North American A3J and A-5 Vigilante

[RLBH]

OK, so I can't/don't build models. Doesn't mean I can't make up nice stories about what might have happened to inspire other people. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've used some ideas in here that originated on the board: I claim no credit for them.

Without further ado, your story:

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After the 1957 White Paper on Defence, the Royal Air Force found itself without any means of effectively defending the British Isles and the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap. The two manned aircraft permitted to continue development were the English Electric P.1B – later dubbed the Lightning – and the Canberra replacement. A capable point-defence interceptor, the P.1B was never meant to have an outstanding range, and it came as no surprise to the RAF that it was barely able to carry out interceptions over the North Sea, let alone the long patrols felt necessary in the GIUK Gap.

Development of the more powerful, yet more fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Findhorn turbojet as a replacement for the Avon was still inadequate to give the Lightning F.6 adequate range for the mission when it flew in 1965. As a long-range interceptor, the newly-formed British Aerospace Corporation proposed a derivative of its' large TSR.2 bomber, to be armed with a mix of American Sparrow missiles and the British Red Top. The capabilities of this aircraft in the high-altitude role were somewhat questionable, but were never assessed as the entire TSR.2 project was cancelled early in 1966, after only one of the prototypes had flown.

Although the indigenous project had been cancelled, the Royal Air Force was not blind to the fact that the American military establishment had several projects on the go that were capable of fulfilling their requirement for a Canberra replacement, including the TFX and the A-5 Vigilante. Unsurprisingly, the all-new, futuristic TFX was preferred by the then Government, and much of the Air Staff, but the traditionally conservative military establishment ultimately pitched for the Vigilante.

As ever, there were a number of modifications requested by the then Labour government, in order to protect British jobs. A number of the systems developed for the TSR.2 were to be fitted in place of the American weapons system – ironically, the basis for the TSR.2 avionics – and Rolls-Royce Findhorn engines were to be fitted. In one of the quirks of economics that are so commonplace in the aviation world, the large wing of the Vigilante was retained, despite the fact that the aircraft was to have had a far smaller wing for low-altitude penetration, the intended role of the RAF aircraft.

Having observed the failure of the linear bomb bay in US Navy service, the RAF also specified that their aeroplanes would have a more conventional design; this utilised the front two thirds of the linear weapons bay, the remainder being converted to fuel tankage. With all these modifications, the RAF's Vigilant B.1 – the 'e' having been dropped as 'too American' – was essentially an all-new aircraft, and was ordered in quite considerable numbers. The survivors have given Bomber Command good service into the present day, many having been sold for scrap with the end of the Cold War.

The need for an interceptor had not disappeared, however, and the number of Soviet aircraft over the North Atlantic was distressing many influential people. A 'crash' program was launched to obtain a long-range interceptor with high dash speed, and several options were considered. Unsurprisingly, Fairey Aviation offered up a rehashed version of their Delta III, designed to the same need ten years previously, but this was rejected and the company went into liquidation shortly after. Other options included the American F-14 and F-15 aircraft – the latter barely imagined, but the F-14 was well on its' way to flight testing – and a variant of the Vigilant then entering service.

The Tomcat was then considered to be too complex for the RAF's needs, and not really capable of carrying sufficient fuel internally for the required mission. North American's Vigilant derivatives, though, were essentially spot-on. As the airframe was all but identical to the bombers then entering service, they would be comparatively cheap, offsetting the Phoenix and AWG-9 weapons system proposed. This would give the Vigilant interceptors the capability to engage targets at ranges exceeding one hundred miles, albeit at still considerable expense.

In an effort to drive down costs, Parliament suggested a range of alternatives. These ranged from the purchase of F-4 Phantom aircraft straight off the production line – as the Fleet Air Arm was considering – through fitting a Phantom weapons system to the basic Vigilant airframe, before suggesting the removal of the Armstrong Siddeley Stentor rocket engine in the aircraft's tail. This was strenuously opposed by the RAF: it was felt that the rocket boost gave the rapid acceleration required to give speedy reactions and to allow longer-range engagements. Theoretically, there was sufficient thrust to reach a speed of 2,000 miles per hour at altitude – exceeding Mach 3 – but the airframe was only rated for sustained speeds of Mach 2.5, rendering the high speed somewhat academic.

