This silent footage shot aboard USS Ranger (CVA 61) shows RA-5C Vigilante aircraft operating off Vietnam. The RA-5C was a reconnaissance variant of the Vigilante. 69 of the aircraft were built by North American, plus 20 were redesignated and 61 converted from earlier variants. Based on a slate (8:08), we believe this film dates to the week of May 6, 1968 and features Carrier Air Wing 2 (CARAIRWING TWO) CVW-2. It’s unclear why the film was shot, but it might represent an operational test of the aircraft, which was the largest and fastest airplane to ever operate from an aircraft carrier.. At this time, USS Ranger had just completed a combat deployment at Yankee Station off the coast of South Vietnam. On May 5 (the day before this film was shot), the ship made a port of call at Hong Kong and then headed home. There followed a shipyard availability at Puget Sound that ended with Ranger’s departure 29 July for San Francisco. Three months of leave, upkeep and training culminated in another WestPac deployment 26 October 1968 through 17 May 1969. Ranger departed Alameda on yet another WestPac deployment in December 1969 and remained so employed until 18 May 1970 at which time she returned to Alameda, arriving 1 June 1970.
The RA-5C was a Mach 2+ aircraft, capable of electromagnetic, optical, and electronic reconnaissance. It could operate at altitudes from sea level to above 50,000 feet. The Vigilante was employed to great effect by the 7th fleet during Carrier Air Wing operations in the Vietnam war. The two man crew flew in tandem in twin cockpits, the pilot in front, and the Reconnaissance Attack Navigator, in the rear. The RA-5C had the highest loss rate of any Navy aircraft deployed during the Vietnam War: twenty-three Vigilantes went down. The loss rate had nothing to do with the airplane itself but was the hazard of its primary mission; pre- and post-strike photography.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
