Le Vigilante nordamericano A-5 È un bombardiere supersonico statunitense progettato e costruito dalla North American Aviation per la United States Navy. Il suo servizio nel ruolo di attacco nucleare per sostituire il Douglas A-3 Skywarrior fu molto breve; tuttavia, come RA-5C, vide un ampio servizio durante la guerra del Vietnam nel ruolo di ricognizione tattica d'attacco. Prima dell'unificazione della sequenza di designazione della Marina con la sequenza dell'Air Force nel 1962, fu designato A3J Vigilante.
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North American RA-5C
Fotografo
Vladimir Jakubov
Localizzazione
USS Midway Museum, San Diego
Foto
110
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North American RA-5C Vigilante Walk Around
Fotografo
Vladimir Jakubov
Localizzazione
Castle Air Museum, Atwater
Foto
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Fotografo
Bill Maloney
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Inconsapevole
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Le Vigilante nordamericano A-5 era un bombardiere supersonico basato su portaerei progettato e costruito dalla North American Aviation per la Marina degli Stati Uniti. Era originariamente designato come A3J Vigilante prima del 1962, quando la Marina e l'Aeronautica unificarono i loro sistemi di designazione. L'A-5 Vigilante era destinato ad essere un aereo d'attacco nucleare a lungo raggio e per tutte le stagioni, ma è stato utilizzato principalmente come aereo da ricognizione tattica durante il suo servizio.
The A-5 Vigilante had a sleek and high-winged design, with two General Electric J79-GE-8 turbojet engines with afterburners mounted in the rear fuselage. It had a crew of two: a pilot and a navigator. The most distinctive feature of the A-5 Vigilante was its internal bomb bay, which could carry one nuclear weapon that was ejected backwards through a tunnel between the engine exhausts. This system was designed to avoid the aerodynamic drag and instability caused by opening conventional bomb bay doors at supersonic speeds. However, this system proved to be unreliable and problematic, and was often replaced by external fuel tanks. The first prototype of the A-5 Vigilante flew on August 31, 1958, and broke the sound barrier five days later. On December 13, 1960, an A-5 set a world altitude record of 27,874 meters (91,450 feet). The A-5 Vigilante entered service with the US Navy in June 1961, but its role as a nuclear bomber was soon abandoned due to the emergence of submarine-launched ballistic missiles and the unreliability of its weapon delivery system. Instead, the A-5 Vigilante was converted into a reconnaissance aircraft, designated as RA-5C. The RA-5C had more powerful engines, larger wings, increased fuel capacity, four underwing pylons, and a sensor pod under the fuselage that carried cameras and electronic equipment.
Le RA-5C Vigilantesaw extensive action during the Vietnam War, flying high-speed and low-level missions over enemy territory. It was able to provide valuable intelligence and target information for other strike aircraft. However, it also suffered heavy losses due to enemy fire and accidents. Out of 156 RA-5Cs built or converted from A-5As and Bs, 43 were lost in combat and 18 in accidents. The RA-5C Vigilante was retired from service in September 1979, after a relatively short but eventful career.