The A-5 used a high-mounted, low-aspect-ratio swept wing without conventional ailerons. Blown flaps provided low-speed control, while spoilers, differential all-moving tailplanes, and a slab fin controlled the aircraft around its three axes. Variable-geometry intakes fed its paired General Electric J79 engines and were described as a first for a production aircraft. Combining these systems in an aircraft that also had to launch from and recover aboard carriers made the Vigilante technically ambitious.
Notable Point · 4:03-4:35
How the Vigilante controlled flight without conventional ailerons
The Vigilante combined blown flaps, spoilers, moving tail surfaces, and the first variable-geometry engine intakes fitted to a production aircraft.