The North American RA-5C Vigilante was a long-range, carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft used by the US Navy during the Cold War years. It was developed from the A-5 Vigilante strategic bomber, which had entered service in June 1961. The conversion into the RA-5C from the A-5B version of the bomber took place in 1963, with the US Navy receiving a first batch of eighteen reconnaissance aircraft in December that year. In this role, it began flying sorties over North Vietnam in 1967.
During the Vietnam War, the North American RA-5C was the eye and ear of the US Navy. It took off from the American carriers sailing in the Gulf of Tonkin to fly intelligence-gathering sorties over North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. To carry out the task of collecting information, the aircraft was fitted with a special reconnaissance equipment, which included frame and panoramic cameras, side-looking airborne radar (SLAR), and a compliment of electronic countermeasures equipment, which was fully capable of dealing with advanced electronic warfare scenarios. This equipment was located in a specially-designed ventral canoe (on the belly of aircraft), and it was precisely this feature which differentiated the reconnaissance from the original bomber model.
The RA-5C Vigilante proved to be remarkable successful in its reconnaissance role as the Navy had no other available aircraft at that moment to fly these types of sorties. One of the advantages it had was its supersonic speed, as it flew at the constant speed of Mach 1.3, with afterburner, at high altitudes. It also had good handling characteristics flying at low altitudes. The RVAH-5 was the first squadron to be equipped with this aircraft. In all, 156 RA-5Cs were built and they were retired from active service in 1979. The word 'vigilante' is Spanish and it means 'watchful' or 'alert'.
Below, the efficient reconnaissance aircraft about to take off from the flight deck of USS Constallation (CVA-64).
Technical Description
The North American RA-5C was a two-seat, twin-engine monoplane of all-metal construction. It was a reconnaissance platform of the A-5 attack bomber. Like the original combat version, it had shoulder-mounted, swept wing, which was made of aluminum-lithium alloy. The tail assembly consisted of movable horizontal stabilizers, which acted as elevators and a single-piece slab-type vertical stabilizer (fin). The aircraft was powered by two General Electric J79-GE-10 turbojet engines, each of which could develop 16,500 pounds of thrust.
Photographic Equipment and Avionics
The aerial photographic systems installed in the North American RA-5C Vigilante endowed the aircraft with a capability of obtaining day and night high-resolution aerial photographs over a broad range of altitudes, speed, and atmospheric conditions. Thus, it was fitted with one forward oblique KA-51A or KA-51B, with a 6-inch focal length, serial frame (S/F) camera, as well as with one azimuth/vertical (Az/V) S/F camera. These cameras were controlled from a control panel in the systems operator/navigator compartment, which was located behind the pilot seat. High-altitude photography required cameras with longer focal lengths and higher-resolution lenses to maintain a scale that would provide a sufficient image size to produce enough resolution for detailed study.
The RA-5C was also equipped with one Westinghouse side-looking airborne radar (SLAR) system, which was designated AN/APD-7. It also had an AN/AAS-21 infrared detector set, which was referred to as the IR mapping system, which detected, recorded, and photographed surface infrared (heat) radiation. The aircraft was also fitted with a passive electronic countermeasures system designated AN/ALQ-61.
Specifications
Type: long-range reconnaissance
Length: 23.32 m (76 feet, 6 inches)
Wing Span: 16.15 m (53 feet)
Height: 5.91 m (19 feet, 5 inches)
Power Plant: two General Electric J79-GE-10 turbojet engines
Maximum Speed: Mach 2.1
Range: 4,800 km (2,983 miles)
Service Ceiling: 19,500 m (63,976 feet)
Crew: two
Below, the second RA-5C aircraft, BuNo 150824, flying over the USA's territory in 1963.
A watchful Vigilante in flight as it is about to bank left, showing its underside, which features the underbelly canoe containing the photographic and sensor equipment.
Below, the aircraft, with BuNo 150823, during low-speed flight, with leading and trailing edge flaps and landing gear extended. You can notice it carries four external tanks, for extra range (3,500 miles).
