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The Vigilante may have introduced more new and advanced designed features than any other production aircraft in history.
The A3J Vigilante (A-5A) is shown above differences between this and the the RA-5C (below) include:
Larger fuselage fuel tank located behind the RAN, which led to the somewhat humpbacked appearance of the RA-5C
Flap boundary layer control using engine compressor air. THe RA-5C had boundary layer control over the entire wing.
Roughly 10,000 pounds of reconnaissance equipment added in a "canoe" underneath the fuselage. The landing gear was not strengthened.
A list of innovations is shown below.
Aerodynamics
Full span leading edge droops with boundary layer control
Spoilers/deflectors replacing ailerons
All moving tail surfaces with roll trim by differential elevators
Internal weapons storage with rearward ejection
High fineness ratio design
First variable inlet using horizontal ramp geometry.
Structures
Extensive use of titanium
One-piece wing skins machined from aluminum-lithium alloy.
A one-piece, bird-proof, Mach 2 capable windshield was made of stretched acrylic.
Gold-plating in the engine bays to reflect heat
Electronics
First production fly-by-wire control system.
Digital computer for bomb and navigation computations.
First Bomb-Navigation System with an inertial auto-navigation coupled to radar and television-sights for check point verification.
First operational heads-up display (HUD).
First fully integrated auto pilot/air data system for Bomb/Navigation weapons release.
First monopulse radar with terrain avoidance features.
Extensive electronic countermeasures suite (ALQ-41, ALQ-51, ALQ-55)
RA-5C turning inbound toward North Vietnam. Sensor "canoe" is prominent below.
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