North American Aviation, Inc. produced the first of the Navy's heavy attack aircraft, the AJ Savage, a propeller-driven design that was quickly replaced by Douglas Aircraft Company's A3D Skywarrior. Undeterred, North American began planning for a new nuclear bomber in November 1953, the aircraft that emerged from the drawing boards a sleek design that contrasted sharply with the A3D, which fleet pilots referred to as the "Whale." Capable of Mach 2 speed, the "North American General Purpose Attack Weapon" as the aircraft was called possessed a host of innovative technological features, including the AN/ASB-12 bomb direction system and Inertial Navigation System (INS) to improve bombing accuracy. Weapons delivery was a unique operation, the bombardier-navigator ejecting the atomic weapon from a linear bomb bay located between the aircraft's engines. Two auxiliary fuel tanks, the contents of which were burned off during the approach to the target, served an additional function when it came time to deliver ordnance. Attached to the atomic bomb, they assisted its trajectory when it ejected out the rear of the fuselage. A high wing layout with a swept wing design, it was the first production aircraft to use variable geometry intakes for its two side-by-side engines and also featured a fly-by-wire control system. Devoid of ailerons, the wing design instead featured large flaps over which air bled from the engines was blown in order to reduce landing speed, essential for carrier operations.

The Navy ordered prototypes of the aircraft in 1956 and the first contract for production was issued in 1959. Designated the A3J Vigilante, the Navy's newest nuclear bomber burst onto the scene on 13 December 1960, when Lieutenant Commander Leroy Heath and Lieutenant Larry Monroe established a new world altitude record, reaching 91,450 feet while carrying a payload of 1,000 kilograms, surpassing the existing record by over five miles. Squadron deliveries began in 1961 and the first deployment of the A3J occurred the following year, appropriately on board Enterprise (CVAN 65), the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

The introduction of submarine-launched ballistic missiles ended the Navy's strategic bombing mission, leaving the Vigilante as an aircraft without a mission. However, the aircraft's high speed made it ideal for photoreconnaissance and the existing inventory of A-5s (the aircraft designation had been changed in 1962) were modified with a sophisticated electronic reconnaissance pod mounted in the bomb bay, which included a side-looking airborne radar in a fairing under the fuselage, vertical, oblique and split-image cameras as well as active and passive electronic countermeasures equipment. The INS combined with an automatic flight control system enabled the aircraft to fly precise courses on mission altitudes ranging from high to treetop levels. Each photo taken carried a marginal notation that displayed latitude and longitude of the plane at the time it was taken, thus pinpointing target locations. The information obtained was then incorporated into the shipboard Integrated Operational Intelligence Center and used for mission planning. Redesignated RA-5Cs, the photoreconnaissance "Vigis" flew throughout the Vietnam War, with eighteen falling to enemy fire. In addition to their primary mission, several RA-5Cs were also outfitted with a probe-and-drogue refueling package to serve as buddy tankers for compatible aircraft. Gradual phasing out of the Vigilante culminated with the disestablishment of the last reconnaissance heavy attack (RVAH) squadron in 1979.