The North American A3J Vigilante first flew on August 31, 1958 and was in service until
November 1979. Originally designed as a Mach 2 all-weather bomber; the aircraft eventually had
a new role of high-speed reconnaissance. In 1962 the Vigilante received new designators, the
original A3J-1 became the A-5A, A3J-2 became A-5B while the reconnaissance version A3J-3P
became the RA-5C and first flew June 30, 1962. The Vigilante was the largest and fastest aircraft
to operate from an aircraft carrier. The RA-5C was heavily used in the Vietnam War.

North American RA-5C 156624 was accepted by the USN in January 1970 and assigned to
Reconnaissance Attack Squadron 6 (RVAH-6) “Fleurs” for 1970 and 1971 on a cruise aboard
USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63). Over the next 7 years the aircraft moved to RVAH-5 “Savage Sons”,
RVAH-9 “Hoot Owls”, RVAH-12 “Speartips” before returning to RVAH-6 as AJ602. RA-5C 156624
made its final flight in mid-1978 and now displayed at the National Naval Aviation Museum at
NAS Pensacola, Florida wearing AJ-601 from its last cruise aboard the USS Nimitz.

Specifications for the North American RA-5C Vigilante
Crew – 2 / tandem twin cockpits x Pilot in front cockpit, Reconnaissance Attack Navigator in the
rear
Number of Aircraft – 91 new built, converted aircraft 43 A-5A and the first 6 A-5B = 140

Dimensions
Length – 76 ft 7 in   (23.3 m)
Wingspan – 53 ft 2in   (16.2 m)
Height – 19 ft 5 in   (5.9 m)

Weight
Empty – 37,500 lb   (17,000 kg)
Maximum – 79,600 lb   (36,100 kg)

Performance
Engines – 2 x General Electric J79-GE-10 turbojets with each engine producing 17,859 lbs of
thrust.
Speed
Maximum – 1,320 mph   (2,125 km/h)
Service Ceiling – 52,100 ft   (15,900 m)
Range – 2,050 miles   (3,300 km)

Avionics
AN/ASB-12 Bombing & Navigation Radar
Westinghouse AN/APD-7 SLAR
Sanders AN/ALQ-100 E/F/G/H-Band Radar Jammer
Sanders AN/ALQ-41 X-Band Radar Jammer
AIL AN/ALQ-61 Radio/Radar/IR ECM Receiver
Litton ALR-45 "COMPASS TIE" 2-18 GHz Radar Warning Receiver
Magnavox AN/APR-27 SAM Radar Warning Receiver
Itek AN/APR-25 S/X/C-Band Radar Detection and Homing Set
Motorola AN/APR-18 Electronic Reconnaissance System
AN/AAS-21 IR Reconnaissance Camera

This new site is being updated regularly and it will be much improved before too long. Please be patient, give it time, and check back regularly. Opportunities for community collaboration are in the works for a little further down the road.