Officially Licensed US Navy VAH-4 Four Runners Squadron Patch

Officially Licensed US Navy VAH-4 Four Runners Squadron Patch — Heavy Attack Squadron 4 / Reconnaissance Attack Squadron 4 Four Runners Embroidered Patch

The Four Runners — VAH-4/RVAH-4, running fast and heavy with the A-5 Vigilante, one of the Navy's elite heavy attack and reconnaissance squadrons.

Heavy Attack Squadron 4 (VAH-4) / Reconnaissance Attack Squadron 4 (RVAH-4), the "Four Runners," was a U.S. Navy squadron that operated the North American A-5 Vigilante in both the heavy attack and reconnaissance roles. The Four Runners' name was a play on the squadron's number designation — "four" runners, always in front, always leading the way over enemy territory at supersonic speeds.

The A-5 Vigilante was originally designed as a carrier-based supersonic nuclear strike bomber — one of the most ambitious aircraft programs in Navy history. The A-5A could carry a nuclear weapon in an internal linear bomb bay and deliver it at speeds exceeding Mach 2, giving the Navy a carrier-based strategic strike capability. When the nuclear mission shifted to submarine-launched ballistic missiles, the Vigilante was brilliantly repurposed as the RA-5C reconnaissance platform, retaining its incredible speed and altitude performance while adding a sophisticated sensor suite for tactical and strategic reconnaissance.

VAH-4/RVAH-4 Four Runners served during the Vietnam War, flying reconnaissance missions over North Vietnam that were among the most dangerous in the air campaign. The speed and altitude of the Vigilante gave some protection, but the requirement to fly predictable flight paths over heavily defended targets made every mission a gamble.

Perfect For: VAH-4/RVAH-4 Four Runners veterans, A-5 Vigilante community members, Navy heavy attack and reconnaissance aviators, Vietnam-era naval aviators, and Navy heritage squadron patch collectors.

VAH-4 Four Runners — running fast, running heavy, running supersonic over every target the fleet needed photographed.