Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #673648 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-22
• Released on: 2004-10-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

From the Publisher
Osprey's Combat series combines the best archival photography available with specially commissioned artworks and first hand accounts, making these books favourites amongst historians, modellers and aviation enthusiasts everywhere.

About the Author
Robert 'Boom' Powell had a 20-year career as a naval aviator, flying both the Vigilante and A-4 Skyhawk in combat over Vietnam. Leaving the Navy to join Pan Am in the 1980s, he now flies B747-400 freighters across the globe. This is his first book for Osprey.

Customer Reviews

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 development of the beautifully crafted "Vige", its combat employment...and something more. Within the "VHA" squadrons there emerged an esprit and sense of community that remains unsurpassed not only in the navy but in military aviation. The pride and satisfaction of mastering a demanding aircraft are part and parcel of the RA-5 story, and are well described here.