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8 FO

WAR 65th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: VOL 1

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 4 INTRODUCTION

VIETNAM WAR
65th Anniversary Special: Vol 1
USAF Aircraft
1
965 was a pivotal year in modern history. It was the year of For the US Air Force, the air war in Vietnam represented an
mini-skirts, free love and Beatlemania. But it was also the year unanticipated challenge. The service had been shaped by the perceived
of civil rights unrest, austerity and conflict. Most significantly, Cold War nuclear threat… now it had to mix it over the jungles of
it marked the escalation of the tensions in Southeast Asia into a Southeast Asia, a hostile and challenging environment where technology
full-blown war, a controversial war that would rage for a decade and did not always rule. Gaining air superiority was not an issue, but keeping
would change the world. losses to an acceptable minimum was. While high-level bombing
The Vietnam War was an anachronism, a high-tech war fought on a missions ran the gauntlet of MiGs and surface-to-air missiles, down
low-tech battlefield, a collision of cultures powered by the machinations low the battleground was even more dangerous. To support the troops
of the Cold War superpowers. It was also the first war fought under the on the ground and protect its own aircraft, the US Air Force had to be
glaring spotlight of the media, delivering the horrific and brutal nature creative. ‘FAC’, ‘Sandy’, ‘Spooky’, ‘Wild Weasel’ and ‘MiGCap’ were all terms
of warfare right into America’s living rooms. Anti-war demonstrators that crackled over the airwaves as specialised aircraft fulfilled specialised
marched against the White House as US casualties continued to mount. missions. Meanwhile the muscular Thunderchief and new Phantom did
what they did best, pounding enemy positions and taking on MiGs. The
Hercules tactical transport forged its legend in the heart of the battle,
while ‘Jolly Green Giants’ clattered overhead in search of downed aircrew.
However, there was one aircraft that did not achieve ‘iconic’ status, but
without which the air war over Vietnam could not have been fought.
The KC-135 tanker emerged as the greatest force-multiplier in history,
allowing strike aircraft to hit targets far beyond their range, deep into
enemy territory… and bring them safely home.
In many ways the Vietnam War was an unwinnable war and by the
end of the conflict the US Air Force was left counting the cost, having
lost 2,257 aircraft. The might of the US Air Force might not have been
threatened, but there is no doubt that it had been truly tested.

AVIATION ARCHIVE SERIES

In this 52nd issue of ‘Aviation Archive’, we mark the 65th anniversary
of the start of the Vietnam War, a war that shaped the history of aerial
warfare. We have listed 37 of the most significant aircraft flown by the
US Air Force in the battle, examining their part in the conflict. The types
are listed under primary role and by specification. ‘Vietnam War’ features
stunning photographic coverage, including exclusive and rare shots. Side
views by Rolando Ugolini/Airlinerart, rolando@maceace.net.

Left: Vietnam War hero Col Robin Olds ‘chalks-up’ another MiG victory.

Front cover: ‘All out warrior’. F-105G ‘Wild Weasel’ Thunderchief by artist
Mark Karvon. Prints available from markkarvon.com.

Aviation Archive Series

Vietnam War
• Editor: Allan Burney • Design: Philip Hempell
• Group CEO: Adrian Cox • Chief Publishing Officer: Jonathan Jackson • Senior Editor, Bookazines: Roger Mortimer
• Publisher: Mark Elliott • Distribution: Seymour Distribution Ltd +44 (0)20 7429 4000 • Printing: Acorn Web Offset Ltd, Normanton, UK.
All rights reserved. The entire content of Aviation Archive is © Key Publishing 2020. Reproduction in whole or in part and in any form whatsoever is strictly prohibited without the prior permission of the Publisher. We are unable to guarantee the
bona fides of any of our advertisers. Readers are strongly recommended to take their own precautions before parting with any information or item of value, including, but not limited to, money, manuscripts, photographs or personal information
in response to any advertisements within this publication. Published by Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs PE19 1XQ. Tel: +44 (0) 1780 755131. Fax: +44 (0) 1780 757261. Website: www.keypublishing.com ISBN: 9781913295240

004-005_AA52.indd 4 15/10/2020 08:33

 CONTENTS 5

INTRODUCTION
6 VIETNAM WAR: USAF v VPAF

USAF IN VIETNAM 1: FIGHTER/ATTACK

10 DOUGLAS A-1 SKYRAIDER
14 LTV A-7D CORSAIR II
16 CESSNA A-37 DRAGONFLY
18 NORTH AMERICAN F-100 SUPER SABRE
24 LOCKHEED F-104 STARFIGHTER
25 NORTHROP F-5 FREEDOM FIGHTER
26 REPUBLIC F-105 THUNDERCHIEF
32 MCDONNELL F-4 PHANTOM

USAF IN VIETNAM 2: BOMBERS

38 BOEING B-52 SUPERFORTRESS
44 MARTIN B-57 CANBERRA
46 GENERAL DYNAMICS F-111

USAF IN VIETNAM 3: FAC

50 CESSNA O-1 BIRD DOG
52 CESSNA O-2 SKYMASTER
53 NORTH AMERICAN
ROCKWELL OV-10 BRONCO

USAF IN VIETNAM 4: GUNSHIPS

56 DOUGLAS AC-47 SPOOKY
58 LOCKHEED AC-130 SPECTRE
61 FAIRCHILD AC-119

USAF IN VIETNAM 5: HELICOPTERS

66 KAMAN HH-43 HUSKIE
68 SIKORSKY HH-3 JOLLY GREEN GIANT
70 SIKORSKY HH-53 SUPER JOLLY
GREEN GIANT
72 BELL UH-1 HUEY

USAF IN VIETNAM 6: TRANSPORTS

74 FAIRCHILD C-123 PROVIDER
76 DOUGLAS C-124 GLOBEMASTER II
77 LOCKHEED C-5 GALAXY
78 LOCKHEED C-130 HERCULES
81 LOCKHEED C-141 STARLIFTER

USAF IN VIETNAM 7: SPECIALISED

84 DOUGLAS EB-66
86 LOCKHEED EC-121 WARNING STAR
87 GRUMMAN HU-16 ALBATROSS
88 BOEING KC-135 STRATOTANKER
90 BOEING RB-47H
90 MARTIN RB-57E
91 BOEING RC-135M
92 MCDONNELL RF-101 VOODOO
94 MCDONNELL RF-4C PHANTOM
96 LOCKHEED U-2
97 LOCKHEED SR-71 BLACKBIRD

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 6 VIETNAM WAR
VIETNAM WAR
USAF v VPAF
T
he Vietnam War was a protracted
conflict that pitted the communist
government of North Vietnam and
its allies in South Vietnam, known as the
Viet Cong, against the government of South
Vietnam and its principal ally, the United
States. The conflict was intensified by the
ongoing Cold War between the US and the
Soviet Union and their respective allies.
At the heart of the conflict was the desire
of North Vietnam, which had defeated the
French colonial administration of Vietnam in
1954, to unify the entire country under a single
communist regime modelled after those of the
Soviet Union and China. The South Vietnamese
government, on the other hand, fought to
preserve a Vietnam more closely aligned
with the West. US military advisers, present in
small numbers throughout the 1950s, were
introduced on a large scale beginning in 1961,
and active combat units were introduced
in 1965. By 1969 more than 500,000 US
military personnel were stationed in Vietnam.
Meanwhile, the Soviet Union and China poured
weapons, supplies, and advisers into the north,
which in turn provided support, political
direction, and regular combat troops for the
campaign in the south. More than three million
people (including over 58,000 Americans) were
killed in the Vietnam War, more than half of
them civilians. The costs and casualties of the
controversial war proved too much for the US to
bear, and it withdrew its combat units in 1973.
Communist forces ended the war by seizing
control of South Vietnam in 1975 and the
country was unified as the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam the following year.
THE AIR WAR
US Air Force involvement in the Vietnam War
first began in the 1950s in an advisory level
and ended with heavy bombing operations
in the early 1970s. Initially, the US Air Force
helped train and equip the growing South
Vietnamese Air Force, while also building
up radar, reconnaissance, air control, and
counterinsurgency capabilities. After the
Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, during which
a US destroyer exchanged fire with North
Vietnamese torpedo boats, a major military
006-008_AA52.indd 6
build-up began. At this point in the conflict,
US leadership emphasised restraint and
gradual escalation, so the US Air Force mission
was at first limited. During this period, the
North Vietnamese Air Force (also known as
the Vietnam People’s Air Force or VPAF), was
building an extensive ground radar network,
while its pilots slowly acquired experience with
their new MiG-17s. Acting cautiously, Hanoi
refused to commit its fighters to combat unless
the odds were stacked in their favour. Only 28
North Vietnamese aircraft were lost in combat
with US aircraft during 1964-66. The US Air
Force’s first kills of the war occurred on 7 July
1965, when two MiG-17s were shot down when
they attacked a pair of F-4C Phantoms.
During the second half of the 1960s, the US
Air Force gained more flexibility and took on a
more active role in the war. Operation ‘Rolling
Thunder’, ordered by President Johnson in
1965, had two objectives: to smash the North
Vietnamese air defence system, industrial base,
and supply network; and to erode its support
in the south. The campaign targeted rail lines,
highways, bridges, and oil refineries, as well as Above: Air-to-air combat over North Vietnam.
Gun camera footage of the MiG-17 victory by
the supply lines running down the Ho Chi Minh
F-105 pilot Maj Ralph Kuster Jr on 5 June 1967. 
Trail to the south. China and the Soviet Union
continued to help North Vietnam build up its
supplies of anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to- guided bombs. These bombs felled several
air missiles, eventually creating the strongest important bridges over the Red River, including
air-defence system then in existence. the logistically and symbolically important Paul
As ‘Rolling Thunder’ ended and Doumer Bridge, the only bridge to link Hanoi
Vietnamization (a policy to make South Korea and Haiphong. As peace talks dragged on,
self-sufficient and allow the gradual withdrawal President Nixon ordered a second Linebacker
of US troops) began in late 1968, the US Air operation and in late December 1972, B-52s
Force continued its bombing campaign, struck Hanoi and Haiphong at night and A-7s
including hitting supply routes in southern Laos and F-4s struck during the day. The North
and Cambodia. As ground troops continued to Vietnamese returned to negotiations and
pull out, air power began a greater offensive. quickly concluded a settlement.
During Operation ‘Linebacker I’, from May to
October 1972, the US Air Force dropped over AIR-TO-AIR
150,000 tons of bombs over North Vietnam, In 1965, the small North Vietnamese Air Force
concentrating mostly on transportation targets, (VPAF) was equipped with somewhat outdated,
airfields, powerplants, and radio stations. gun-armed MiG-17s. The entry of missile-armed,
The US Air Force also continued to develop a supersonic MiG-21s in early 1966, however,
wider range of weapons suited to the conflict, dramatically increased the VPAF threat. The US
including specialised bombs to penetrate or Air Force’s primary counter to the MiG was the
defoliate the jungle canopy, non-lethal gas F-4 Phantom fighter. Though outnumbered,
bombs that could provide cover for air rescue VPAF MiGs had some significant advantages.
missions, and a new arsenal of radar- and laser- Guided by ground controllers using early
15/10/2020 08:37
006-008_AA52.indd 7 09/10/2020 09:41
 8 VIETNAM WAR
warning radar, MiG pilots only attacked under
ideal circumstances, such as when US aircraft
were bomb-laden, low on fuel, or damaged.
The small, hard-to-see MiGs typically made
one-pass attacks at high speed, then escaped
to a sanctuary (either their airfields, which
were not bombed until mid-1967, or to nearby
communist China). Since they were always over
friendly territory, MiG pilots could be back in
action quickly if they survived being shot down.
US Air Force fighter pilots had better training
and superior aircraft, but they endured several
disadvantages. One serious issue was missile
reliability and performance. Over half of the
missiles fired by the US Air Force during the
conflict malfunctioned, and only about one in
11 fired scored a victory. The US Air Force rules
of engagement dictated visual identification of
an enemy aircraft before firing, which negated
using the Sparrow missile at long range and
F-4s flown during ‘Rolling Thunder’ did not have
an internal gun to use when missiles failed.
Although some F-4s carried external gun pods,
it was not until the F-4E arrived in late 1968 that
US Air Force Phantoms finally had an internal
gun. Lastly, US pilots had to combat MiGs, SAMs
and AAA over hostile North Vietnam and, if shot
down, they were not always rescued. Even so,
enemy MiGs failed in their primary mission to
stop US air attacks over North Vietnam during
the operation. In fact, the VPAF fighter force
sometimes retreated to China and stood down
from combat operations due to heavy losses
suffered at the hands of US fighter crews. The
VPAF, having lost half of its combat aircraft in a
matter of a few weeks between March and June
of 1967, went into a period of self-examination,
training and reconstitution. Because the North
Vietnamese could not possibly gain control of
the skies by directly challenging the US forces,
they adopted a different tactic that created
problems for the US Air Force until the end of
the war. On 23 August 1967, North Vietnamese
ground radar guided a MiG-21 to a position
MiG-21 ‘Fishbed’
North Vietnam’s best fighter and a close match in capability with the US F-4. The latter was
slightly faster, but the MiG-21 had better acceleration. The MiG-21 was especially effective at
higher altitudes. It had a 23mm cannon but relied mainly on its four Atoll
missiles. Thirteen of North Vietnam’s16 fighter aces flew MiG-21s.
006-008_AA52.indd 8
MiG-17 ‘Fresco’
This single-seat, single-engine fighter was in widespread use with the North Vietnamese Air
Force from 1964. The F-4 was clearly a superior aircraft in terms of absolute performance, but
the MiG pilots knew they could win an encounter if they could get the F-4 into a close-in,
turning dogfight. In these conditions, the F-4’s manoeuvrability was inferior to that of the
MiG, its missiles would be ineffective and its radar would count for nothing. Unlike the F-4,
the MiG-17 had a heavy cannon armament, ideal for close engagements. At least three VPAF
pilots achieved ‘ace’ status (five kills) during the Vietnam War, some of these being F-4s.
Below: North Vietnamese pilots walk past their MiG-17s. Between 1966 and 1972 a total of 17
flying aces were credited by the VPAF against US fighters.
astern of four bomb-laden F-4 Phantoms in and radar-jamming aircraft, F-4 Phantom fighter
close formation. The MiG made a supersonic escorts close to the bomb carriers and the
‘hit-and-run’ pass, launched a Soviet AA-2/Atoll ‘MiGCAP’ F-4s, which were free to make sweeps
air-to-air missile that shot down Phantom No 4, and aggressively go after MiGs.
and blew past the formation to safety. Because When US forces resumed widespread
the MiG‑21s engaged only when directed by operations over North Vietnam in spring 1972,
radar, which provided them with both surprise the North Vietnamese decided once again to
and positional advantage, there was no challenge the strikes head-on. On 10 May, the
opportunity for the US forces to achieve a lethal US Air Force traded the North Vietnamese three
firing position on the attacking MiGs. Facing for two during the first major battle of Operation
both the SAM threat and supersonic MiGs, the ‘Linebacker’. However, the US Navy famously
US Air Force began building larger groups of shot down seven MiG-17s and a MiG-21 with
aircraft for bombing missions. ‘Strike packages’ no losses. It was the worst single day of the war
contained 40 or more aircraft, including bomb for the VPAF. Hanoi’s reaction was swift, radical
carriers, ‘Wild Weasels’ (two-seat F-105F and and appropriate. The MiG-17s were largely
G Thunderchiefs outfitted with equipment to withdrawn from combat and the VPAF reverted
detect and destroy SAM sites), reconnaissance to its successful supersonic ambush tactics with
the MiG-21. For a brief moment in June 1972,
MiG-21s gained ascendancy, shooting down
five US Air Force Phantoms on air-to-air missions
for a loss of only two. But things were about to
turn around… In August 1972, the US Air Force
finally got its technical answer to the attack
warning problem: a control centre called Teaball.
The centre provided MiG warnings in real time
and the US Air Force crews got the situational
awareness that they had been lacking.
At the end of the Vietnam War in 1973, the
VPAF had lost nearly 150 MiGs in combat to US
Air Force fighter crews, while the US Air Force
lost about 70 aircraft (of all types) to MiGs.
15/10/2020 08:38
 T N A M : 1
I N V I E
USAF
FIGHTER/ATTACK
THE VIETNAM WAR marked a transition in the art of aerial
warfare as the distinction between ‘fighter’ and ‘attack’ aircraft
became increasingly blurred. Although speed and agility still
‘ruled’, the rapid development of air-to-air missile technology
meant that the age of the pure dogfighter was on the wane.
The fighter became a missile-carrying platform… and if it could
carry missiles, it could carry bombs and other ordnance. This
was the age of the tactical strike aircraft, a fighter, bomber and
SAM killer all rolled into one. Typical of the genre was the F-105,
the Thunderchief, the ‘Lead Sled’, the ‘Thud’. It was the signature
fighter of the ‘Rolling Thunder’ campaign against North Vietnam
from 1965 to 1968. ‘Thuds’ flew 75 percent of the strikes and took
more losses over North Vietnam than any other type of aircraft.
When ‘Rolling Thunder’ ended, more than half of the US Air
Force’s F-105s were gone. They were replaced by the legendary
F-4 Phantom, a true ‘multi-role fighter’ in every sense. From air
superiority MiG killer to precision attack missions, the Phantom
became the symbolic fighter of the conflict.

