Stealth killed fighter beauty

[MJHerman]

Originally posted by Halo
Yes, GtoRA2, the A-5 was the Vigilante.  

Big purposeful aircraft, and as far as I know the only one that released its bomb rearward from its fanny opening between the two jet engines.  Novel concept, but supposedly not that accurate (but then again, it was designed to deliver a nuclear bomb).  

Had a very distinctive sound.  Used to see some of them flying around with flaps and gear down in early 1960s around the North American plant near Columbus, Ohio.

Here she is:

http://www.paxmuseum.com/photos/a5/DSC00004b.JPG

And some brief info:

The Vigilante was a supersonic, long range, all weather, carrier-based combat aircraft. Its first flight (attack version) was on 31 August 1958. Initial aircraft carrier suitability trials took place on the USS SARATOGA in July 1960. First delivery to the  fleet was on 30 June 1962. The first fleet operational squadron (RVAH-5) joined the USS Ranger in late 1964. A total of 79 Vigilantes  were built. The remaining attack versions (A-5A's and A-5B's) were subsequently converted to RA-5C's. The last RA-5C fleet squadron (RVAH-7) was disestablished in September 1979. Testing of the Vigilante started at Patuxent River in the late 1950's and continued through the 1970's. On 13 December 1960, the Vigilante set a world altitude record with payload, when it climbed to 91,450 feet with a payload of 1,000 kilograms. This surpassed the existing record by over 4 miles.

[flakbait]

Heretic! Blasphemy! F-22 a beauty? F/A-18 cute? BAH! The F-22 is a plastic POS and the F/A-18 couldn't get out of its own way, let alone fight! Now the Thud, THIS is an airplane! Half a dozen 750 pounders at Mach 1 on the deck, plus she looks like a bullet with wings.




In my opinion, good looking fighters died just after Vietnam. The F-8, F-4, A-4, F-105, even the F-100 were good looking ladies. Granted, it's no fighter, but the A-1 Skyraider has always been a real beaut. These days it's all about "stealth" and "composite materials". Yech! Real Airplanes© were built out of metal and given propellors with piston engines, just the way God intended them to be! Real Fighters® are built out of metal, look like flying bullets, and have gawd-awful amounts of engine power. Gay-Ass Plastic Planes™ are built by Billion-dollar companies, run Windoze 95 fly-by-wire software, can't carry any ord, and get knocked down by BB guns.



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Flakbait [Delta6]
Delta Six's Flight School
Put the P-61B in Aces High

[Sabre]

The YF-23 was an awsome looking plane, and purportedly more stealthly than the YF-22.  The YF-22 won out because if was more maneuverable, IIRC.  Kind of reminds me historically of the IJN's insistance that maneuverability be the primary design criterion for the Zero.

[Golfer]

Kind of reminds me historically of the IJN's insistance that maneuverability be the primary design criterion for the Zero.

The Zero didn't run $80,000,000 a pop either.