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Official U. S. Navy Photograph by PHCS (AC) R. L. Lawson,
courtesy U. S. Naval Historical Center. U. S. Navy photograph 1160251.
The RA-5C Vigilante was a Mach 2, two-place, twin-engine multisensor reconnaissance aircraft designed and built for the U.S. Navy by North American Aircraft Division at Columbus, Ohio. The Vigilante was capable of all-weather long-range carrier-based or land-based multisensor reconnaissance missions involving high-altitude supersonic or very low-altitude, high-speed penetrations.
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The RA-5C inertial navigation system provided the precise position location information demanded by reconnaissance missions.
The primary mission of the RA-5C was tactical reconnaissance. The aircraft and its systems comprised one-half of the U.S. Navy Integrated Operational Intelligence System (IOIS). The airborne system's counterpart was the ship- or ground-based Integrated Operational Intelligence Center (IOIC). This system was designed to provide tactical commanders with up-to-date intelligence information on any target area.
The Vigilante was equipped with a specially configured, modularized, multisensor installation containing the latest operational sensors. Vertical and oblique serial frame and horizon-to-horizon scanning panoramic cameras, high-resolution side-looking radar, infrared, and passive electronic countermeasures (PECM) equipment provided for day-night and all-weather multisensor collection. Sensors were selected for a given mission in accordance with the type of data desired.
The Vigilante's two-man crew, pilot and reconnaissance/attack navigator (RAN), was seated in tandem under individual clam shell-type canopies. The RAN controlled all reconnaissance functions, although the pilot could assume control of the oblique-mounted serial frame cameras for targets of opportunity.
Each crewmember had a catapult/rocket-powered ejection seat, also designed and produced at the Columbus facility, which was capable of high-altitude, high-speed, or ground-level recoveries.
The RA-5C was powered by two General Electric J79-GE-10 turbojet engines, each producing 11,870 pounds of thrust without afterburner and 17,859 pounds of thrust with afterburner. Fuel was contained in two large bladder-type tanks in the fuselage, a saddle tank in the rear fuselage, an integral tank in each wing, two or three fuel cans in the fuselage tunnel between the engines, and provisions for four external drop tanks.
The RA-5C also had the capability to deliver conventional weapons, day or night in all kinds of weather. Combined with its tactical reconnaissance capabilities, the Vigilante was one of the most versatile aircraft in the world.
Redesignated the A-5 in 1962, the RA-5C model became the
standard; 43 A-5As were converted to RA-5C, while 91 new RA-5Cs
were produced before production ended in October 1970. Nine operational RVAH squadrons flew the
aircraft, which were heavily used throughout the Vietnam War. The
last VIGILANTE was retired in 1979.
DIMENSIONS: (approximate) Span: 53'; Length overall: 76' 6"; Height overall: 19' 5"; With provisions to fold wings, tail and nose
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed: 1385.00 Mph+/1205.41 Kt+ ; Ceiling: 67000.0 Ft+
POWER PLANT: Two General Electric J79-8 turbojet engines, each producing 10,900 pounds thrust without afterburner, and 17,000 pounds thrust with afterburner
BOMB DELIVERY: Linear bay that runs lengthwise in fuselage. The bomb load was ejected rearward.
MISSION: To provide the fleet with an all-weather, carrier-based attack weapon system and tactical reconnaissance aircraft that could deliver both non-nuclear and nuclear weapons at either high or low altitudes on distant targets at speeds up to twice that of sound.
DESCRIPTION: 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 two cockpits were arranged in tandem.
FIRST FLIGHT: A-5A: Aug. 31, 1958 A-5B: April 29, 1962 RA-5C: June 30, 1962
CREW: Pilot and bombardier-navigator
LANDING GEAR:
Type: tricycle, hydraulically retracted
tires and wheels: (2) 36 x 11 and (1) 26
x 6.6
Brakes: Multiple disc - hydraulic
landing gear shock
Struts: air - oil JSE 113064
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© Patrick M. O'Shea
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