009_AA52.indd 9 15/10/2020 10:52

 10 ATTACK
DOUGLAS A-1 SKYRAIDER
The Air Commandos
W
‘ e were flying anachronisms,
piloting Spads through a
supersonic world, tasting the
thunderstorms at 8,000ft when an SR-71 was
hitting three times the speed of sound above
70,000ft. It was a ludicrous situation, but one
I applauded. Some of the greatest and most
dangerous and heroic flying ever done was
right there… in old A-1 Skyraiders.’
Skyraider pilot Capt Richard Drury’s
sentiments are echoed by many of his
colleagues who fondly remember this unlikely
hero of the Southeast Asia war. There was
nothing subtle about the Skyraider, but its ability
to carry an immense number of weapons and
stay over the battlefield for extended periods
of time made it a powerful weapon. It provided
close air support to ground forces, attacked
enemy supply lines, and protected helicopters
rescuing airmen downed in enemy territory.
010-013_AA52.indd 10
Designed during World War Two for the US
Navy, the Skyraider almost disappeared before
it had the opportunity to excel over Southeast
Asia. In the high-speed jet-age world of the late
1950s, the Skyraider seemed to be a relic of an
earlier era. It had performed well during the
Korean War, but the US Navy had decided to
replace it with jet aircraft. However, the rugged
nature of Skyraiders proved well suited for
fighting against the guerrilla-style war waged
by communists in Southeast Asia. Therefore,
Above: Four Douglas A-1E Skyraiders in formation
when the US provided South Vietnam with
over South Vietnam on their way to a target on
increased military assistance and training to 25 June 1965. The aircraft were assigned to the
resist communist forces, it gave Skyraiders to 34th Tactical Group based at Bien Hoa, South
the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). In 1961, Vietnam. The A-1E 133899 was lost on 9 June
US Air Force instructors started training the 1966, 132633 on 10 November 1966, and 132638
VNAF pilots at Bien Hoa Air Base with Skyraiders on 4 May 1967.
in VNAF markings and their tail hooks removed. Below: It might have been a relic from another
Redesignated the A-1 in 1962, the old Skyraider age, but the A-1E Skyraider became a valuable
soon got the nickname ‘Spad’ – referring to weapon during the Vietnam war.
15/10/2020 10:54
 A-1 SKYRAIDER 11

the French fighter used in World War One. The

future South Vietnamese prime minister and
vice president, Nguyen Cao Ky, began his rise
to power as a Skyraider pilot: ‘Never had I flown
such a powerful aircraft! As I raced down the
runway, the Skyraider was a tiger leaping into
the sky… It took all the strength of both arms
and both legs to establish control…The next
time I took off in an A-1, I would carry a full load
of bombs to drop on the enemy.’
At first, bush-hatted US air commando
advisers shared cockpits with Vietnamese
pilots in two-seat ‘fat face’ A-1E Skyraiders
carrying South Vietnamese air force insignia.
As the fighting in Vietnam intensified, the US
Air Force accepted 150 of its own two-seat
Spads in 1964 to deliver the slow, accurate
close-air support that jets could not provide.
The first of these arrived at Bien Hoa AB in
May 1964 and were assigned to the 1st Air
Commando Squadron, which operated under
the call sign ‘Hobo’. The first A-1E Skyraider
shot down was on the night of 29 August 1964,
killing its pilot Capt Richard D. Goss.
The A-1E ‘Spad’ could carry four tons of
bombs and had four cannons. Maximum speed
was only 325mph, but it could stay in the
battle area for much longer than jet aircraft
could. Low-level was its domain. Wherever they
went, the Skyraiders provided critical close air Above: A US Air Force A-1E Skyraider drops a white phosphorus bomb on a Viet Cong position in 1966.
support to ground forces and other operations,
Below left: A single-seat A-1H from the 6th SOS providing close air support in 1968.
such as defoliant spraying or supporting the
insertion and extraction of special operations Below right: An A-1E pulls up after striking an enemy target in July 1969.
teams inside enemy held territory along the
Ho Chi Minh Trail.
In August 1967, the US Air Force redesignated
its air commando Skyraider units as special
operations squadrons: the 1st SOS (call sign:
Hobo); 602nd SOS (Firefly); and the 22nd SOS
(Zorro), the US Air Force’s last A-1unit. The latter
flew from Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai AB in
eastern Thailand. US Air Force Skyraiders in
Southeast Asia are probably best remembered
for their support of search and air rescue
missions. Operating under the call sign ‘Sandy’,
the A-1H’s ability to fly over a downed airman
for an extended period complemented its
massive firepower. Whereas jet aircraft often
had to leave an area for refuelling or rearming,
the ‘Sandies’ provided nearly continuous
suppressing fire until helicopters could extract
downed airmen.
The Skyraider in Vietnam pioneered the
concept of tough, survivable aircraft with long
loiter times and large ordnance loads. The US
Air Force lost 201 Skyraiders to all causes in
Southeast Asia, while the Navy lost 65. Of the
266 total, five were shot down by surface-to-

010-013_AA52.indd 11 15/10/2020 15:10

 12 ATTACK

Right: A Douglas A-1H Skyraider of the 602nd SOS

over Vietnam in June 1970. The unit operated
A-1 Skyraiders under the call sign ‘Firefly’. Its
daylight task was the primary one of combat
search and rescue of air crew downed in Laos.
A secondary task was night operations as
flareships supporting the Hmong guerrillas in the
Operation ‘Barrel Roll’ area.

A-1H Skyraider
Crew: 1
Length: 38ft 10in (11.84m)
Wingspan: 50ft 0in (15.25m)
Height: 15ft 8in (4.8m)
Empty weight: 11,968lb (5,429kg)
Max T/O weight: 18,106lb (8,213kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-3350-
26WA Duplex-
Cyclone18-cylinder
air-cooled radial piston
of 2,700hp
Max speed: 322mph (518km/h)
Range: 1,316 miles (2,118km)
air missiles (SAMs), and three were shot down part in the last-ditch fighting during the North’s
Service ceiling: 28,500ft (8,700m)
in air-to-air combat; two by VPAF MiG-17s. The 1975 Spring offensive, which ended in the
Armament: 4 x 20mm AN/M3
cannon with 200 last Skyraider combat loss of the war was on Communist capture of Saigon.
rounds per gun 22 September 1972 over Laos. By then, the US
Ordnance: 15 external hardpoints was drawing down all forces in Vietnam and US Skyraider heroics
with a capacity of Air Force Spads flew their last mission on On 10 March 1966, Maj Bernard F. Fisher and
8,000lb (3,600kg),with 7 November, keeping enemy soldiers from the Maj Dafford Myers were flying A-1Es on an
provisions to carry crash site of an Army UH-1 Iroquois near Quang attack mission in support of Special Forces
combinations of Tri, until seven survivors were rescued. In 1973 under attack in the A Shau Valley of South
bombs, unguided
the US Air Force handed its remaining Spads Vietnam. Myers was hit and crash-landed his
rockets and gun pods
over to the South Vietnamese. They would take blazing Spad on the base airstrip. With enemy
troops within 20 yards of Myers’ position and
the nearest rescue helicopter 30min out, Fisher
radioed: ‘I’m going in.’
Fisher ran the gauntlet of enemy artillery
that ringed the valley, landed, taxied through
burning debris, picked up Myers, took off
through the smoke and automatic weapons
fire, and flew out with 19 bullet holes in his
Skyraider. Fisher was awarded the Medal of
Honor for his heroics.
On 1 September 1968, Lt Col William A.
Jones III, leading an A-1H mission to find a
fighter pilot who had been shot down over
North Vietnam, took heavy battle damage
when he attacked enemy guns that were

Left: In November 1966, Lt Col Jerald Ransom

became the first A-1E Skyraider pilot to complete
100 missions over North Vietnam. Ransom was
a veteran of World War Two, flying 35 missions
over Europe as a B-17 navigator. In 1966, as
commander of the 602nd FS (Commando)
Ransom flew 366 hours over North Vietnam,
and his A-1E was hit by enemy fire seven times.
With his later tour as deputy commander of the
56th SOW, Ransom flew a total of 326 combat
missions in Southeast Asia.

010-013_AA52.indd 12 09/10/2020 10:46


blocking the rescue effort. His aircraft was
badly shot up. The cockpit canopy was blown
away, and Jones was severely burned. Unable
to use his radio, he declined to bail out and
flew back to his base, where he refused
sedation and medical care until he reported
the exact position of the downed pilot, who
was subsequently rescued. Jones was awarded
the Medal of Honor. Tragically, that November
Jones died stateside in the crash of a private
aircraft in Virginia.
010-013_AA52.indd 13
A-1 SKYRAIDER 13
Above: Carolyn’s Folly, an A-1E Skyraider of the
1st Air Commando Squadron, escorts an HH-3C
rescue helicopter as it goes to pick up a downed
pilot in Vietnam in 1966.
Left and below: US Air Force A-1E pilot
Maj Bernard F. Fisher (right), discusses
maintenance with his crew chief at Pleiku AB,
South Vietnam in 1966. Fisher received the Medal
of Honor for the rescue of a fellow pilot who had
been shot down and stranded just yards away
from the enemy. Fisher’s Skywarrior was severely
damaged in further combat in South Vietnam.
15/10/2020 08:49
 14 FIGHTER/ATTACK

LTV A-7D CORSAIR II

Call me ‘SLUF’

I
t was officially called the Corsair II, but
its pilots knew it as the ‘SLUF’, for ‘Short
Little Ugly Fella’ (or something less polite).
The US Air Force operated the type as the
A-7D and although it was late to the battle
in South East Asia, it demonstrated its
outstanding ground attack capability during
the closing months of the conflict.
To meet a need for close air support of
its troops in South Vietnam, the US Army
pressured the US Air Force to procure a
specialised subsonic close air support fixed-
wing aircraft that would suit its needs better
than the general-purpose supersonic aircraft
that the US Air Force preferred. The result was
the single-seat A-7D, that was based on the US
Navy’s A-7 Corsair, but with some significant
changes. The US Air Force wanted more power
for its variant, and selected the Allison TF41-A-1
turbofan engine, a license-built version of the

Left: The cockpit of a US Air Force A-7D ‘SLUF’.

014-015_AA52.indd 14 09/10/2020 10:58

 A-7D CORSAIR 15

Left: A trio of US Air Force A-7Ds (s/n 70-0976,

70-0989 and 70-0970) of the 354th TFW cruising
over Southeast Asia towards the end of the
Vietnam War.

Right: LTV A-7D (70-0978) of the 354th TFW at

Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, in 1972.

A-7D Corsair II
Crew: 1
Length: 46ft 1in (14.06m)
Wingspan: 38ft 9in (11.81m)
Height: 16ft 1in (4.9m)
Empty weight: 19,915lb (9,033kg)
Max T/O weight: 42,000lb (19,050kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Allison TF41-A-1
turbofan producing
14,500lb of thrust
Max speed: 698mph (1,123km/h)
Range: 715 miles (1,151km)
Service ceiling: 42,000ft (12,800m)
Armament: 1 x M61 Vulcan
20mm cannon
‘SLUF’ to the rescue
Ordnance: Max load of 20,000lb On 18 November 1972, Maj Colin A. Clarke led a successful CSAR mission near Thanh Hoa
(9,072kg) for to rescue a downed Republic F-105 Thunderchief ‘Wild Weasel’ crew. The mission lasted a
combination of missiles total of 8.8 hours during which Clarke and his wingman took a number of hits from 0.50 cal
and bombs (12.7mm) anti-aircraft fire. For his actions in co-ordinating the rescue, Clarke was awarded
the Air Force Cross, the US Air Force’s second-highest decoration for valour. His citation reads:
Rolls-Royce Spey. Other changes included a ‘Maj Clarke directed an extremely complex mission that resulted in the successful recovery
head up display, a new avionics package, and of two downed airmen despite adverse weather, mountainous terrain, and intense hostile
an M61A1 rotary cannon in place of the two ground fire. Disregarding these hazards, his own safety, and battle damage to his aircraft,
single-barrelled 20mm cannon. The first A-7D he personally guided the rescue helicopter to the survivors’ location, suppressed hostile
made its initial flight in April 1968, and the defenses, and continued to direct rescue efforts even though he sustained additional damage
US Air Force’s 354th Tactical Fighter Wing was to his aircraft.’
equipped with four squadrons of A-7Ds by
Below: Maj Colin Clarke brings his Corsair in close for the camera. Maj Clarke was awarded the
1972. It first deployed two squadrons of A-7Ds
Air Force Cross for his role in rescuing two downed airmen.
to Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand in September
1972 as part of Operation ‘Cornet Dancer’.
The A-7Ds were quickly assigned the ‘Sandy’
mission of providing air cover for Combat
Search and Rescue missions of downed pilots.
Taking over from Douglas A-1 Skyraiders, the
A-7’s higher speed was somewhat detrimental
for escorting the helicopters, but the aircraft’s
high endurance and durability were an asset
and it performed well. The aircraft’s impressive
weapon carrying ability and ruggedness also
made it ideal for close air support and ground
attack missions.
The US Air Force A-7Ds flew a total of
12,928 combat sorties during the war with
only six losses, the lowest of any US fighter
in the theatre. A-7Ds from Korat flew combat
operations over Vietnam until mid-January
1973, in Laos until 22 February 1973, and in
Cambodia until 15 August 1973. The last shot
fired in anger by US military forces in Southeast
Asia was fired by an A-7D of the deployed 345th
TFW/353th TFS on 15 August 1973.

