Developed from the A-5 nuclear bomber and used in a reconnaissance role, the RA-5C Vigilante was the largest and fastest aeroplane ever to operate from the deck of an aircraft carrier. During the Vietnam War it sustained the highest loss ratio of any American aircraft in that conflict. This volume includes compelling accounts of combat missions over key communist targets, where crews dodged Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) and anti-aircraft fire to secure all-important mission photographs. Written by a Vigilante combat veteran this book is crammed full of action-packed first-hand accounts.
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Ask the Man Who's Flown One:
Aviation history usually is produced by dedicated enthusiasts who have never flown the airplanes they describe. In fact, many competent authors have never flown anything. But Bob Powell's history of the Vigilante is unusual in that he not only knows the subject, he's flown the RA-5 and "waved" it as an LSO. The result is an unusual depth of knowledge for this topic and for the Osprey series on combat aircraft. Tracing the development of heavy attack in the US Navy, the text describes the design and... more info
