Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!rutgers!att!cbnews!smithj@marlin.nosc.mil
From: smithj@marlin.nosc.mil (James Smith)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Vigilante (was Re: Another 2 Libyan jets)
Message-ID: <3328@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 21 Jan 89 02:04:20 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Lines: 21
Approved: military@att.att.com

In article 3244@cbnews.ATT.COM msf@prandtl.nas.nasa.gov (Michael 
S. Fischbein) writes:
>
>...first plane designed to be a carrier based nuclear bomber
>
In fact, the first carrier-based nuclear bomber was the Douglas 
A-3 Sky Warrior, which entered operational service in the early
fifties. (During the sixties, the remaining A-3's were converted 
into tankers, KA-3C 'Whale', or into VIP transport aircraft.)

There were two problems with the A-5C Vigilante: 1) the bomb, 
once ejected, would sometimes trail behind the aircraft in its
turbulent wake; and 2) after repeated carrier launches and 
recoveries, the airframe would become sufficiently deformed to 
cause the bomb to get stuck in the launch chute, resulting in 
an unacceptable center-of-gravity condition (too far aft), 
not to mention having an up to 2000# bomb sitting between 
two tremendous heat sources.

Jim Smith
smithj@marlin.nosc.mil