North American A-5 Vigilante Reconnaissance / Strike Bomber (1961)
The A-5 saw a less-than-stellar mission success rate in the skies over Vietnam.
From the outset, the Vigilante was to be designed with advanced systems throughout and capable of nuclear strikes. This path produced some technological issues early in the development of the weapon system, so much so that the program was, in essence, terminated in favor of nuclear-capable submarines. As a result, the A-5 was relegated to the secondary role of supersonic carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft as the RA-5C.
At its core, the A-5 Vigilante was a two-seat, twin-engine long range bomber with a single tailfin component (a dual tailfin component was rejected by the USN in favor of a single folding setup for carrier storage). The twin General Electric J79-GE-8 turbojets were capable of afterburn and could generate up to 17,000lbs of thrust. An internal weapons bay, most notably reserved for carrying nuclear-tipped weapons, was complimented by two external hardpoints that could carry additional bombs as needed.
The A-5 saw extensive service in the following Vietnam War from 1964 onwards in the reconnaissance role. Its base speed and impressive agility played a small role in the limited successes above the skies of Vietnam with an unacceptable amount of aircraft lost to enemy fire (ground and air). The Vigilante, facing the budgetary crunch of any war machine, was deployed for the last time in 1979.
With a less-than-stellar service record, high maintenance costs and sub-system complexity issues, the Vigilante was doomed to failure from the outset it seems. The fact that the aircraft was relegated to fulfill a secondary role did not endear history to the machine and leaves one wondering what type of weapon system the A-5 would have been should it have fulfilled the primary role of high-level nuclear bomber, facing off against the best that Soviet air defenses could offer. It is believed that the MiG-25 "Foxbat" was produced as a direct result of the A-5's capabilities in high-level combat. To that end, at least 158 A-5 Vigilante's of varying types are reported to have been produced during the production run of the aircraft. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
MilitaryFactory.com does NOT sell equipment/weaponry. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information. Our disclaimer. Email corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com.
Specifications for the
North American A-5 Vigilante
Reconnaissance / Strike Bomber
Country of Origin: United States
Manufacturer: North American Aviation - USA
Initial Year of Service: 1961
Production: 158
Focus Model: North American A-5A Vigilante
Crew: 2
Length: 76.51ft (23.32m)
Width: 52.99ft (16.15m)
Height: 19.36ft (5.90m)
Weight (Empty): 32,628lbs (14,800kg)
Weight (MTOW): 47,576lbs (21,580kg)
Powerplant: 2 x General Electric J79-GE-8 turbojets with afterburn generating 17,000lbs of thrust.
Maximum Speed: 1,319mph (2,123kmh; 1,146kts)
Maximum Range: 1,289miles (2,075km)
Service Ceiling: 52,100ft (15,880m; 9.9miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 8,000 feet per minute (2,438m/min)
Hardpoints: 2
Armament Suite:
Mission-specific armament may include the following:
1 x B28 nuclear bomb carried internally
1 x B43 nuclear bomb carried internally
2 x B43 bombs on external hardpoints
2 x Mark 83 bombs on external hardpoints
2 x Mark 84 bombs on external hardpoints
Variants:
YA3J-1 - Prototype Model Designation of which two produced.
A3J-1 - Initial Production Model
A3J-2 - Updated Model based on the A3J-1
A3J-3P - Photographic Reconnaissance Model
A-5A - Redesignated from A3J-1; initial Production Model of which 59 were produced.
A-5B - Redesignated from A3J-2; at least six produced of this model.
RA-5C - Redesignated from A3J-3P; specialized Reconnaissance Model of which 134 were produced (43 converted from existing A-5A models).