014-015_AA52.indd 15 15/10/2020 08:55

 16 ATTACK
CESSNA A-37 DRAGONFLY
Super Tweet
O
‘ ur troops on the ground were glad
when the aircraft coming to help
them was an A-37. The bigger
fighters were less able to help them out of
a tight spot. We had more time on station
than the big fighters and unlike them we
could operate under cloud cover and in
tough terrain that might have deterred a
larger jet.’ So comments Lt Col Dennis Selvig,
who piloted A-37Bs with the 604th Special
Operations Squadron (SOS) at Bien Hoa from
March 1970 to March 1971.
The growing US military involvement in
Vietnam in the early 1960s led to strong interest
in counter-insurgency (COIN) aircraft, which led
to the US Air Force evaluating the Cessna T-37C
‘Tweet’ trainer for the role. Although it showed
much promise, the US Air Force needed an
aircraft that could carry a much larger payload,
and had much greater endurance and better
016-017_AA52.indd 16
short-field performance. This resulted in the
A-37, a heavier ‘beefed-up’ version with more
powerful General Electric J85-J2/5 turbojets of
2,400lb thrust each. It was also fitted with four
stores pylons on each wing and was armed
with a General Electric GAU-2B/A 7.62mm
Gatling-style machine gun. The A-37A was
formally named the Dragonfly, but most pilots
called it the ‘Super Tweet’. The straight-wing,
two-seat A-37 (its second seat unused most
of the time) was a true light attack aircraft. In
August 1967, 25 A-37As were sent to Vietnam
and flew from Bien Hoa Air Base on US Air
Force ‘air commando’ missions, including close
air support, helicopter escort, FAC, and night
interdiction. Combat loads included high-
explosive bombs, cluster munition dispensers,
unguided rocket packs, napalm tanks, and the
SUU-11/A Minigun pod. For most missions, the
aircraft also carried two additional external
Above: US Air Force A-37A of the 8th TFW over
Vietnam in September 1972. The ‘Super Tweet’
proved to be the ideal light attack aircraft for
missions in Southeast Asia.
fuel tanks on the inner stores pylons. The A-37
excelled at close air support. It could engage
targets at speeds 100mph slower than swept-
wing fighters, which improved bombing
accuracy, enabling pilots to achieve an average
accuracy of 45ft (13.7m).
The US Air Force signed a contract with
Cessna in early 1967 for an improved ‘Super
Tweet’, designated the A-37B. The initial
order was for 57 aircraft, but this was quickly
increased to 127.
The A-37Bs were primarily intended to be
supplied to the Republic of Vietnam Air Force
(RVNAF) as replacements for its A-1 Skyraiders.
As such, deliveries to the South Vietnamese
began in 1968.
15/10/2020 10:55
 A-37 DRAGONFLY 17

A-37B Dragonfly
Crew: 1-2
Length: 28ft 4in (8.6m)
Wingspan: 35ft 11in (10.93m)
Height: 8ft 10in (2.7m)
Empty weight: 6,211lb (2,817kg)
Max T/O weight: 14,000lb (6,350kg)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric
J85-GE-17A turbojets of
2,850lb thrust each
Max speed: 507mph (816km/h)
Range: 460 miles (740km)
Service ceiling: 41,765ft (12,730m)
Armament: 1 × 7.62mm GAU-2B/A
minigun. Provision for
SUU-11/A gun pods
under wings
Ordnance: Bombs: 250lb (110kg)
Mark 81, 500lb (230kg)
Mark 82 or 750lb
(340kg) M117 bombs.
BLU-32B or BLU-1C/B
fire bombs. CBU-12,
CBU-22 or CBU-24
cluster bombs.
Rockets: LAU-3/A
rocket pods

Top left: Cessna A-37A at Bien Hoa Air Base, South

Vietnam, in August 1967.

Left: On the attack. Cessna A-37A 67-14516

targets enemy positions with a salvo of rockets
during a mission in Vietnam.

Below: Casualty of war. ‘Super Tweet’ 67-14513 of

the 605th SOS which burnt out after making an
emergency landing at Bien Hoa Air Base, South
Vietnam in October 1968.

‘Super Tweet’ sortie You could walk your rounds where you wanted usual tactic of dropping his explosive bombs
A typical mission in the ‘Super Tweet’ is recalled them to go but it wasn’t easy.’ first, and then comes around and releases
by Col Hank Hoffman, a pilot in the 604th Able to operate beneath cloud cover where the napalm. ‘The easiest mistake to make in
SOS: ‘The A-37B looks tiny in its concrete nest an F-4 Phantom or F-100 Super Sabre couldn’t, bombing is the ‘long-short error’. You never
designed for a bigger fighter. I pull forward Hoffman and his A-37B find Viet Cong troops attack by flying over the friendlies. You fly
outside the revetment and look for the Plumber approaching the friendlies. Hoffman follows the parallel to the battle line on the enemy’s side.’
[wingman 2nd Lt Chuck ‘Plumber’ Purcell] who
is right behind me.’
Working with a forward air controller, or FAC,
in an O-1 Bird Dog, Hoffman flies his A-37B into
the fight. He carries a typical warload known as
‘shake and bake’ – two Mark 82s and two 500lb
cans of napalm. He is ready, also, to use the
7.62mm gun possibly with, or possibly without,
his crude gunsight. ‘On some missions, I never
turned it on. Delivering ordnance in an A-37B
was a little like throwing a rock at a fence post,
and you didn’t really need a sight. We would
have preferred a .50-caliber gun. Our 7.62mm
wasn’t really effective. It was like using a hose.

016-017_AA52.indd 17 15/10/2020 08:56

 18 FIGHTER/ATTACK

NORTH AMERICAN F-100 SUPER

Wild Weasel pioneer
T
he F-100 Super Sabre – or ‘Hun’ as the air-to-air arena with North Vietnamese
it was often referred to – bore the fighters, but the North Vietnamese Air Force’s
brunt of early US Air Force missions in MiG-17s were the opponents they would be
Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Attrition forced most likely to meet. The MiG-17 was nimbler
its gradual replacement, but not before it than the F-100D and had a better rate of turn.
pioneered the legendary Wild Weasel ‘SAM- Mounting underwing AIM-9B Sidewinder air-to-
killing’ mission. air missiles did not make the F-100 into a true
Although perpetuating the name of North air superiority fighter, as the missile’s guidance
American’s earlier F-86 Sabre, the F-100 Super system struggled to cope in any fight where
Sabre was very much an all-new design. the target aircraft was manoeuvring hard.
Its concept was the result of US Air Force Under these conditions, the F-100 pilot’s best
experience in the Korean War, where the friend was still his four M61 cannon. As North
MiG-15 seriously threatened the US Air Force’s Vietnamese anti-aircraft defences increased
dominance of the skies. The F-100 looked fast and Super Sabre losses mounted, the US Air
and it was, prototype 52-5754 exceeding the Force removed the F-100 from strike missions
speed of sound when it made its first flight on in North Vietnam, and the newly introduced
25 May 1953. The Super Sabre, in its F-100C
and F-100D versions, served the US Air Force Right: F-100Ds of the 481st TFS over South
faithfully as a fighter-bomber, only being retired Vietnam in February 1966. Early F-100s were
from front-line service with TAC in 1972. unpainted when they arrived in Southeast Asia
(like the foreground aircraft), but all eventually
The F-100’s real period of active service
received more appropriate camouflage schemes
came in Southeast Asia, the type’s involvement like the aircraft in the back.
starting in May 1962 with the rotation of
squadrons from US bases to Takhli air base in Below: A Colorado ANG 120th TFS F-100C rolls
Thailand. US forces became heavily involved out on a mission. In 1968, four Air National
Guard (ANG) F-100 squadrons deployed to
in Vietnam when the US President authorised
Southeast Asia to provide close air support for
a series of air strikes against military targets in friendly troops in South Vietnam. During their
North Vietnam in February 1965. This was the year-long tour they flew an impressive 30,000
start of Operation ‘Rolling Thunder’, a sustained combat sorties.
bombing campaign in which F-100s would
figure prominently. An early ‘Rolling Thunder’
mission launched on 2 March 1965 involved 40
F-100s from Da Nang flying cover for 45 bomb-
toting F-105D Thunderchiefs. Demonstrating
their multi-role capability, some of the F-100s
flew ‘MiGCAP’ (providing fighter top cover for
the attack formation) missions with AIM-9B
Sidewinder air-to-air missile armament, while
others tasked with flak suppression carried
2.75in rockets and 750lb bombs. Two F-100Ds
failed to return from this mission and one of the
pilots had the misfortune to be the first to be
taken captive in North Vietnam.
Acknowledging the F-100’s war role, a US
Air Force Technical Order issued in late 1965
decreed that the aircraft should henceforth
be camouflaged in tan and dark green with
grey undersides, replacing the rather over-
visible natural metal finish previously sported.
F-100 pilots would not choose to mix it in

018-023_AA52.indd 18 15/10/2020 08:57

SABRE
50ft Qin (1 Sm)
38ft 9in (11.81 m)
16ft 3in (4.94ml
21,000lb (9,525kg)
34,832Ib (15,800kg)
1 x Pratt & Whitney
J57-P-21 ofl 0,200Ib
thrust 'dry; 16,000lb
with afterburner
924mph (1,487km/h)
1,995 miles (3,211km)
50,000ft (15,000m)
4 x 20mm Pontiac
M39A1 revolver cannon
Hardpoints: 6 with a
capacity of 7,040Ib
(3,190kg),with
provisions to carry
combinations of missiles,
rockets and bombs
 22 F-100 SUPER SABRE
F-4 Phantom took over the fighter escort role.
Even so, the Super Sabre remained an essential
close air support aircraft in the ‘in-country’ war
over South Vietnam. F-100s also continued to
strike targets in northern Laos, and in 1968,
they participated in operations against enemy
infiltration in southern Laos.
Super Sabre numbers in Southeast Asia
peaked at 490 aircraft in 1969, and the last F-100
left Vietnam in 1971. F-100s flew over 360,000
combat missions in Southeast Asia between
1964-1971, with 186 lost to enemy anti-aircraft
fire, none in air-to-air combat, seven to enemy
ground forces, and 45 to operational accidents.
F-100 Wild Weasel
The first F-100D shot down by ground fire was
piloted by 1st Lt Colin A. Clarke of the 428th TFS
on 18 August 1964. Clarke ejected and survived.
On 4 April 1965, as escorts protecting F-105s
attacking the Thanh Hoa Bridge, F-100 Super
Sabres fought the US Air Force’s first air-to-air
jet combat duel in the Vietnam War, in which
an F-100 piloted by Capt Donald W. Kilgus of
the 416th FS shot down a Vietnam People’s Air
Force MiG-17, using cannon fire. However, the
F-100 was to gain fame in another role…
Losses over North Vietnam due to the
surface-to-air missile (SAM) threat mounted as
the Soviet-built SA-2 Guideline was deployed in
018-023_AA52.indd 23
increasing numbers from July 1965. Suddenly,
the risk to US Air Force fighter pilots of flying
over the North had increased significantly.
An F-4C Phantom was the first loss, on 24 July
1965. What was needed, and needed quickly,
was an aircraft that could locate, identify and
destroy the enemy radar sites. Thus was born
the Wild Weasel programme, which involved
the conversion of a small initial batch of
two-seat F-100F Super Sabres, the back-seat
Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) handling the
new radar warning receiver, signal processors,
displays, launch-warning lights, cameras and
recorders. The development time allowed was
short and the first F-100F Wild Weasels arrived
at Korat AFB in November 1965 where they
equipped the newly-formed 6,234th TFW. The
first operational Wild Weasel missions were
flown soon afterwards.
Their crews had a hazardous task; they were
in the vanguard of any strike force and had to
fly towards the radar site – and the SAMs – to
home in on the signals and then to prosecute
their attack. If the radar continued transmitting
they could destroy the site using rockets,
napalm or iron bombs, but there was always
the prospect of an SA-2 being launched against
them in retaliation. If the radar operators on
the ground felt overly threatened, they could
shut down their radar – but in doing so they
lost their purpose. This cat and mouse game
was played out many times over North Vietnam,
proving the viability of the Wild Weasel concept.
This was the beginning of a new capability
called SEAD – Suppression of Enemy Air
Defenses. No self-respecting air force today can
afford to be without it.
Finally, in 1967, a group of combat-
experienced fighter pilot volunteers were
brought together in South Vietnam to form
Above: Capts Allen Lamb (pilot) and Jack
Donovan (EWO) achieved the first Wild Weasel
SAM kill on 22 December 1965, while covering a
strike force northwest of Hanoi, North Vietnam.
Capt Donovan began picking up radar signals
and called out the co-ordinates. Capt Lamb
guided their F-100F to the site and spotted the
camouflaged radar van. He attacked it with a
salvo of 2.75in rockets and 20mm fire, destroying
the van and a nearby SA-2. The cabled message
to the Joint Chiefs of Staff read ‘Weasel sighted
SAM – killed same’.
Left: Wild Weasel pioneers. Most of the second
group of F-100F Wild Weasel pilots at Korat in
early 1966.
a top-secret squadron with a now-famous
callsign – ‘Misty’. Flying the two-seat F-100F,
they were stationed first at Phu Cat AB, and
then Tuy Hoa. Their mission was to fly fast
and low over enemy territory – so low that
they could see the targets. Armed with only
cannons and marking rockets, their goal was
straightforward: disrupt the transfer of enemy
supplies and equipment down the Ho Chi Minh
trail. When a Misty located one or more of these
targets, he directed fighter strikes against them.
Despite flying low and fast, 28 per cent of the
Misty pilots were shot down.
15/10/2020 10:58
 F-100 SUPER SABRE 23

Above: An F-100 Super Sabre

refuelling from a KC-135
Stratotanker near the border
of Laos and Thailand over the
Mekong River, circa 1967.

Page 19: Super Sabre pilots were

noted for their accuracy during
bombing and strafing runs. Here
F-1 00D-85-NH 56-3415 fires a
salvo of 2.75in rockets against
an enemy position in South
Vietnam in 1967. This aircraft
and its pilot, 1st Lt Clive Jeffs,
were tragically lost after an
engine failure near Nha Trang on
12 March 1971.