When the long-awaited Vigilant F.2 entered service in late 1974, it was felt to be the finest aircraft in its class by many; others responded that there was only one comparable aircraft, the Tu-128 "Fiddler". Certainly, the interceptors were by far the best armed, with their six Phoenix and four Sky Flash missiles giving a truly remarkable capacity for long-range engagements. A number of "Bear" intercepts proved the value of this aeroplane, which was also found to be reasonably capable in low-level operations.

By the late 1970s, it was obvious that the Phoenix/AWG-9 weapons system was losing its' effectiveness, as the Warsaw Pact moved towards low-level operations. Also, the increasing use of low-observable technology made the remaining high altitude bombers a more challenging target. In order to provide the Tomcat and Vigilant aircraft with a better ability to defend against such threats, the Royal Air Force and US Navy launched a joint project to develop the weapons system.

The responsibility for this program was split between Britain and the USA. Hughes was the lead contractor on the radar, with GEC Marconi as the principal subcontractor. This new radar – designated APG-71 in the USA and Foxhunter in British service – offers digital signal processing, exceptional ECCM capability and a wide range of modes, giving a considerable surface search and targeting ability.

BAe Dynamics were in charge of the new missile, after their work on the average Sparrow turned it into the exceptional Sky Flash. The same airframe was used to ensure compatibility with existing launchers: as the Vigilant carries its' Phoenix missiles semi-conformally, this is a particular issue. Internally, though, the missile was completely different. A range of guidance options were developed, but the team decided that combined all-aspect infra-red and active radar terminal homing, combined with semi-active or datalinked midcourse guidance was the most effective option. With a new rocket motor – a close relative of that used on SRAM – and enhanced digital computing, the new Phoenix II missile displayed a near-100% kill rate in trials. All possible measures were taken to defeat the missiles: even manoeuvring targets in high-jamming environments were destroyed on 5 out of 6 shots. Overall, out of 98 test missiles, there were 54 direct impacts, and only 3 missiles failed to destroy the targets – one miss and two no tests.

This new weapons system was retrofitted to all Vigilant interceptors, which when so equipped were redesignated F.2A. The upgrade program also included upgrading the Findhorn engines and fitting an enhanced jamming suite. The resultant aircraft, although designated as fighter aircraft, possess a considerable capacity for ground attack, and are often seen operating alongside their Bomber Command kindred.

Because of the increased versatility of the Vigilant F.2A, it has effectively superseded the B.1 model, which remains in service only for the nuclear deterrent mission. Even this is being retired, as the newer Wraith comes into service, leaving the F.2A as the last flying remnant of the Vigilante family.

In service, the Vigilant F.2A has been used in a number of operations, most notably Operation Granby, the recapture of Kuwait, and Operation Telic, the subsequent invasion of Iraq. During this conflict, the Vigilant was found to be the most effective aircraft at intercepting Iraqi Foxbat reconnaissance aircraft, shooting down no fewer than seven. It also proved highly effective at discouraging Iranian F-14 aircraft from interfering in Coalition operations, and on more than one occasion gave American SR-71 "Blackbird" crews reason to doubt their invulnerability.

Interestingly, the other main operational use of Vigilant aircraft was during Operation Black Buck, in the Falklands Conflict. Operating secretly from the USS Carl Vinson, Vigilants of 11 Squadron, 15 Squadron and 16 Squadron – the first flying the F.2 model, the others B.1 aircraft – carried out a series of bombing raids against military targets in the Falkland Islands, using iron bombs and anti-radar missiles. A propaganda flight was also made over Buenos Aires – the reaction of the Argentine junta to being overflown by three British tactical bombers, despite not having an airfield within two thousand miles, can only be imagined.

That these sorties were possible at all is testament to the farsightedness of the North American engineers in retaining many carrier compatibility features on the Vigilant, and to the training of RAF aircrews. It has been their dedication to their jobs that has made the Royal Air Force the envy of the world.

