Author Description

By any measure, the North American A-5 Vigilante is one of the best-looking jets ever designed. Its long, elegant nose extends from broad swept wings and tail surfaces. Viewed from the side, the Vigilante screams “speed”, while the plan view screams “power”. Visual esthetics aside, the Vigilante was a pioneering airplane. Designed in the era of vacuum tubes and slide rules, it was the first airplane with a digital computer. It was designed as a replacement for the big sub-sonic Douglas Skywarrior carrier-based attack bomber. The Vigilante’s double Mach speed led to several world records in both long-distance speed and altitude categories. When the DOD established a nuclear triad of deterrence in the early 1960s, manned carrier-based bombers were not included. The Vigilante had lost the mission it was designed for, and though it had incomparable speed and size, it was not as conventional or versatile as the Skywarrior, which was repurposed as tanker and electronic warrior. The Vigilante acquired a new mission, that of high-speed reconnaissance, a mission it would perform without peer throughout its relatively short career. There were only 167 Vigilantes built, but as with most Navy aircraft and squadrons of that day, the Vigilante carried a wide variety of markings, amply illustrated herein.