Right: On the hot flight line at

Phu Cat Air Base, Airmen 2nd
Class Francis Branch (left) and
John Se/lung remove a 20mm
cannon from an F-100 in
October 1967.
 24 F-104 STARFIGHTER
LOCKHEED F-104 STARFIGHTER
Fast but not furious
A
s conceived, the F-104 Starfighter
was a pure interceptor fighter
for the US Air Force, one which
promised phenomenal speed and altitude
performance. But the hot-ship performance
came at a cost and manoeuvrability was
traded for speed, not ideal for the harsh
conditions of the conflict in Southeast Asia.
The F-104C entered service with Tactical Air
Command (TAC) as a multi-role fighter and
fighter-bomber. During the Vietnam War the
Starfighter was used both in the air-superiority
and air-support roles, commencing with
Operation ‘Rolling Thunder’. The 476th Tactical
Fighter Squadron (TFS) of the 479th TFW
arrived at Da Nang AB on 19 April 1965 to help
protect F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bombers
against MiG-17s and especially MiG-21s. The
F-104 was also deployed extensively as a barrier
combat air patrol (BARCAP) protector for the
024-025_AA52.indd 24
EC-121D Warning Star airborne early warning
aircraft patrolling off the North Vietnamese
coast. The F-104s were successful in deterring
MiG interceptors, though they were largely
uninvolved in aerial combat and recorded no
air-to-air kills. From the first F-104 deployment,
Starfighters flew a total of 2,937 combat sorties
for the loss of five aircraft. One incident on
20 September claimed three F-104s when
Capt Philip E. Smith strayed into Chinese
airspace and was shot down by a Shenyang J-6;
two more Starfighters collided in mid-air while
searching for Smith’s missing jet. Starfighters
returned to Vietnam when the 435th Tactical
Fighter Squadron deployed from June 1966
until July 1967, in which time they flew a further
2,269 combat sorties, for a total of 5,206 sorties.
Nine more F-104s were lost; two F-104s to
ground fire, three to surface-to-air missiles, and
the final four losses were operational.
F-104C Starfighter
Crew: 1
Length: 55ft 0in (16.76m)
Wingspan: 21ft 8in (6.62m)
Height: 13ft 0in (3.96m)
Empty weight: 14,082lb (6,387kg)
Max T/O weight: 27,853lb (12,633kg)
Powerplant: 1 × General Electric
J79-GE-7A of
10,000lb thrust
Max speed: 1,320mph (2,124km/h)
Range: 1,500 miles (2,414km)
Service ceiling: 58,000ft (17,678m)
Armament: 1 x 20mm Vulcan cannon
Ordnance: 4,000lb payload
Below: The rare sight of camouflaged US Air Force
F-104C Starfighters of the 435th TFS, 479th TFW,
at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in 1965.
15/10/2020 09:01

NORTHROP F-5
FREEDOM FIGHTER
‘Skoshi Tiger’
A
lthough the F-5’s involvement in the
Vietnam War was widely regarded
as political, it nevertheless played
an important, but understated, role in the
Southeast Asia conflict.
The F-5 was developed by Northrop as a
lightweight supersonic fighter that was both
cheap to run and acquire. It first flew in 1959
and was selected in 1962 by the US Department
of Defense for export to friendly countries. In
October 1965, the US Air Force began a combat
evaluation of the F-5A titled ‘Skoshi Tiger’.
A total of 12 aircraft were delivered for trials
to the 4,503rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, and
after modification with probe and drogue aerial
refuelling equipment, armour and improved
instruments, were redesignated F-5C. Over the
024-025_AA52.indd 25
Above: An F-5 dropping its payload of bombs
over Vietnam.
next six months, they performed combat duty
in Vietnam, flying more than 2,600 sorties, from
the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing at Bien Hoa over
South Vietnam and from Da Nang Air Base,
where operations were flown over Laos. Nine
aircraft were lost in Vietnam, seven to enemy
ground fire and two to operational causes.
Although the load-carrying capability of the F-5
was not as great as that of other types, such as
the F-4 Phantom and the F-105 Thunderchief,
the Northrop fighter was fast and agile and
proved to be the least vulnerable jet aircraft in
the war zone. On the debit side, the take-off roll
of a heavily-laden F-5 was excessively long, and
the range was considered to be inadequate.
F-5 FREEDOM FIGHTER 25
F-5C Freedom Fighter
Crew: 1
Length: 47ft 2in (14.38m)
Wingspan: 25ft 3in (7.74m)
Height: 13ft 2in (4.02m)
Empty weight: 8,085lb (3,667kg)
Max T/O weight: 20,677lb (9,379kg)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric
J85-GE-13 turbojets of
2,720lb thrust each
Max speed: 925mph (1,488km/h)
Range: 558 miles (898km)
Service ceiling: 50,500ft (15,392m)
Armament: 2 x 20mm cannon.
2 x Sidewinder
Ordnance: 5 x pylons for 6,200lb
payload of bombs/
rockets/napalm
After six months of combat the US Air Force
determined that the F-5 was very capable
and requested that it remain in Vietnam as
part of the build-up in 1966. The 4,503rd TFS
was disbanded and re-organised as the 10th
Fighter Commando Squadron. In June 1967 the
‘Skoshi Tigers’ were passed on to the Republic
of Vietnam Air Force and fought in the Vietnam
War until 1975.
09/10/2020 12:39
 26 FIGHTER/ATTACK
REPUBLIC F-105 THUNDERCHIEF
Big and deadly
T
hough originally designed as a
Cold War warrior, the charismatic
Thunderchief proved its worth in the
fighter-bomber role over Vietnam. While
effective in combat, nearly half of the 833
F-105s built were lost during actions in the
dangerous skies over Southeast Asia.
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was the first
supersonic tactical fighter-bomber developed
from scratch. Apart from being the biggest
single-seat, single-engine combat aircraft in
history, the F-105 was notable for its large
internal bomb bay and unique swept-forward
engine inlets in the wing roots. Nicknamed
the ‘Thud’, the F-105 evolved from a 1951
project to replace the F-84F fighter-bomber.
The prototype first flew in October 1955, and
Republic delivered the first production aircraft
to the US Air Force in 1958. Republic also
developed a fully combat-capable two-seat
trainer version, the F-105F.
026-031_AA52.indd 26
In spite of a troubled early service life, the
F-105 became the dominant attack aircraft early
in the Vietnam War. The F-105 could carry more
than twice the bomb load farther and faster
than the F-100. In a foreshadowing of its ‘Wild
Weasel’ role, the first F-105D combat mission of
the war on 14 August 1964 involved an attack
against an anti-aircraft artillery site on Plaine
des Jarres. The first Thunderchief lost in the war
also occurred during this mission, although the
pilot managed to return the aircraft to Korat.
The first strike mission took place on 13 January
1965 with the destruction of the Ben Ken
bridge in Laos. At the start of Operation ‘Rolling
Thunder’ in March 1965, large numbers of
F-105Ds were deployed to Korat and Takhli air
bases in Thailand to participate in the intense
bombing missions.
On a typical combat mission into North
Vietnam, the F-105D carried two 450 US gal
(1,700L) wing-mounted fuel tanks, a 390 US gal
(1,500 L) fuel tank in the bomb bay, and five
1,000lb (450kg) or six 750lb (340kg) bombs.
It required inflight refuelling going to, and
sometimes returning from, Hanoi 700 miles
(1,100km) distant. F-105s flying in the vicinity
of Hanoi would routinely travel around
mountainous terrain nicknamed ‘Thud Ridge’ to
evade the air defences surrounding the city.
Although the F-105s were routinely escorted
by F-4s to protect them against attack, the
Thunderchief was officially credited with 27.5
air-to-air victories against VPAF MiGs at the
cost of 17 lost to enemy fighters. All victories
were against MiG-17s. Of these 24.5 were shot
down with cannon fire (one victory was shared
with an F-4), and three with AIM-9 Sidewinder
missiles. One F-105F is unofficially credited
with downing three MiGs – one by air-to-air
missile, the second by cannon fire and the third
by jettisoning its centreline rack full of bombs
directly into the path of a surprised MiG.
15/10/2020 09:05

F
Wild Weasel in action
The Thunderchief formed the backbone of US
Air Force SAM suppression during Operation
‘Rolling Thunder’. In May and June 1966, 11
F-105F Wild Weasels arrived in Thailand. More
followed, flying with the 335th TFW at Takhli
and the 388th TFW at Korat, but the number
of Wild Weasel aircraft and aircrews remained
small and they remained in high demand
throughout the conflict.
The F-105 Wild Weasels developed two
types of missions – strike support, by far the
more common of the two, and ‘hunter-killer’.
During strike support missions deep into North
Vietnam, Wild Weasels ranged ahead of strike
forces to suppress SAM sites and gun laying
radars in the target area. Ideally, the Wild
Weasels would destroy them, but intimidating
the radars to shut down and keeping them
occupied also accomplished the main mission
Left: A trio of F-105D Thunderchiefs begin their
take-off roll on a mission to bomb North Vietnam
in 1966.
Below: Flying high over the border of Laos and
North Vietnam circa 1967, a heavily laden
Republic F-105 Thunderchief pulls away from the
boom of a Boeing KC-135 after refuelling.
026-031_AA52.indd 27
F-105 THUNDERCHIEF 27
of protecting the strike force. To complete
their mission, the Wild Weasels selflessly kept
themselves between the enemy defences and
the strike force. They remained in the area until
the strike force was gone – hence the motto
‘First In, Last Out’. The search and destroy Wild
Weasel mission involved actively hunting SAMs
to destroy them. Usually flying in the southern
part of North Vietnam, the Wild Weasel would
‘troll’ for SAM sites, acting as bait to tempt
them to fire. When a SAM site responded, the
tell-tale smoke and dust created by the SA-2
launch visually revealed its exact location. At
the same time, the pilot rolled the aircraft over,
accelerated the throttle, and dove the aircraft
down to pick up speed, turning towards the
SA-2. Continuing to dive, the pilot rolled
the aircraft upright. The SA-2 climbed and
accelerated during its six-second boost stage,
then dropped the booster section, fired its
sustaining rocket, and began guiding. The pilot
continued to dive, keeping the missile ahead
and slightly to one side. Both crewmen carefully
kept sight of the SA-2 as it approached. By now,
the missile would be pointing its nose down
as it guided. At this precise moment, the pilot
pulled the aircraft into a very hard climb. The
SA-2, travelling nearly twice as fast could not
15/10/2020 09:06
 28 FIGHTER/ATTACK
turn as quickly, causing it to miss (the SA-2 could
not make a second attack). If the pilot pulled the
manoeuvre a few moments too early or too late,
the missile’s 288lb warhead would find its target.
After the trolling Wild Weasel outmanoeuvred
the missiles with its ‘SAM break’, it or other
aircraft would attack and destroy the SAM site.
The F-105F Wild Weasel typically carried two
Shrike anti-radar missiles, along with a heavy
load of bombs or rockets. Although the Shrike
missile was not ideal (the range of the Shrike
was well within the lethal range of the SA-2),
it finally gave the Wild Weasels the capacity to
mark and damage a site from afar. Like their
predecessors, the F-105F Wild Weasels often
led conventional F-105s that helped finish off
SAM sites. As the ‘Rolling Thunder’ campaign
intensified through 1966 and 1967, enemy SAM
and AAA defences strengthened (by November
1968, there were about 30 SA-2 batteries),
making the Wild Weasels crucial to the success
of strikes deep into North Vietnam. Though
they remained a threat, North Vietnamese
SA-2s became less effective due to the Wild
Weasels and other anti-SAM measures. In 1965
the North Vietnamese fired about 15 SA-2s for
every aircraft shot down. By the end of ‘Rolling
Thunder’, they had to fire an average of 48
missiles to down one aircraft. Success, however,
026-031_AA52.indd 28
Above: The F-105D Thunderchief could carry an
impressive bomb load and played a key role in
Operation ‘Rolling Thunder’.
Right: A North Vietnamese Mikoyan-Gurevich
MiG-17 is hit and shot down by 20mm shells from
a ‘Thud’ piloted by Maj Ralph Kuster Jr from the
469th TFS, 388th TFW, on 3 June 1967.
Right: The F-105D Thunderchief of Robert
Malcolm Elliot trailing fire and smoke just after
interception by an SA-2 missile on 14 February
1968. Sadly Elliot did not survive. The SA-2 did
not actually hit an aircraft – the warhead was
detonated by a command from the tracking
radar or by a proximity fuse in the missile when
it neared the target, throwing deadly fragments
over a wide area.
came at a high price for the Wild Weasels. Of the Weasel formation on a mission against the Xuan
eight crews (16 airmen) who initially flew out of Mai army barracks about 30 miles southwest
Takhli, four were killed, two became POWs and of Hanoi. After they silenced one SAM site
two were wounded in action. and destroyed another, AAA fire shot down
To survive and complete their missions, the accompanying F-105F carrying Majors
pilots (nicknamed ‘nose gunners’) and EWOs Tom Madison and Tom Sterling. Now alone,
(nicknamed ‘bears’) had to work together as Thorsness and Johnson remained behind to
one. So, a special relationship existed between cover them and radio rescue forces. Johnson
individual Wild Weasel crews. Paired up early in spotted a MiG-17, and Thorsness shot it down
their training, they usually deployed and flew with 20mm fire. Low on fuel, they sped off to a
combat tours together. This was epitomised on tanker to fill up. Returning to cover the rescue
19 April 1967, when Maj Leo Thorsness (pilot) forces, Thorsness and Johnson engaged three
and Capt Harold Johnson (EWO) led a Wild MiG-17s, damaging one of them. Then Johnson
09/10/2020 14:23

spotted four MiGs coming up behind them,
and Thorsness evaded the MiGs by speeding
away at low altitude through nearby mountain
passes. Despite being out of ammunition,
Thorsness and Johnson yet again returned to
draw the MiGs off the rescue forces, but fighter
support arrived to take over. Unfortunately,
in spite of their heroic efforts, the rescue had
to be called off due to the overwhelming
enemy defences, and Madison and Sterling
026-031_AA52.indd 29
were captured. For ‘valor in combat above and
beyond the call of duty’, Maj Thorsness was
awarded the Medal of Honor, and Capt Johnson
was awarded the Air Force Cross.
In 1967 the US Air Force began developing
the more capable F-105G with improved radar
homing and warning equipment. Equally
important was the introduction of the Standard
AGM-78 anti-radar missile, which was a vast
improvement over the Shrike missile. The
Left: Wild Weasel pilot Capt Larry Huggins in front
of his ‘Thud’. Huggins flew 113 missions as a Wild
Weasel pilot with the 44th TFS.
Below: Departing for a Wild Weasel mission,
Thunderchief 62-4423 of the 6,010th Wild Weasel
Squadron, 388th TFW, takes off from Korat Royal
Thai Air Force Base in 1971. It is armed with
AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-78 Standard anti-
radiation missiles.
F-105 THUNDERCHIEF 29
Above: F-105F used by Thorsness and Johnson
on the decorated mission. By then, they had
already dodged 53 SAMs and nearly completed
their 100 missions.
AGM-78 was first employed by F-105 Wild
Weasels on 10 March, 1968. Although ‘Rolling
Thunder’ ended in 1968, Thud Wild Weasels
remained busy flying north in ‘protective
reaction’ strikes into 1972. These strikes initially
targeted North Vietnamese SAM sites that fired
on reconnaissance aircraft, but later included
other North Vietnamese targets.
In 1970, as part of the ‘Vietnamization’
programme, the US Air Force began reducing
its forces in Southeast Asia. In November
the Wild Weasels were consolidated into the
6,010th Wild Weasel Squadron at Korat. In
December 1971 it was redesignated the 17th
Wild Weasel Squadron.
15/10/2020 15:11
 30 FIGHTER/ATTACK

Above: An F-105D Thunderchief takes evasive

action against an incoming SA-2 missile over
North Vietnam.

Left: A SAM site being destroyed. After initial

attack by a Wild Weasel, it was struck with bombs
that set off secondary explosions.

Left: US Air Force Capt Merlyn H. Dethlefsen was awarded the Medal
Cross for an F-105F Wild Weasel mission on 10 March 1967. After th
ground fire, Dethlefsen and Gilroy elected to stay in the skies above
Nguyen until the SAM site was found and destroyed.

Below: Republic F-105D-25-RE, 60-0504, Memphis Belle II as flown b

of the 357th TFS/355th TFW, Takhili, Thailand in 1968. The aircraft i
two 450 US Gal fuel tanks and eight Mk82 500lb bombs, with four fi
external fuses for anti-personnel shrapnel effect.

026-031_AA52.indd 30 15/10/2020 09:07

 F-105 THUNDERCHIEF 31

Left: A shark-mouthed F-105F Wild Weasel

landing after an Operation ‘Linebacker II’
mission in 1972.

F-105D Thunderchief
Crew: 1
Length: 64ft 5in (19.62m)
Wingspan: 34ft 11in (10.64m)
Height: 19ft 8in (5.99m)
Empty weight: 26,855lb (12,181kg)
Max T/O weight: 52,838lb (23,967kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney
J75-P-19W turbojet of
14,300lb (dry) 26,500lb
(afterburner) thrust
Max speed: 1,390mph (2,240km/h)
Range: 778 miles (1,252km)
Service ceiling: 48,500ft (14,800m)
Armament: 1 × 20mm M61A1
Vulcan cannon
Ordnance: 4 × under-wing,
1 × centreline pylon
stations plus an
internal bomb bay
with a capacity of up
to 14,000lb (6,400kg)
of ordnance, with
provisions to carry
combinations of:
general-purpose
bombs, cluster bombs,
laser-guided bombs,
rocket pods. AIM-9
Sidewinder AAM,
AGM-12 Bullpup
ASM, AGM-45 Shrike
AGM missiles

ed the Medal of Honor and Capt Kevin ‘Mike’ Gilroy the Air Force
967. After their aircraft was damaged by
skies above the steel works at Thai

e II as flown by Maj Buddy Jones

The aircraft is fitted with
, with four fitted with

Above: Wild Weasel pilots Maj Ben Fuller and Capt Norm Frith complete their 100th mission. Note the
three SAM kills painted in yellow between the cockpits.

