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Military Aircraft A-5 Photo By Coll B. Thouanel
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| In 1954 the U S Navy issued a requirement for a high- performance carrierborne strategic bomber (attack) aircraft able to operate in all weathers. North American responded with its NA-247 NAGPAW ( North American General-Purpose Attack Weapon) design for an extremely advanced types. In this, the nuclear weapon was attached two fuel tanks for rearward ejection from the tail as a complete unit as the plane escaped. A production total of 57 A-5A aircraft were built, they were never wholly satisfactory because of problems with the weapon systems. |
TECHNICAL DATA
| Description | Specifications |
| Manufacturer: North American | Length: 76 ft. 6 in. |
| First Flight: August 1958 | Height: 19 ft. 4.75 in. |
| Model: A | Wing Span: 53 ft. 0 in. |
| Crew: Two | Wing Area: 754.0 sq. in. |
| Nickname: Vigilante | Empty Weight: 37,530 lb. |
| Basic Role: Carrierborn all weather medium bomber. | Max. Weight: 79,660 lb. |
| Other Versions: A-5A Initial production model and A-B2 improved version. | Armament: One nuclear weapon, and conventional weapons on two hardpoints. |
| Principal User: USA. |
Propulsion |
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Performance |
Power Plant: General Electric J79-GE-8 turbojet. |
| Range: 2,245 miles. | Horsepower: 17,000 lb. reheated thrust. |
| Max. Speed: 1,385 mph. or Mach 2.1 at 40,000 ft. | No. Of Engines: Two |
| Ceiling: 64,000 ft. | |
| Climb Rate: |