[Radish]

Nice....nice....saw an Airfix A-5 on Sunday but didn't get it....he was asking too much.
Saw a Trumpeter A-5 too (1/72nd).....looked very nice and next time I WILL get it.

[elmayerle]

Hmm, for ground attack purposes, perhaps a Phoenix-based equivalent of the AGM-76 ground-attack variant of the AIM-47?  'Twould be good for, among other things, long-range anti-radar work.

[MartG]

You might be interested in this thread http://www.whatifmodelers.com/forum//index...?showtopic=9907

RAF Vigilante Interceptors already under construction too  

[Archibald]

...and this one, concerning Mirage IV interceptor variant with rocket engine and
R-530 medium range AAM.
There's some details about the "real" Vigilante interceptor  

[Archibald]

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/forum//index...?showtopic=9618
the link i forgot  :dum:  :dum:  :dum:  

[RLBH]

Thanks, MartG, I knew I'd gotten the idea from somewhere, but couldn't remember where. That thread looks very familiar...

The idea of an AGM-54D is certainly attractive. Perhaps fit it with a Harpoon-class blast/frag warhead, and either retain the radar guidance or go over to IIR. The BAe Dynamics team would be amiss if the option wasn't considered; the RAF would probably press for a nuclear warhead for the deterrent force, as a SRAM equivalent.

In fact, retaining the radar homing probably makes sense against most targets at that sort of range: use AGM-54D missiles to take out the radars and any heavy-duty fixed installations, before your shorter-range weapons are fired close in. It might be possible - if prebriefed - to launch from below the radar horizon, so that the first thing the target knows of the air attack is the radars going offline...

Hammer-nikit, please do try drawing the Vigilant F.2. I'd tried myself, but couldn't find a decent quality drawing to use as a basis. The only thing I'd note is that the Findhorn (RB.106) turbojets are 28% more powerful than the J-79-GE-8 engines of the A-5, so would need intakes correspondingly larger in cross-section. Oh, and I was envisioning a slightly more glazed canopy for the radar operator, and perhaps some wingtip ESM pods.

Four Phoenix missiles are carried similarly to the AA-9s on the MiG-31, with the remaining pair on the outboard pylons; I imagined the inboard pylons carrying a large external tank and two Sky Flash missiles in a similar fashion to the Sidewinders on the Tornado.

There might be a cannon and/or dogfight missiles, I don't really know. The RAF would probably want one or the other, especially after watching Vietnam unfold.

[RLBH]

Here's my take on the Vigilant F.2, in non-specific markings.

[Dork the kit slayer]

Dont forget my old RAF recce  Vig ( Trumpeters BIG one)....I never thought of it as a "stand of" missile carrier...........but have an old Hasegawa A5 on the bench that  could recieve a few Pheonix..........if the mood takes me....... and that grey looks  very tempting.

[elmayerle]

Actually, I thought to steal a good idea from the NAR-349 and use the aero shape of the recce pod to carry the missiles semi-conformally with the front end faired to take the IRST.  But that's my take on it, carry on, y'all.

[Sentinel Chicken]

The main landing gear wells take up a considerable portion of the underfuselage section and if you wanted to mount missiles under the fuselage, they'd either have to be well forward under the intakes, centerline where the ventral recce canoe is located, or well after closer the the engines. When I did my Vigilante 2000, I had initally planned on underfuselage weapon stations but decided to stick wth wing pylons after I found out just how much space the landing gear took up.  

[RLBH]

Good heavens, Chicken, you're right. That undercarriage does take up a lot of room. It's almost as if North American were trying to prevent this sort of work.

As to Lightnings, I think perhaps I didn't write the article nearly as clearly as I'd hoped. Besides, if the Lightning has enough range, what's the excuse for the Vigilant? ^_^

I didn't know the RB.106 was to have been called the Thames: I chose my local river, because I think it needs an engine...

[elmayerle]

That the undercarriage does take up so much real estate does help explain the way the NAR-349 carried its Phoenix missles, semi-submerged in an aero-fairing similar to the recce pod.