026-031_AA52.indd 31 15/10/2020 09:08

 32 FIGHTER/ATTACK
MCDONNELL F-4 PHANTOM
A legend is born
T
he Phantom might well have become
an iconic legend of the Vietnam War,
but when the big beast first came
into contact with the small agile North
Vietnamese MiGs, it did not have everything
its own way. However, as a ground attack
aircraft it could carry double the payload of
a B-17…
Despite the fact that more than half the
production run of F-4s went to the US Air Force,
the aircraft was designed for the US Navy. The
origins of the design can be traced back to
1955, when McDonnell put forward its proposal
for a twin-engined supersonic fighter to defend
the fleet, to be armed with the Sparrow radar-
guided air-to-air missile. The first flight was
made on 27 May 1958 and it quickly became
the fighter of choice for the US Navy. It was
the performance and flexibility that similarly
impressed the US Air Force when it evaluated
the F-4 in 1961. The result was a decision in
March 1962 that the aircraft would become its
standard fighter and reconnaissance aircraft
and production orders followed. The US Air
Force’s adoption of what had previously been a
Navy aircraft came as a result of an urgent need
to replace earlier strike aircraft such as the F-100
Super Sabre and the F-105 Thunderchief. Few
032-036_AA52.indd 32
changes were deemed to be required, and the
resulting F-4C retained the Navy’s folding wings
and the heavy-duty arrestor hook. Intended for
the tactical fighter role (ie for ground attack as
well as air defence duties), the first F-4C flew
on 27 May 1963 and production eventually
reached 583.
The first front-line unit to operate the
C-model was the 12th TFW at MacDill AFB,
Florida. Its aircraft were involved in exercises
and firepower demonstrations before being
deployed to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, in
November 1965 as the war escalated. In
Vietnam, the F-4 – both US Navy and US Air
Force variants – came up against the products
of the Mikoyan design bureau in the shape
of the MiG-17, MiG-19 and later the MiG-21.
On paper, the MiGs were smaller, more lightly
armed and altogether less capable. But they
were nimble, and F-4 pilots had to adapt their
tactics to use the Phantom’s strengths to their
advantage, manoeuvring the aircraft right to
its limits. Prior to Vietnam, US fighter pilots had
normally only flown in combat against other US
fighter pilots in similar aircraft types. Dissimilar
Air Combat Training (DACT) was unknown. It
was only when the US Navy and US Air Force
hierarchy realised the problem faced by their
pilots and took action to train them against
adversaries who thought and flew like MiG
pilots, that things improved. The F-4C – and
the F-4D which followed it and which was
tailored far more closely to the US Air Force’s
needs – delivered a huge range of weaponry in
Southeast Asia and proved relatively capable
of defending themselves against the North
Vietnamese MiGs.
From the initial deployment of the F-4C,
US Air Force Phantoms performed both air
superiority and ground attack roles, supporting
not only ground troops in South Vietnam, but
also conducting bombing sorties in Laos and
North Vietnam. As the F-105 force underwent
severe attrition between 1965 and 1968,
the bombing role of the F-4 proportionately
increased until after November 1970 (when
the last F-105D was withdrawn from combat)
it became the primary US Air Force tactical
ordnance delivery system. In October 1972
the first squadron of EF-4C Wild Weasel aircraft
deployed to Thailand on temporary duty. The
‘E’ prefix was later dropped and the aircraft was
simply known as the F-4C Wild Weasel.
Sixteen squadrons of Phantoms were
permanently deployed between 1965 and
1973, and 17 others deployed on temporary
combat assignments. Peak numbers of combat
F-4s occurred in 1972, when 353 were based in
Thailand. A total of 445 US Air Force Phantoms
were lost, 370 in combat and 193 of those over
North Vietnam (33 to MiGs, 30 to SAMs, and
307 to AAA).
Phantom in combat
Phantoms of the 45th TFS scored the US Air
Force’s first victories against North Vietnamese
MiG-17s using AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air
missiles on 10 July 1965. However, just two
weeks later, a Phantom from the same unit
Right: Refuelling a Phantom over rugged
Southeast Asian terrain, as seen from the KC-135
boom operator’s point of view in 1967.
Left: F-4Cs and F-4Ds did not have an internal
gun, but some were equipped with an external
gun pod. Here, armourers load 20mm cannon
rounds, with several pods already completed and
ready for fitment. A C-123 provides the backdrop.
09/10/2020 15:23
 MCDONNELL F-4 PHANTOM 33

032-036_AA52.indd 33 09/10/2020 15:20

 34 FIGHTER/ATTACK

Right: A typical scene during the Vietnam War, as

maintainers work long hours in humid conditions
to keep the Phantoms flying. Housed in the
revetments behind are F-100 Super Sabres, the
aircraft which the US Air Force F-4 was designed
to replace.

F-4E Phantom
Crew: 2
Length: 63ft 0in (19.2m)
Wingspan: 38ft 5in (11.7m)
Height: 16ft 5in (5m)
Empty weight: 30,328lb (13,757kg)
Max T/O weight: 61,795lb (28,030kg)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric
J79-GE-17A turbojets
of 11,905lb (dry)
17,845lb (afterburner)
thrust each
Max speed: 1,470mph (2,370km/h)
Range: 420 miles (680km)
Service ceiling: 60,000ft (18,000m)
Armament: 1 × 20mm M61A1
Vulcan cannon
mounted internally
in nose
Ordnance: Up to 18,650lb
(8,480kg) of weapons
on nine external
hardpoints, including
general-purpose
bombs, cluster bombs,
laser-guided bombs,
rocket pods, air-to-
ground missiles

Above: Low and fast, a Phantom makes a bombing run to suppress enemy positions in Vietnam.

Right: F-4C Wild Weasel flying over North Vietnam in December 1972.

032-036_AA52.indd 34 15/10/2020 09:09

 MCDONNELL F-4 PHANTOM 35

The Wolf Pack

Above: The nickname of the 8th Tactical
Fighter Wing – the ‘Wolfpack’ – fitted Robin
Olds’ aggressive style. Pictured here are
revetments and F-4s of the 8th TFW at
Ubon, Thailand.

Left: Col Robin Olds, the commander of the

433rd TFS/8th TFW at Ubon RTAFB, Thailand.

Below: F-4C Phantom II 64-0829/FG Scat XXVII

was flown by Col Robin Olds, who was credited
with shooting down four enemy aircraft,
including two MiG-17s on 20 May.

032-036_AA52.indd 35 15/10/2020 11:01

 36 FIGHTER/ATTACK
became the first American aircraft to be
downed by an enemy SAM. An F-4C from the
480th TFS scored the first aerial victory by a
US aircrew over a North Vietnamese MiG-21
‘Fishbed’ on 26 April 1966, but on 5 October
1966 an 8th TFW F-4C became the first US jet
lost to an air-to-air missile, fired by a MiG‑21.
The lack of an in-built gun in these early
versions proved something of a handicap in air
combat. Col Robin Olds, boss of the 8th TFW
summed up the situation by saying: ‘A fighter
without a gun is like an airplane without a wing.’
The F-4E, which finally remedied the deficiency,
reached the 388th TFW at Korat, Thailand in
early 1969. Pilots were keen to blood the new
variant in air-to-air combat, but by this stage
of the war such engagements with MiGs were
much less frequent, a situation which only
changed in 1972.
The nature of the air war in Southeast Asia is
reflected in the many fewer aces as compared
to previous conflicts. During Operation
‘Rolling Thunder’ from 1965-1968, the small
VPAF fighter force generally avoided air-to-air
Above and below: An F-4D from the 435th TFS, 8th TFW, armed with two GBU-10 Paveway 1 laser-guided
bombs. Precision guided munitions (PGM) revolutionised the air war in Southeast Asia. The resulting
accuracy was impressive with almost half of all LGBs dropped in Southeast Asia hitting their target.
Most of the other LGBs hit within 25ft. In April 1972, the US Air Force used LGBs to destroy the famous
Paul Doumer Bridge, just outside of Hanoi.
032-036_AA52.indd 36
Right: Capt Richard ‘Steve’ Ritchie of the 555th
TFS scored five MiG-21 victories between May
and August 1972, including one double-victory
mission. He was the US Air Force’s only pilot ace
of the Southeast Asia War.
combat, and from the autumn of 1968 to the
spring of 1972, there was no large-scale air
campaign against North Vietnam.
The first US Air Force pilot to score four
combat victories with F-4s in Southeast Asia
was Col Robin Olds, a World War II ace. In late
1966, the US Air Force was not permitted
to bomb North Vietnamese airfields and
could only destroy enemy fighters in the
air. Complicating the problem, enemy MiGs
focused on bomb-laden F-105s and only
initiated combat when they had a clear
advantage. Col Robin Olds and Capt John
‘J.B.’ Stone, devised Operation ‘Bolo’, a plan to
lure and trap North Vietnamese MiG-21s by
mimicking an F-105 bombing formation. On
2 January 1967, 8th TFW F-4s entered North
Vietnam from the west using the same route,
altitude, and formation as an F-105 bomb
strike. They also carried and operated electronic
jamming pods used by F-105s. The North
Vietnamese took the bait, and the MiGs came
up to intercept what they thought was an F-105
strike. At the same time, 366th TFW F-4s came
into North Vietnam from the east to block the
MiGs’ escape to China and to orbit their bases,
preventing the MiGs from landing. Operation
‘Bolo’ was a success and during the 12min
engagement, seven North Vietnamese MiG-21s,
about half of their operational force, were shot
down with no US Air Force losses. Four days
later, another ruse, this time mimicking an F-4
reconnaissance flight, shot down two more
MiG-21s. These crippling losses greatly reduced
MiG activity for several months.
Not until Operation ‘Linebacker’ started in
May 1972 did North Vietnamese MiGs fully
engage in air-to-air dogfights, and the three
US Air Force Southeast Asia war aces scored all
their victories between April and October 1972.
Three US Air Force F-4 airmen, Capt Charles
‘Chuck’ DeBellevue, Richard ‘Steve’ Ritchie
and Jeffrey Feinstein, became aces during the
Southeast Asia War. Ritchie was the only US
Air Force pilot ace (DeBellevue and Feinstein,
backseat weapon system officers [WSO],
received equal credit for victories as the pilot
in front). US Air Force F-4C/D/E crews claimed
107½ MiG kills in Southeast Asia (50 by Sparrow,
31 by Sidewinder, five by Falcon, 15.5 by gun,
and six by other means).
On 2 June 1972, a Phantom flying at
supersonic speed shot down a MiG-19 over
Thud Ridge in Vietnam with its cannon. At a
recorded speed of Mach 1.2, Maj Phil Handley’s
shoot down was the first and only recorded gun
kill while flying at supersonic speeds.
15/10/2020 09:10
 T N A M : 2
I N V I E
USAF
BOMBERS
THE HEAVY HITTER in the US Air Force line-up was the
intimidating B-52 Superfortress. As controversial as it was
deadly, this strategic bomber was a devastating weapon,
initially working against targets in South Vietnam, the Ho Chi
Minh Trail, and around the Demilitarized Zone. When its hell
was finally unleashed on North Vietnam during Operation
‘Linebacker II’, it became a game-changer, albeit at a high
cost. Though the B-52 will forever be inextricably linked with
Vietnam, the ‘honour’ of carrying out the first strike fell to the
aging B-57, a stalwart of the conflict that also pioneered the use
of laser-guided weapons for precision attacks. Towards the end
of the conflict, they were joined by the new boy on the block, the
F-111, complete with its confusing ‘F’ designation. Vietnam was
the proving ground for the revolutionary swing-wing terrain-
following bomber, offering a precision tactical counterpart to
the B-52’s carpet-bombing approach.

037_AA52.indd 37 15/10/2020 09:14

 38 BOMBER
BOEING B-52 STRATOFORTRESS
Bringer of destruction
T
‘ he bombs were like ghosts’, said a
Viet Cong POW. ‘We never knew when
they would come. We never knew
where. They came one afternoon and an
entire platoon of my comrades perished.’
Not surprisingly, the B-52 Stratofortress
struck terror when it appeared in the skies
over Vietnam…
The B-52 Stratofortress is the longest-serving
and most versatile warplane in the world. ‘A
super ship to fly’, one pilot calls it, but you don’t
want to be standing underneath when bombs
are falling. Also called the ‘BUF’, or big ugly
fellow (polite version), the B-52 was intended to
prevent, or win, an atomic war with the Soviet
Union. The prototype for the B-52 series took
to the air on 15 April 1952 and Boeing went on
to manufacture 744 of the bombers in Seattle,
Washington and Wichita, Kansas, with the last
being delivered in 1962.
A painful, humiliating disaster marked the
advent of the B-52 Stratofortress in its first real
shooting war, Vietnam. On the very first combat
mission on 7 June 1965, two B-52Fs were flying
a ‘racetrack’ orbit off the coast of South Vietnam
when they came together in mid-air. In all wars
about half of all aircraft losses are from non-
combat causes and the B-52 was no exception.
That first day at war, of 12 crewmen aboard two
038-043_AA52.indd 38
aircraft, eight lost their lives. Blamed on an
error in formation flying, the lethal collision
stunned everyone who maintained and flew the
mighty ‘BUF’. Days later, 27 B-52Fs struck a Viet
Cong stronghold known as the Iron Triangle.
This began an eight-year-long bombing
campaign conducted over South Vietnam
known as ‘Arc Light’.
Flying at altitudes where they could not be
heard on the ground, the B-52s gave the enemy
little warning. Often, the first the communists
knew they were under attack was when
bombs exploded around them. If the B-52s hit
enemy forces concentrated for an attack, like
during the siege of Khe Sanh and the North
Vietnamese invasion of South Vietnam in April
1972, the results were devastating.
The first ‘Arc Light’ B-52s were deployed to
Andersen AFB on Guam, but the 2,600-mile
flight to South Vietnam took six to seven hours.
This distance made it difficult to attack the
mobile enemy forces, and the aircraft required
aerial refuelling. To reduce the response time
Right: Pilot’s view of a typical, three-ship B-52
formation, known as a cell, as it wings its way
towards a target over Vietnam.
Below: A B-52 about to receive its deadly payload
for a mission over Vietnam
09/10/2020 16:13

