A-3 and be nuclear capable, that role was not widely pursued as submarines became TRIAD strategic missile platforms. Some numbers did serve as attack aircraft. The RA-5C reconnaissance version reached squadrons in 1964, seeing hazardous medium altitude tactical service in Vietnam. |
| Object Notes |
The museum's display aircraft was part of the last batch of RA-5C Vigilante aircraft delivered to the fleet. Accepted on 30 January 1970, this aircraft initially served in Reconnaissance Attack Squadron (RVAH) 6 based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Albany, Georgia, deploying in the carrier America (CVA 66) during June 1972-March 1973. It remained with the squadron when its base shifted to NAS Key West, Florida, and logged a cruise in Forrestal (CVA 59) during 1974. The airplane also served in RVAH-5, RVAH-9, and RVAH-12 during its operational service, logging a cruise in the carriers Constellation (CVA 64), Independence (CV 62) and Nimitz (CVN 68) before delivery to the museum in 1978. |
| Notes |
The dropping of atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki not only ended World War II, but launched a new age in the history of warfare. Having been heavily involved in the atomic bomb program-naval officers actually were aboard both B-29s that flew the historic missions and were the crewmembers that armed the weapons in flight-the U.S. Navy sought a role in this new element of America's defense. Over the protest of the Air Force, the sea service developed long-range strategic bombing capabilities for naval aviation, establishing heavy attack squadrons to fly from the decks of the fleet's carriers.
North American Aviation, Inc. produced the first of the Navy's heavy attack aircraft, the AJ Savage, a propeller-driven design that was quickly replaced by Douglas Aircraft Company's A3D Skywarrior. Undeterred, North American began planning for a new nuclear bomber in November 1953, the aircraft that emerged from the drawing boards a sleek design that contrasted sharply with the A3D, which fleet pilots referred to as the "Whale." Capable of Mach 2 speed, the "North American General Purpose Attack Weapon" as the aircraft was called possessed a host of innovative technological features, including the AN/ASB-12 bomb direction system and Inertial Navigation System (INS) to improve bombing accuracy. Weapons delivery was a unique operation, the bombardier-navigator ejecting the atomic weapon from a linear bomb bay located between the aircraft's engines. Two auxiliary fuel tanks, the contents of which were burned off during the approach to the target, served an additional function when it came time to deliver ordnance. Attached to the atomic bomb, they assisted its trajectory when it ejected out the rear of the fuselage. A high wing layout with a swept wing design, it was the first production aircraft to use variable geometry intakes for its two side-by-side engines and also featured a fly-by-wire control system. Devoid of ailerons, the wing design instead featured large flaps over which air bled from the engines was blown in order to reduce landing speed, essential for carrier operations.
The Navy ordered prototypes of the aircraft in 1956 and the first contract for production was issued in 1959. Designated the A3J Vigilante, the Navy's newest nuclear bomber burst onto the scene on 13 December 1960, when Lieutenant Commander Leroy Heath and Lieutenant Larry Monroe established a new world's altitude record, reaching 91,450 feet while carrying a payload of 1,000 kilograms, surpassing the existing record by over five miles. Squadron deliveries began in 1961 and the first deployment of the A3J occurred the following year, appropriately on board Enterprise (CVAN 65), the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The introduction of submarine-launched ballistic missiles ended the Navy's strategic bombing mission, leaving the Vigilante as an aircraft without a mission. However, the aircraft's high speed made it ideal for photoreconnaissance and the existing inventory of A-5s (the aircraft designation had been changed in 1962) were modified with a sophisticated electronic reconnaissance pod mounted in the bomb bay, which included a side-looking airborne radar in a fairing under the fuselage, vertical, oblique and split-image cameras as well as active and passive electronic countermeasures equipment. The INS combined with an automatic flight control system enabled the aircraft to fly precise courses on mission altitudes ranging from high to treetop levels. Each photo taken carried a marginal notation that displayed latitude and longitude of the plane at the time it was taken, thus pinpointing target locations. The information obtained was then incorporated into the shipboard Integrated Operational Intelligence Center and used for mission planning. Redesignated RA-5Cs, the photoreconnaissance "Vigis" flew throughout the Vietnam War, with eighteen falling to enemy fire. In addition to their primary mission, several RA-5Cs were also outfitted with a probe-and-drogue refueling package to serve as buddy tankers for compatible aircraft.
Gradual phasing out of the Vigilante culminated with the disestablishment of the last reconnaissance heavy attack (RVAH) squadron in 1979.
Specifications for the RA-5C
Manufacturer: North American Aviation, Inc.
Dimensions: Length: 76 ft., 6 in.; Height: 19 ft., 4¾ in.; Wingspan: 53 ft.
Weights: Empty: 37,498 lb.; Gross: 79,588 lb.
Power Plant: Two 10,800 lb. static thrust General Electric J79-GE-10 turbojets
Performance: Maximum Speed: 1,385 M.P.H. at 40,000 ft.; Service ceiling: 48,400 ft.; Range: 3,000 miles
Armament: None
Crew: Pilot and observer/radar operator
Aircraft in the Museum collections
RA-5C (Bureau Number 156624)- On outdoor static display
RA-5C (Bureau Number 156612)- On loan to Naval Air Station Key West, Florida
RA-5C (Bureau Number 156608)- On loan to Naval Support Activity Mid-South, Millington, Tennessee
RA-5C (Bureau Number 156640)- On loan to Naval Weapons Center China Lake, California
RA-5C (Bureau Number 149289)- Pima Air and Space Museum
A-5A (Bureau Number 146697)- Naval Test Wing Atlantic, Naval Air Test Center (NATC) Patuxent River, Maryland |
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