Operators: United States
BY DECADE:
• 1900 to 1909
• 1910 to 1919
• 1920 to 1929
• 1930 to 1939
• 1940 to 1949
• 1950 to 1959
• 1960 to 1969
• 1970 to 1979
• 1980 to 1989
• 1990 to 1999
• 2000 to 2009
• 2010 to 2019
• 2020 to 2029
• VIEW ALL
• Compare Aircraft
BY TYPE:
• Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
• Attack Helicopters
• Bomber Aircraft
• Medium Bombers
• Heavy Bombers
• Close-Air Support (CAS)
• Commercial Aircraft
• Dive Bombers
• Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA)
• Experimental / X-Planes
• Fighter Aircraft
• Floatplane Aircraft
• Flying Boat Aircraft
• Aerial Refueling Tankers
• Helicopters (ALL)
• Interceptor Aircraft
• Multi-Role Aircraft
• Navy Carrier Aircraft
• Night Fighters
• Reconnaissance / Scout
• Search & Rescue (SAR)
• Scout Helicopters
• Special Purpose
• Torpedo Bombers
• Trainer Aircraft
• Transport Aircraft
• Transport Helicopters
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
• Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs)
COLLECTIONS:
• 4th Generation Fighter Aircraft
• 5th Generation Fighter Aircraft
• US X-Planes
• Classic US Warbirds
• French Military Helicopters
• Grumman "Cats"
• Howard Hughes Aircraft
• Indian Air Force
• Israeli Air Force
• Libyan Aircraft
• Modern Chinese Aircraft
• Modern Chinese Fighters
• Modern Military Aircraft
• Modern North Korean Aircraft
• Modern Trainer Aircraft
• Modern US Aircraft
• Mikoyan Aircraft
• Sukhoi Aircraft
• Syrian Aircraft
• Top 10 Fighter Aircraft of All Time
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT:
• Arab-Israeli War (1948)
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1959-1962)
• Falklands War (1982)
• Indo-Pak War (1965, 1971)
• Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
• Lebanon War (1982)
• Operation Allied Force (1999)
• Operation Desert Storm (1991)
• Six Day War (1967)
• Spanish Civil War (1936)
• Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)
• Yom Kippur War (1973)
MISCELLANEOUS:
• Aircraft Cockpits
• Aircraft Manufacturers List
• Aircraft Timeline
WORLD WAR 2:
• 1939 Aircraft
• 1940 Aircraft
• 1941 Aircraft
• 1942 Aircraft
• 1943 Aircraft
• 1944 Aircraft
• 1945 Aircraft
• 1946 Aircraft
• Australian Aircraft
• Battle of Britain Aircraft
• Bombers
• Four-Engine Bombers
• British Aircraft
• British Bombers
• British Transports
• Dive Bombers
• Canadian Aircraft
• Fighters
• Chinese Aircraft
• French Aircraft
• German Aircraft
• German Fighters
• German Flying Boats
• German Jets
• Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
• Italian Aircraft
• Imperial Japanese Aircraft
• Imperial Japanese Fighters
• Mitsubishi Bombers
• Navy Aircraft
• Pearl Harbor
• Polish Aircraft
• Romanian Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• US Bombers
• US Navy Aircraft
• Soviet Aircraft
• Torpedo Bombers
• Trainer Aircraft
• Transport Aircraft
• Tuskegee Airmen Aircraft
• W.A.S.P. Aircraft
• WW2 Aircraft Ranked by Speed
• VIEW ALL
WORLD WAR 1:
• 1914 Aircraft
• 1915 Aircraft
• 1916 Aircraft
• 1917 Aircraft
• 1918 Aircraft
• Aircraft Timeline
• Austro-Hungarian Aircraft
• Bomber Aircraft
• British Aircraft
• Fighters
• Flying Boats
• French Aircraft
• Imperial German Aircraft
• Italian Aircraft
• Scout Aircraft
• Russian Empire Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• WW1 Aircraft Ranked by Speed
• VIEW ALL
KOREAN WAR:
• Australian Aircraft
• Korean War Aces
• Korean War Jets
• North Korean Aircraft
• US Military Aircraft
• VIEW ALL
VIETNAM WAR:
• Helicopters
• North Vietnam Air Force
• US Airpower
• VIEW ALL
COLD WAR:
• 1950s French Aircraft
• British V-Bombers
• Cold War Bombers
• Soviet Aircraft
• Soviet Bombers
• Soviet Interceptors
• Soviet Helicopters
• Strategic Air Command
• US Aircraft
• US Bombers
• US Interceptors
• VIEW ALL
©2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • Content ©2003-2013 MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Site Contact Email: militaryfactory at gmail dot com. The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® trademarks and protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws.
Top MF Stuff: 2013 Military Pay Scale | Military Ranks | WW2 Weapons | Sniper Rifles | Kts to Mph | WW1 Aircraft | Automatic Rifles | Aircraft Cockpits | Vietnam War Weapons | Main Battle Tanks | Submachine Guns | Shotguns | French Military Victories
Most photographic images appearing on this site are courtesy of the United States Department of Defense and are approved for public use. Other images acquired through the public domain. Digital art work courtesy of Dan Alex. Business Consulting by Kyle Williams. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information.