and lessen the need for aerial tankers, B-52s
were also stationed at the U-Tapao Royal Thai
Navy Airfield, Thailand.
Dense foliage in South Vietnam made
locating targets almost impossible, forcing the
US Air Force to use area, or ‘carpet’, bombing. To
support this tactic, the ‘Big Belly’ programme
modified the bomb bays of many B-52Ds to
carry up to 84 500lb or 42 750lb conventional
bombs. A typical ‘Arc Light’ mission in South
Vietnam consisted of long strings of 500lb
bombs by cells (formations) of three ships
each, releasing bombs together. This technique
saturated an area a mile and a half long and
a half mile wide with high explosive bombs.
When ‘Arc Light’ operations ended in August
1973, B-52 aircrews had flown about 125,000
sorties and dropped almost 3.5 million tons of
bombs. Over half of all ‘Arc Light’ missions were
flown over South Vietnam, and the rest struck
targets in Cambodia, Laos and North Vietnam.
‘Linebacker II’
It was an era of controversy. In what amounted
to doing things backwards, B-52s were
bombing guerrillas in South Vietnamese
038-043_AA52.indd 43
Above: B-52D Stratofortress B-52D-25-BW
s/n 55-0677 of the 43rd BW, Andersen AFB,
Guam, circa 1972.
rice paddies while fighter-bombers, like the
F-105 Thunderchief and F-4 Phantom II, were
attacking strategic targets in North Vietnam.
B-52 pilots and crews begged to be turned
loose to conduct strategic bombing in the
north, around Hanoi and Haiphong. Straining at
the leash, impatient B-52 pilots and crews were
finally committed to targets in North Vietnam.
Operation ‘Linebacker II’ was a complex
multi-service operation over North Vietnam in
December 1972. These missions became the
best known B-52 operations of the Southeast
Asia conflict. The first Operation ‘Linebacker’
was the aerial interdiction campaign to halt
the flow of supplies during North Vietnam’s
Easter Offensive earlier that year. After the
communists stalled peace negotiations, the US
Air Force gathered an enormous force of B-52s:
99 B-52Gs and 53 B-52Ds at Guam and another
54 B-52Ds at U-Tapao. To force the communists
back into serious peace negotiations, the US
launched Operation ‘Linebacker II’. From
18-29 December, waves of B-52s attacked
B-52 STRATOFORTRESS 43
military targets in Hanoi, Haiphong and
other places in North Vietnam with precision
bombing. Initial plans sent long streams of
B-52s flying in groups of three through a narrow
corridor into North Vietnam to avoid mid-air
collisions at night. For protection from enemy
ground defences, the planners relied upon Wild
Weasels attacking SAM sites, F-4 Phantoms
dropping radar-disrupting chaff, the B-52’s
onboard radar-jamming electronics, and the
bombers making a sharp turn away from the
target after releasing their bombs. However,
these tactics proved flawed because winds blew
the chaff away, and the sharp turns pointed
the B-52’s electronic jammers the wrong way.
Just as importantly, the bombers flew the same
routes every night and gave away the element
of surprise. Already knowing the route, North
Vietnamese fighters reported the bombers’
altitude to the SAM crews, who simply launched
unguided SAMs to where they predicted the
bombers would be. The communists shot down
11 B-52s before operations halted for Christmas.
This forced a change of tactics and the B-52
aircrews regained the element of surprise
by approaching their targets from different
directions. Losses from SAMs dropped sharply,
and only four more B-52s were lost. They paid
a high price, but B-52 aircrews dropped over
15,000 tons of bombs on important military
targets during ‘Linebacker II’ and helped force
the North Vietnamese back to the peace table.
Altogether, 31 B-52s were lost in Southeast
Asia, of which 18 were due to Soviet-supplied
SA-2 ‘Guideline’ SAMs or ground fire, while 13
were non-combat losses. No B-52s were lost
to communist aircraft, but during Operation
‘Linebacker II’, two B-52D tail gunners, Staff
Sgt Samuel Turner and Airman 1st Class Albert
Moore, turned the table and each shot down
attacking MiG-21s.
Left: A B-52 aircrew returning from an ‘Arc Light’
mission over Southeast Asia. Just as in earlier
wars, the bombs painted on the fuselage showed
the number of missions flown.
15/10/2020 15:15
 �

6
156ft 6in (47.7m)
185ft Oin (56.38m)
48ft 4in (14.75m)
450,000lb (204,116kg)
Powerplant: 8 x Pratt & Whitney J-57
turbojets of 12, 1OOlb
thrust each
638mph (1,027km/h)
7,365 miles (11,853km)
Service ceiling: 45,000ft (13,716m)
4 x .SO cal machine
guns in tail
Up to 60,000lb
(27,215kg) of
conventional bombs
 44 BOMBER
MARTIN B-57 CANBERRA
Striking the first blow
T
he B-57 Canberra did not look
particularly menacing or cutting edge,
and yet the aircraft earned its place
in aviation history when it dropped the first
bombs of the Vietnam War. It went on to play
a significant part in the conflict.
After the Korean War began in 1950, the US
Air Force looked for a jet-powered medium
bomber to quickly replace the aging, propeller-
driven Douglas B-26 Invader. In March 1951
it contracted with Martin to build the British
Canberra under license. The Martin-built B-57
made its first flight in July 1953, and when
production ended in 1959, a total of 403 had
been produced for the US Air Force.
When tensions in Southeast Asia began to
escalate, two B-57B units, the 8th and 13th
Tactical Bomb Squadrons, were deployed to
Bien Hoa air base, despite a treaty forbidding
deployment of US warplanes on Vietnamese
soil. Inauspiciously, two B-57s collided on
044-045_AA52.indd 44
landing at Bien Hoa, and another fatally crashed and strafing, the aircraft typically carrying nine
at the back-up airstrip at Tan Son Nhut. Though 500lb (227kg) bombs in the bomb bay and four
not flying combat missions, the US bombers 750lb (340kg) bombs under the wings. They
attracted hostile attention. On 1 November also flew night intruder missions supported by
1964, an NVA mortar team attacked the base, C-123 Provider or Lockheed C-130 Hercules flare
destroying five B-57s, damaging 15, and killing ships and US Navy EF-10B Skyknight electronic
six American and Vietnamese personnel. warfare aircraft.
The worst B-57 accident by far occurred on
First blood 16 May 1965, when a bomb detonated onboard
History was made on 19 February 1965 when a B-57 queued for take-off at Bien Hoa, starting
B-57s struck Viet Cong targets in Phuoc Tuy a chain reaction of explosions that annihilated
Province, the first US Air Force bombing raid two squadrons-worth of aircraft (ten B-57s,
of the Vietnam War and the first ever airstrike
performed by a US jet bomber. Within two
months, the B-57s were targeting the Ho Chi
Minh trail, the critical supply line running
through Laos and Cambodia. B-57s could
interdict traffic for four hours at a time using
conventional bombs, napalm, rocket pods,
and M35 and M36 incendiary cluster bombs.
The B-57s were primarily used for dive bombing
15/10/2020 09:16

Left: A B-57 of the 8th Tactical Bomb Squadron
loaded with two 750lb napalm canisters on each
wing in 1969.
Right: As hostilities in Southeast Asia increased,
the US Air Force sent jet aircraft to South
Vietnam. B-57 bombers were among the first to
arrive and carried out the first bombing mission.
11 A-1H Skyraiders and an F-8 Crusader) and
killed 34 personnel. Subsequently, B-57s
were transferred to Da Nang and then Pho
Rang airbase and reassigned to hit targets
primarily in South Vietnam. By now, the B-57
was showing its age. The 13th Tactical Bomb
Squadron was withdrawn early in 1968, while
the last nine aircraft in the 8th Tactical Bomb
Squadron followed in October 1969.
But that was not the end of the B-57 in
Vietnam. The US Air Force upgraded 16 special
B-57Gs with chin-mounted Forward-Looking
Infrared Sensors and a laser-designator
operated by a third crew member. This new
equipment, dubbed ‘Tropic Moon III’, gave the
‘G’ the capability to precisely target up to four
laser-guided Paveway bombs. The 13th Bomber
Squadron was reformed, and in October 1970 11
black B-57Gs were deployed to Ubon, Thailand,
and began flying interdiction missions over the
Ho Chi Minh trail. Through 1972, they reported
044-045_AA52.indd 45
B-57 CANBERRA 45
destroying 2,000 trucks for the loss of a single
aircraft to a likely mid-air collision. However, Martin B-57B
they could not match the killing power of the
Crew: 2
AC-130 gunships and were eventually retired.
Length: 65ft 6in (20.0m)
A total of 58 B-57 Canberras were recorded
Wingspan: 64ft 0in (19.5m)
as having been lost during the Vietnam War:
Height: 14ft 10in (4.52m)
26 to ground fire; five to ground attack; four in
Empty weight: 27,090lb (12,285kg)
mid-air collisions; 10 to airfield accidental bomb
Max T/O weight: 53,720lb (24,365kg)
explosion; seven to operational causes; and six
Powerplant: 2 × Wright J65-W-5
to unknown causes. turbojets of 7,220lb
thrust each
Max speed: 598mph (960km/h)
Range: 950 miles (1,530km)
Service ceiling: 45,100ft (13,745m)
Armament: 4 × 20mm M39 cannon
Ordnance: 4,500lb (2,000kg) in
bomb bay, 2,800lb
(1,300kg) carried on
4 x external hardpoints
Left: The smouldering remains of a B-57 following
the mortar attack on Bien Hoa in late 1964.
Below: US Air Force Martin B-57B, 52-1541, of
the 13th Tactical Bomb Squadron, 3rd Tactical
Bomb Wing.
15/10/2020 09:16
 46 BOMBER
GENERAL DYNAMICS F-111
‘Whispering Death’
T
he General Dynamic F-111’s reputation
as one of the most underestimated
and misunderstood combat aircraft of
the 20th century can be directly traced to its
designation. ‘F-111’, indicating a fighter type,
never sat easily with a 75ft long, swing-wing
aircraft weighing up to 100,000lb. While it
never flew the air-superiority missions that
had initially been written into the design,
the aircraft’s performance as a long-range
strike and interdiction bomber from 1967
was outstanding. Vietnam was to be its
combat debut.
The F-111 programme was instigated in the
early 1960s when the US Secretary of Defense
directed the US Navy and the US Air Force to
adopt a single aircraft design to meet their
widely differing needs under the TFX (tactical
fighter, experimental) programme. General
Dynamics had a mere 25 months from the
21 December 1962 contract-signing date to
complete and fly the first F-111A. This was
achieved on 21 December 1964 when chief test
pilot, Dick Johnson, and engineer Val Prahl, took
the aircraft on its first flight. The revolutionary
aircraft featured variable geometry (swing)
wings, afterburning turbofan engines and
terrain-following radar for low-altitude, terrain-
hugging approach to the target. Suffice to
say that the F-111’s development programme
046-048_AA52.indd 46
encountered numerous problems, that the
US Navy pulled out as its version was clearly
unsuited to the requirement for a carrier-based
interceptor, and that the aircraft was late in
coming into service with the US Air Force.
Although nuclear-capable, the original F-111
was essentially a tactical bomber. As such, it
served with Tactical Air Command units from
the summer of 1967.
For the US Air Force’s ‘under-the-radar’, all-
weather attack missions, usually in darkness,
the F-111 required complex terrain-following
radar and inertial navigation/attack systems
that could fly the jet to its target automatically
at a minimum altitude of just 200ft. Although
this new system was the key to much of the
F-111’s capability, it endured inevitable teething
difficulties that caused headline-grabbing losses
for an increasingly hostile US press. With such an
unpromising start it fell to the F-111’s crews and
Above: An F-111A of the 428th TFS on a mission
over Southeast Asia, equipped with a full load
of cluster bombs. Note the AN/ALQ-72 ECM pod.
Bottom: F-111A, 66-0021, of Det 1, 428th
TFS/474th TFW, Takhli RTAFB, Thailand,
March 1968.
developers to prove its true worth as one of the
most important aircraft in the Vietnam War.
The escalation of the conflict in Southeast
Asia provided the perfect proving ground for
the F-111 concept. Poor weather common over
North Vietnam prevented visual bombing by
US Air Force fighters during ‘Rolling Thunder’,
and although B-52s could bomb through
clouds, they were not used around Hanoi
for political and military reasons. The US Air
Force tried other bombing methods, but none
worked well. The F-111A appeared to offer
the answer. Its sophisticated terrain-following
15/10/2020 09:18
 F-111 47

radar automatically flew the aircraft at a very

low-level, even over hills and mountains, and
its advanced attack radar provided excellent
bombing accuracy. In 1967 Det 1, 428th
Tactical Fighter Squadron, began testing
pre-production F-111As under the code name
‘Harvest Reaper’. Though problems remained,
the US Air Force sent six of these F-111As to
Thailand in March 1968 for operational tests
called ‘Combat Lancer’.

Tragedy to triumph
Introduced to combat prematurely in 1968,
the F-111A provided the US Air Force with
the vital capability of an all-weather precision
fighter-bomber. ‘Combat Lancer’ F-111As flew
single aircraft precision strikes at night or in
poor weather at low altitude. The enemy had
little or no warning because the F-111A crews
did not have to visually see the target to hit it,
and they could strike on the first pass. Highly
praised by its crews, the F-111A did not need
aerial tankers, fighter cover or surface-to-air
missile (SAM) protection like other aircraft. The
aircraft went into combat over North Vietnam
from 25 March, hitting suspected truck parks
and supply caches. Poor weather dogged
operations from the start, with 60 per cent of
the 55 combat missions flown by the ‘Lancer’ Thailand, with the 474th TFW and played a Above: Capt Fred De Jong in the cockpit of an
jets being undertaken in often monsoon-like key role in in the final month of Operation F-111A. Already a veteran of an F-105 100
conditions. When the deployment ended on mission tour, De Jong was one of a handful of
‘Linebacker’ and later flew 154 low-level
aircrew to combat test the F-111A in 1968.
22 November 1968, in the words of Secretary missions in the ‘Linebacker II’ aerial offensive
of the Air Force, Harold Brown, the F-111 against the North Vietnamese, who called the and best defended targets in North Vietnam.
‘had done a job no other aircraft could do’ aircraft ‘Whispering Death’. Aside from attacking the enemy’s supply
in validating the concept of a single-aircraft Crews described their flying in Vietnam as network, F-111As were also used as pathfinder
penetrator using terrain-following radar at ‘speed is life’, ‘one pass, haul ass’, and ‘you do aircraft for Phantom IIs and Corsairs because of
night and in poor weather. They had struck more than one pass in a target area you die’. their superior navigation-attack systems. By the
heavily defended targets accurately and They struck heavily-defended enemy airfields time the 474th TFW completed its combat tour
without loss to enemy fire. However, three and SAM sites. One F-111 could carry the bomb in March 1973, the wing had flown more than
aircraft had been destroyed, with two jets never load of four McDonnell F-4 Phantom IIs. The 4,000 sorties for the loss of six aircraft.
being found. When wreckage of the third F-111 worth of the new aircraft was beginning to
was examined it was discovered that structural show. Following increased North Vietnamese
failure had brought the aircraft down, so the incursions into South Vietnam, President
‘Lancer’ jets were forbidden from flying over Richard Nixon released targets in Hanoi and
North Vietnam and eventually brought home. Haiphong that had previously been forbidden.
By 1972, the F-111A was thoroughly tested The ‘Constant Guard V’ deployment saw
and technical issues had been resolved. Now missions commence on 28 September, with
fully operational, it returned to Takhli Air Base, crews attacking some of the toughest

046-048_AA52.indd 47 15/10/2020 09:18

 48 BOMBER

Above: ‘Combat Lancer’ F-111A at Takhli Royal

Thai AB in September 1968, loaded with 24 500lb
bombs. Six 428th TFS F-111As were allocated to
the ‘Combat Lancer’ programme and departed
Nellis AFB for Takhli RTAFB on 15 March 1968.
By the end of that month, 55 night missions had
been flown against targets in North Vietnam, but
66-0022 had been lost on 28 March, and
66-0017 on 30 March. Replacement aircraft had
left Nellis, but the loss of a third F-111A (66-0024)
on 22 April halted F-111A combat operations
until 1972. It turned out that the three F-111A
losses were not due to enemy action but were
caused by wing and tail structural defects.

Right: The crew of a US Air Force F-111A from the

474th TFW in front of their fully-loaded aircraft
at Takhli RTAFB before a mission in 1972. The
474th TFW deployed 48 F-111As to Thailand.

Below: F-111A receiving fuel from a KC-135. Unlike

other tactical strike aircraft bombing North
Vietnam, the F-111A had enough range that it
did not normally need to be refuelled in flight.

General Dynamics F-111A

Crew: 2
Length: 73ft 6in (22.40m)
Wingspan: 63ft (19.20m) wings
spread and 32ft (9.75m)
wings at full sweep
Height: 17ft (5.22m)
Empty weight: 46,172lb (20,943kg)
Max T/O weight: 91,500lb (41,500kg)
Powerplant: 2 x Pratt & Whitney
TF30-P-3 afterburning
turbofans each of
18,500lb thrust
Max speed: 1,450mph (2,335km/h)
Range: 3,165 miles (5,093km)
Service ceiling: 66,000ft (20,100m)
Ordnance: 4,000lb (1,814kg)
of bombs in bomb-
bay and 31,500lb
(14,290kg) of bombs/
rockets/missiles on four
underwing stores pylons

046-048_AA52.indd 48 10/10/2020 08:28

 T N A M : 3
I N V I E
USAF
FAC
HIGH TECHNOLOGY WAS not always the answer in Southeast
Asia. When the US Air Force needed an aircraft to provide the
Forward Air Control (FAC) link between the troops on the ground
and the state-of-the-art metal flying overhead, it turned to one
of the most unlikely of combat aircraft, the Cessna O-1 Bird
Dog. They flew slowly over the rough terrain at low altitude to
maintain constant aerial surveillance. Once the FAC spotted
enemy forces, the target was marked with smoke grenades or
white-phosphorus rockets and the strike aircraft called in. The
small O-1 Bird Dog was slow, had limited range and a small
payload, so a successor was quickly sought. An interim solution
was the twin-engined Cessna O-2 Skymaster, which had greater
speed, could carry more equipment and ordnance, and could
survive ground fire better than the Bird Dog. When the Rockwell
OV-10 Bronco arrived in 1968, it was equipped with 7.62mm
machine guns and rocket pods for providing light strike support.
Now the FAC could hit back.

049_AA52.indd 49 10/10/2020 11:28

 50 FAC

CESSNA O-1 BIRD DOG

Unlikely hero

S
ometimes low tech just works… and
you can’t get much more low tech than
the O-1 Bird Dog. The thought of flying
an antiquated Cessna into battle in one of
the most hostile environments on earth
might seem like a suicidal mission, but the
small aircraft was surprisingly resilient and
provided the vital link between the troops
on the ground and the high-technology in
the air.
The O-1G was a two-seat observation and
liaison aircraft developed from the commercial
Cessna Model 170 in 1949. Originally
designated L-19s, Bird Dogs were used by the
US Air Force, US Army and US Marine Corps
for such tasks as artillery spotting, front-line FAC could recognise any changes that might Top: After a saturation bombing mission by B-52
communications, medical evacuation and pilot indicate enemy activity. Also, by using his same bombers over a jungle area of South Vietnam
in 1966, US Army Troops went into the area to
training. The US Air Force ordered more than unique call sign on the radio, the FAC became a
destroy bunkers and tunnels which the bombing
3,200 Bird Dogs, most of which were built as familiar and trusted voice to all friendly forces in uncovered. A US Air Force O-1E evaluates the
L-19As between 1950 and 1959. the area. If a controller observed enemy ground effect of the bombing from the air.
In Southeast Asia, the US Air Force O-1s were targets, he marked them with smoke rockets for
uses as forward air control (FAC) aircraft. Its attack by fighter-bombers. The FAC remained Above: Marking the target. A US Air Force O-1
on the scene to report bombing results.  pilot of the Red Marker FACs at Tan Son Nhut AB
pilots were often experienced fighter aircrew
fires a rocket at an enemy site near Tay Ninh City.
who flew in a specific geographical area so that Although easy to maintain, highly
The Red Markers, officially known as Advisory
they could readily identify enemy activity. By manoeuvrable and capable of operating from Team 162, provided FAC support for the ARVN
flying low over the same territory regularly, the small airstrips, the O-1 Bird Dog first flown Airborne Division.

050-051_AA52.indd 50 15/10/2020 09:19

 0-1 BIRD DOG 51

O-1E Bird Dog

Crew 1-2
Length: 25ft 10in (7.87m)
Wingspan: 36ft 0in (10.97m)
Height: 7ft 4in (2.24m)
Empty weight: 1,614lb (732kg)
Max T/O weight: 2,430lb (1,102kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Continental
O-470-11 air-cooled
flat-six of 213hp
Max speed: 115mph (185km/h)
Range: 530 miles (850km)
Service ceiling: 18,500ft (5,600m)
Armament: 1 × Lewis Gun
(.30-06 Springfield)

Right: A light, unarmed O-1 Bird Dog spotter

aircraft flying low over North Vietnam in August
1966. The growing enemy air defences soon
became a serious threat to the slow flying FACs.

by the FACs had many shortcomings. Its

slow speed left it vulnerable to enemy small
arms fire, its small size limited the amount
of ordnance and radios it could carry, and it
could not operate effectively in bad weather
or at night. Also, the FACs often saw a few
communist troops who disappeared into
the jungle before strike aircraft could be
summoned. Sometimes they shot at the enemy
with M-16 rifles, but the FACs wanted to arm
their aircraft with light weapons. Their O-1s
lacked the power to carry heavier weapons,
and the US Air Force began looking for an
aircraft specifically designed for FAC operations
which led to its eventual replacement by the
twin-engine O-2 Skymaster and OV-10 Bronco.
During the course of the Vietnam War, the US
Air Force lost 178 Bird Dogs.
Right: A Forward Air Controller (FAC) prepares
for a mission along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in an
O-1. Note the white phosphorus marking rockets
under the wing.

Below: Another FAC mission completed. The

versatility of the Bird Dog meant that it could be
easily deployed to remote sites.

050-051_AA52.indd 51 10/10/2020 11:52

 52 O-2 SKYMASTER
CESSNA O-2 SKYMASTER
‘Oscar Deuce’
O-2 Skymaster
Crew: 2
Length: 29ft 9in (9.07m)
Wingspan: 38ft 0in (11.58m)
Height: 9ft 4in (2.84m)
Empty weight: 2,848lb (1,292kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Continental
IO-360C/D flat-six
engines of 210hp each
Max speed: 199mph (320km/h)
Range: 1,060 miles (1,710km)
Service ceiling: 19,800ft (6,000m)
Armament: SUU-11/A Minigun pod
Ordnance: LAU-59/A rockets,
MA-2/A rockets
052-054_AA52.indd 52
I
n a classic case of keeping it simple, when
the US Air Force wanted to replace its Bird
Dogs in the FAC role, it chose another
Cessna product in the form of the Skymaster...
though this time it had two engines.
The Cessna O-2 Skymaster (nicknamed ‘Oscar
Deuce’) was a military version of the Cessna 337
Super Skymaster, commissioned in 1966 to
replace the O-1 Bird Dog for forward air control
(FAC). As with the civilian version, the Skymaster
was a low-cost twin-engine piston-powered
aircraft, with one engine in the nose of the
aircraft and a second engine in the rear of the
fuselage. Modifications made for the military
configuration included installation of single
seating fore and aft, installation of view panels
Top: A US Air Force O-2A ‘Oscar Deuce’ in flight
near Pleiku in 1968. Faster than the O-1 Bird
Dog, the O-2A could respond to calls for FAC air
support more quickly and could stay over the
target longer.
Left: After identifying a target, the FAC called for
attack aircraft and marked the target. Here, an
O-2 FAC fires a white phosphorus rocket (just to
the right of the gunsight’s crosshairs) near Phan
Rang in 1969.
in the doors (for improved ground observation)
and installation of military communication and
navigation equipment.
The US Air Force took delivery of the O-2
Skymaster in March 1967 and by 1970, a total
of 532 O-2s had been built. In Vietnam it was
assigned to the 20th Tactical Air Support
Squadron and flew out of Da Nang on a variety
of missions over North and South Vietnam,
as well as Laos and Cambodia. In their role as
FACs, the O-2 crews flew low and slow, spotting
enemy positions and co-ordinating airstrikes by
the ‘fast movers’.
The O-2A proved to be a rugged aircraft
when it came to surviving battle damage. As
their missions were necessarily at low-level,
they were vulnerable to small-arms fire during
their lengthy sorties. Many returned with severe
damage and, in some cases, portions of wings
and tails were shot away; in one instance the left
tail boom was completely severed, but the pilot
was able to land at a friendly airfield. Armed
only with marker rockets and occasionally a
gun pod, it was a dangerous job and a total of
82 O-2s were lost in combat. It was eventually
replace in the FAC mission by the OV-10 Bronco.
15/10/2020 09:23

NORTH AMERICAN
ROCKWELL OV-10 BRONCO
Ultimate FAC
T
he arrival of the OV-10 Bronco in
Vietnam gave the US Air Force a
massive upgrade in capability in the
FAC role. Here was an aircraft that could not
only loiter for a long time over the target
area, but could also bite back.
Designed and built by North American
Aviation, the OV-10A Bronco was a twin-
turboprop short take-off and landing aircraft
conceived by the US Marine Corps and
developed under a US Air Force, Navy and
Marine Corps tri-service programme. The
rugged multi-mission aircraft was faster and
more tactically versatile than helicopters, yet
052-054_AA52.indd 53
slower and more manoeuvrable than jets…
and could use tactics not possible with either.
The Bronco’s fuselage was mounted under
the wing and provided tandem seating for
pilot and observer. Its canopy design afforded
better visibility than that of most helicopters.
Each crewman was equipped with an LW-3B
ejection-seat system, which was capable of
operating at zero-speed, zero-altitude. Armour
protection, a bullet-resistant windshield
and self-sealing fuel cells were provided for
operations in a low-level hostile environment.
The OV-10 was equipped with seven external
stores stations and four 7.62mm guns installed
OV-10 BRONCO 53
Above: The first US Air Force OV-10 Bronco
arrived in Vietnam in August 1968 and was
assigned to the 19th TASS for evaluation. In
the FAC mission, the OV-10 replaced the O-2
Skymaster to identify and mark targets for
tactical fighter-bomber air strikes.
in the sponsons. A variety of conventional
ordnance could be delivered in addition to
2,000 rounds of ammunition.
The US Air Force acquired the Bronco
primarily as an FAC aircraft. The first OV-10As
arrived in Vietnam on 31 July 1968 operated
by the 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron,
504th Tactical Air Support Group at Bien Hoa
10/10/2020 12:12
 54 FAC
Air Base in South Vietnam as part of Operation
‘Combat Bronco’, an operational testing and
evaluation of the aircraft. As such, it flew the full
range of missions then assigned to FAC aircraft
– including day and night strike direction,
gunship direction, bomb damage assessment,
visual reconnaissance and aerial artillery
direction. The operation was a success and
the US Air Force began to deploy the Bronco
in larger numbers to the 19th TASS (Bien Hoa),
20th TASS (Da Nang Air Base), and for out-of-
country missions to the 23rd TASS (Nakhom
Phanom in Thailand). The Bronco was also
successfully evaluated as a light strike aircraft
and in October 1969 all US Air Force OV-10As
were authorised to use high explosive 2.75in
(70mm) rockets against ground targets. In 1971,
the OV-10A Broncos of the 23rd TASS were
fitted with the Pave Spot target laser designator
pod and these aircraft supported interdiction
of troops and supplies on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
by illuminating targets for laser-guided bombs
dropped by F-4 Phantoms. Racked armament in
the Vietnam War was usually seven-shot 2.75in
(70mm) rocket pods with white phosphorus
marker rounds or high-explosive rockets,
or 5in (127mm) four-shot Zuni rocket pods.
Bombs, ADSIDS air-delivered/para-dropped
unattended seismic sensors, Mk-6 battlefield
illumination flares, and other stores were
also carried. Operational experience showed
some weaknesses in the OV-10’s design. It was
significantly underpowered, which contributed
to crashes in Vietnam in sloping terrain because
the pilots could not climb fast enough. Also, no
OV-10 pilot survived ditching the aircraft.
At least 157 OV-10As were delivered to the
US Air Force before production ended in April
1969. Reflecting the dangerous nature of its
mission, the service lost 64 OV-10 Broncos
during the war, to all causes
Bronco bravery
On 29 June 1972, US Air Force Capt Steven
Bennett piloted his OV-10 on an artillery
adjustment mission southeast of Quang Tri City.
A forward air controller (FAC) assigned to the
20th TASS, Bennett had already directed two
close air support strikes by US Navy fighters
on that mission. From the backseat, Capt
Michael B. Brown, a US Marine Corps airborne
artillery observer, directed gunfire from two
American destroyers in the Tonkin Gulf. They
were about to return to their base at Da
Nang when a Marine ground artillery spotter
with a platoon of South Vietnamese marines
radioed for help because a much larger force
of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regulars was
052-054_AA52.indd 54
Above: Bronco crew prepare for a FAC mission
over Southeast Asia. The armament panel OV-10A Bronco
reveals that for this mission the aircraft is armed
with both high-explosive rockets and white Crew 2
phosphorus marker rockets and is fully loaded Length: 41ft 7in (12.7m)
with 2,000 rounds of ammunition for its 7.62mm Wingspan: 40ft 0in (12.19m)
machine guns.
Height: 15ft 1in (4.63m)
overrunning their position. Bennett called for Max T/O weight: 14,444lb (6,551kg)
air support, but no fighters were available. Powerplant: 2 × Garret-AiResearch
Brown could not call in artillery fire without T76 turboprops of
715shp each
hitting the South Vietnamese marines. Bennett
Max speed: 281mph (452km/h)
decided to attack the NVA troops with his
Range: 1,240 miles (1,995km)
OV‑10’s four 7.62mm machine guns. In addition
Service ceiling: 26,000ft (7,925m)
to large numbers of 23mm and 37mm anti-
Armament: 4 × M-60C 7.62mm
aircraft guns used by the enemy, Bennett had to
machine guns in fuselage
face a new threat, the new shoulder-launched
Ordnance: 3,600lb of external stores
SA-7 ‘Grail’ surface-to-air missile carried by the
NVA. The area patrolled by Bennett and Brown
had so many SA-7s that American pilots had
nicknamed it ‘SAM-7 Alley’. After four strafing
attacks, Bennett had forced the NVA to retreat,
and his OV-10 had received only slight damage
from ground fire. On his fifth attack, however,
Bennett’s left engine was hit by an SA-7, which
set it on fire and damaged the landing gear.
Another FAC pilot warned Bennett to eject
because the damaged OV-10’s wing was about
to explode, but Bennett refused. Shrapnel from
the SA-7 had destroyed Brown’s parachute and
Bennett refused to leave Brown. Therefore,
Bennett decided to ditch his aircraft in the
nearby Tonkin Gulf. It was well-known by
OV-10 pilots that a backseater might survive
a crash-landing at sea, but the pilot’s chances
of surviving were remote. Choosing to risk his
own life to save that of his backseater, Bennett
landed the OV-10 in the Tonkin Gulf. Upon
hitting the water, the OV-10 flipped over, and
the front cockpit broke apart. Brown managed
to free himself from the wreckage, but sadly he
could not save Bennett. Vice President Gerald R.
Above: A forward air controller in an OV-10
Ford presented the Medal of Honor to Bennett’s directs two F-100s in accurately delivering
widow and daughter. firepower in support of ground forces.
10/10/2020 12:13
 T N A M : 4
I N V I E
USAF
GUNSHIPS
THE US AIR FORCE fielded a new kind of weapon system in
Vietnam… the gunship. By mounting fixed heavy guns on
converted transport aircraft, this fearsome weapon could deliver
devastating firepower on a focussed target as it flew a circular
orbit. The first gunship was the AC-47, also known as ‘Spooky’,
‘Puff the magic dragon’, and ‘Dragonship’. It had three 7.62mm
miniguns that could pump out 6,000 rounds a minute. It was
succeeded by more sophisticated and capable gunships, the
AC-119G Shadow, the AC-119K Stinger. Shadow gunships had
four miniguns instead of three and flew close air support and air
base defence missions. The Stingers added two 20mm cannon
and concentrated on trucks on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The AC-130
Spectre was the ultimate gunship. Instead of miniguns, it had
two 20mm and two 40mm Bofors cannons. The AC-130 worked at
night, enabled by a suit of sensors that could hunt out their prey.
But theirs was a deadly mission…

055_AA52.indd 55 10/10/2020 12:30

 56 GUNSHIP
DOUGLAS AC-47 SPOOKY
Puff the Magic Dragon
S
ome aircraft just refuse to die. Spooky
– the first operational US Air Force
gunship – was based on the World War
Two-era Douglas C-47 transport. Armed with
three side-firing 7.62mm miniguns, Spooky
gunships stopped enemy ground attacks
against airfields, bases and villages.
As the first gunship of its kind, the AC-47 was
developed out of a perceived need to provide
heavy firepower when ground forces called for
close air support. It began life as the FC-47, a
highly modified C-47 mounting three 7.62mm
General Electric miniguns to fire through two
rear window openings and the side cargo door,
all on the left (pilot’s) side of the aircraft. The
guns were actuated by a control on the pilot’s
yoke whereby he could fire the guns either
individually or together, although gunners
were also among the crew to assist with gun
failures and similar issues. Two C-47s were thus
converted and sent to Southeast Asia to test the
concept. The first significant success occurred
on the night of 23-24 December 1964. An
FC-47 arrived over the Special Forces outpost
at Tranh Yend in the Mekong Delta just 37min
after an air support request, fired 4,500 rounds
of ammunition, and broke the Viet Cong attack.
The FC-47 was then called to support a second
outpost at Trung Hung, about 20 miles (32km)
away. The aircraft again blunted the attack and
forced a retreat. Nicknamed ‘Puff the Magic
Dragon’, the gunship’s deadly capabilities were
once again demonstrated on 8 February 1965.
056-057_AA52.indd 56
For over four hours, it fired 20,500 rounds into
a Viet Cong hilltop position over the Bong Son
area, killing an estimated 300 troops.
The early gunship trials were so successful
the US Air Force ordered TAC to establish an
AC-47 (as the gunship was now designated)
squadron. By November 1965, the AC-47
was operational with the 4th Air Commando
Squadron deployed to Tan Son Nhut Air Base,
Vietnam. Now using the call sign ‘Spooky’,
each of the gunship’s three 7.62mm miniguns
could selectively fire either 50 or 100 rounds
per second. Cruising in an overhead left-hand
orbit at 120kts air speed at an altitude of 3,000ft
(910m), the AC-47 could potentially put a
bullet or glowing red tracer (every fifth round)
into every square yard of a football field-sized
target in less than 10sec. As long as its 45-flare
and 24,000-round basic load of ammunition
held out, it could do this intermittently while
loitering over the target for hours.
In May 1966, the squadron moved north
to Nha Trang Air Base to join the newly
activated 14th Air Commando Wing. The 3rd
Air Commando Squadron was activated at
Nha Trang on 5 April 1968 as a second AC-47
squadron, with both squadrons redesignated
as Special Operations Squadrons on 1 August
1968. Flights of both squadrons were stationed
at bases throughout South Vietnam, and one
Below: US Air Force AC-47 gunship, toting its
deadly array of miniguns.
flight of the 4th SOS served at Udorn Royal
Thai Air Force Base with the 432nd Tactical
Reconnaissance Wing. On thousands of
occasions, Spooky crews prevented friendly
ground positions from being overrun.
Spooky action
On the night of 24 February 1969, Airman 1st
Class John Levitow was the loadmaster aboard
AC-47 ‘Spooky 71’. The gunship was circling
over the US Army post at Long Binh, firing at
nearby enemy troops and illuminating their
positions with flares. An enemy mortar round
hit the aircraft and exploded in the wing.
Levitow and four other crewmen were badly
wounded, and the aircraft was riddled with
fragments. As Levitow dragged an unconscious
crewman away from the open door, he spotted
a smoking, armed flare. Despite more than
40 wounds and the partial loss of feeling in
his right leg, Levitow grasped the 27lb MK-24
flare and crawled toward the door. ‘Spooky 71’
was partially out of control and banking to the
right. Just after Levitow pushed the flare out, it
ignited. Levitow then lost consciousness. Had
the magnesium flare ignited inside the gunship,
the aircraft and its seven-man crew would
have been lost. ‘Spooky 71’ made a successful
emergency landing despite 3,500 fragment
holes and a seriously-damaged right wing. John
Levitow received the Medal of Honor for his
heroism, and he flew 20 more combat missions
after recovering from his wounds.
15/10/2020 09:25
 AC-47 SPOOKY 57

Above left: AC-47 firing one gun during a rare

daylight mission. Typically, every fifth round was
a tracer – what is not seen are the four rounds
between each red streak.

Above right: ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’. Time lapse

photograph of an AC-47 helping defend Tan Son
Nhut Air Base during the enemy Tet Offensive
in 1968.

Left: General Electric GAU-2 minigun firing during

a night mission.

Right: Many AC-47s had Spooky nose art.

Below: An AC-47 crew underneath the guns of

their aircraft. A typical Spooky crew included
the pilot, co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer,
loadmaster and two gunners.

AC-47 Spooky
Crew: 6-7
Length: 64ft 5in (19.63m)
Wingspan: 95ft 0in (28.96m)
Height: 16ft 11in (5.16m)
Empty weight: 18,080lb (8,201kg)
Max weight: 33,000lb (14,969kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney
R-1830 Twin Wasp
14-cylinder air-cooled
radials of 1,200hp each
Max speed: 230mph (370km/h)
Range: 2,175 miles (3,500km)
Service ceiling: 24,450ft (7,450m)
Armament: 3 × 7.62mm General
Electric GAU-2/M134
miniguns, or 10 × .30in
Browning AN/M2
machine guns.
48 × Mk24 flares

056-057_AA52.indd 57 13/10/2020 15:54

 58 GUNSHIP
LOCKHEED AC-130 SPECTRE
Death from above
S
pectre of death. If you were a truck
driver on the Ho Chi Minh Trail during
the Vietnam War, there was one aircraft
that you feared more than any other, the
ghostly AC-130 Spectre. This gun-toting
variant of the peace-loving Hercules became
the ultimate gunship during the conflict,
remarkably a title it still holds today over
half a century later.
AC-130A Spectre
Crew: 11-16
Length: 97ft 10in (29.8m)
Wingspan: 132ft 7in (40.4m)
Height: 38ft 6in (11.7m)
Max T/O weight: 124,000lb (56,245kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Allison T56-A-1
turboprops of
3,750hp each
Cruising speed: 335mph (539km/h)
Range: 2,500 miles (4,023km)
Service ceiling: 33,000ft (10,058m)
Armament: 4 × 20mm M61Vulcan
cannon, 4 x 7.62mm
GAU-2B/A minigun
058_AA52.indd 58
On 21 September 1967, the familiar shape
of a Hercules entered the circuit at Nha Trang
Air Base, South Vietnam. There was nothing
unusual about this, but as the aircraft taxied in
after landing, it revealed itself to be a Hercules
like no other. Ominously protruding from
its port side were the muzzles of guns and
cannons. The AC-130 Spectre gunship had
arrived and was destined to become the US Air
Force’s most successful ‘truck-killer’ along the
Ho Chi Minh Trail.
The C-130 Hercules was perhaps the
obvious choice to replace the aging AC-47
Spooky in the gunship role. In 1967, JC-130A
54-1626 was selected for conversion into the
prototype AC-130A Project Gunship II. Four
7.62mm miniguns and four M-61 Vulcan 20mm
cannons were installed, along with a side- and
forward-looking radar, a Starlight scope night
observation device, and a computerised fire-
control system linking sensors and guns. Also
installed were overt and covert illuminators,
armour plate, and better navigation equipment.
The prototype was thrown into combat for
testing and quickly proved to be about three
times as effective as the AC-47. Consequently,
by December 1968 four AC-130s had arrived
at Ubon, to be operated by the 16th Special
Operations Squadron. The gunships were
pressed into combat and forced to adapt to a
variety of missions, but they concentrated on
night interdiction. Within three months, the
Below: Lockheed AC-130A of the 16th SOS, 8th
TFW at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base during
March 1969.
13/10/2020 16:08

FAIRCHILD AC-119
Shadows and Stingers
'F *** the F-4s - get me a Shadow�
This was the desperate plea to an
FAC pilot from a GI on the ground
surrounded by Viet Cong troops. The
'Shadow' in question was the AC-119
gunship, an aircraft that could produce a
hailstorm of lead with deadly accuracy.
The Fairchild AC-119G Shadow and
AC-119K Stinger were twin-engine piston­
powered gunships developed to replace
the increasingly antiquated AC-47 Spooky
and supplement the AC-130 Spectre. The
AC-119 programme (Project Gunship 111)
came after the AC-130, not before. By late
GUNSHIP 61
1967, the idea of the fixed-wing gunship
had been proven so successful that the
US Air Force was having a difficult time
keeping up with demand in Vietnam. The
newer AC-130s that had been created
under Project Gunship II were effective but
were being mostly used for interdiction

Top: AC-119 calling cards.
Above: Staff Sgt Harry R. Watters, AC-119 gunner,
loads rounds into a 7.62mm minigun.
Above right: Capt William Groves, AC-119
navigator, gets the co-ordinates of enemy
positions from an allied ground commander.
With such devastating firepower, accurate
positioning was essential.
the arrival of its lead elements, the 71st SOS was
declared ‘combat ready’. By the end of 1969,
16 G-model and 12 K-model gunships were
operating from five different air bases throughout
Vietnam. It was not long before the Shadow
and Stinger crews had established a formidable
reputation throughout Southeast Asia.
AC-119K Stinger crews destroyed trucks on
the Ho Chi Minh Trail and performed close
063-064_AA52.indd 63
air support, especially during large enemy
offenses. The AC-119K carried many of the same
sophisticated sensors as the larger AC-130.
To provide additional power, it also had two
underwing-mounted jet engines. Concern
about AC-119K vulnerability to anti-aircraft fire,
especially to fire encountered over the Laotian
road and trail system, led to the use of fighter
escorts as developed on AC‑130 operations.
F-4 Phantoms from the 366th Tactical Fighter
Wing at Da Nang flew constant escort and
anti-aircraft suppression for all Stinger armed
reconnaissance flights. At the height of the
truck-hunting season, the 366th Tactical Fighter
Wing averaged six escort sorties per night.
Fortunately, aircraft and crewmember losses
in the AC-119 gunship programme were few, a
fact directly attributed to the airmanship of the
aircrews and fighter escort.
AC-119 63
As the war came to a close, the US Air Force
transferred its AC-119Gs and AC-119Ks to the
South Vietnamese Air Force.
Memorable mission
The night of 8 May 1970 witnessed an
extraordinary display of airmanship when a
Stinger crew operating over Ban Ban, Laos,
brought back a gunship despite extensive
anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) damage. Capt Alan
D. Milacek and his nine-man crew had been
reconnoitring a heavily defended road section,
when they discovered, attacked and destroyed
two trucks. More trucks were located, but as
the aircraft banked into attack orbit, six enemy
positions opened up with a barrage of triple-A
fire. During the ensuing battle enemy rounds
tore into the Stinger’s right wing. The aircraft
entered a dive and Capt Milacek directed the
15/10/2020 09:33
 64 GUNSHIP
crew to prepare for instant bailout. By using
full-left rudder, full-left aileron, and maximum
power on the two right engines, Milacek and
his co-pilot managed to wrest the stricken
aircraft out of its dive and regain level flight.
The crippled Stinger headed for friendly
territory, but they were too low to clear a range
of mountains between them and safety…
and fuel consumption would likely mean dry
tanks before reaching base. The crew tossed
out every possible item to lighten the load and
the aircraft slowly climbed to 10,000ft. Having
cleared the mountains and reached friendly
territory, Capt Milacek elected to land the
damaged aircraft. Using almost full-left rudder
and aileron and all his skill, he was able to land
063-064_AA52.indd 64
AC-119G Shadow
Crew: 6 (day), 8 (night)
Length: 86ft 6in (26.35m)
Wingspan: 109ft 3in (33.3m)
Height: 26ft 8in (8.12m)
Empty weight: 40,125lb (18,200kg)
Max T/O weight: 62,000lb (28,123kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-3350-
85 Duplex-Cyclone
18-cylinder radial
pistons of 2,500hp each
Max speed: 210mph (330km/h)
Range: 1,680 miles (3,110km)
Service ceiling: 23,300ft (7,100m)
Armament: 4× GAU-2/A 7.62mm
(0.30in) miniguns;
60 × Mk 24 flares
safely. Upon leaving the Stinger, the crew saw
about one-third of the right wing had been
torn off. Capt Milacek and crew were presented
with the 1970 Mackay Trophy ‘for the most
meritorious flight of the year’.
Top: Unleashing hell. US Air Force gunships, like
this AC-119K, were potent weapons against
communist supply lines.
Right: AC-119G Shadow gunners prepare for a
mission. These gunships supported troops in
ground combat, attacked enemy supply lines and
provided convoy escort.
Below: Most gunships, like this AC-119G, were
painted black underneath. It made them less
visible from the ground at night.
15/10/2020 09:33
 T N A M : 5
I N V I E
USAF
HELICOPTERS
THE HELICOPTER BECAME a symbol of the war in Southeast Asia.
For the US Air Force this was manifest in the rescue role, the
helicopter’s unique capabilities being used to recover downed
aircrew deep in enemy territory. The Air Rescue Service (later the
Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service) first used Kaman HH‑43
Huskie helicopters, unofficially known as ‘Pedro’ from their radio
call-sign. Air operations over dangerous enemy territory forced
Search and Rescue (SAR) to evolve into Combat Search and
Rescue (CSAR) teams. First came the ‘Jolly Green Giants’, Sikorsky
H-3 helicopters specifically adapted for the role. A further
improvement came in November 1965, when the Sikorsky
HH‑53E ‘Super Jolly Green Giants’ arrived. Capable of being
refuelled in flight, the HH-53E helicopters could reach any point
in the Southeast Asia theatre. Throughout the conflict, CSAR
personnel lived up to their motto: ‘That others may live’. They
rescued a total of 4,120 people, including 2,780 in dangerous
combat situations.

065_AA52.indd 65 13/10/2020 17:38

 66 HELICOPTER

KAMAN HH-43 HUSKIE

Pedro to the rescue
Kaman HH-43F Huskie
Crew: 4
Length: 25ft 0in (7.6m)
Rotor diameter: 47ft 0in (14.3m)
Height: 17ft 2in (5.18m)
Loaded weight: 9,150lb (4,150kg)
Powerplant: 1 x Lycoming T53
turboshaft of 860hp
Max speed: 120mph (190km/h)
Range: 185 miles (298km)
Service ceiling: 25,000ft (7,620m)

T
he Huskie was not designed to be a
CSAR helicopter, but when the call
came it was the first to enter the battle
zone. Trained for emergency response, a
Huskie crew could be airborne in under a
minute, sometimes the difference between
life and death.
There was no other helicopter quite like
the Kaman Huskie. It could never be referred
to as aesthetic, its boxy fuselage balanced by
equally squared-off tail fins. But what made
it stand out even more was its intermeshing
rotorblades. In US Air Force service it was
known as the HH-43 and the first examples
were delivered in November of 1958. The
build-up in Vietnam caught the US Air Force
with few SAR squadrons and no SAR platforms
designed for the missions required. The HH-43B
lacked armour and armament because it was
envisioned for the airborne fire-fighting and
air base crash rescue role, so the HH-43B was
quickly modified for Combat Search and Rescue
(CSAR) by adding titanium, thus becoming
the HH-43F, which also had improved engine
performance for ‘Hot-and-High’ conditions.
In March 1964, the US Air Force deployed six
Pacific Air Rescue Center Huskies to Thailand’s
Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base,
forming the 33rd Air Rescue Squadron’s forward
detachment. A year later, the 33rd launched
its first CSAR mission of the Vietnam War.
Responding to an F-105D shoot down, an

Left: In Southeast Asia, HH-43 ‘Pedros’ rescued

downed aircrews and wounded personnel
requiring immediate evacuation from
inaccessible combat zones.

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 HH-43 HUSKIE 67

‘That Others May Live’

Typical of the heroism exhibited by ‘Pedro’ crews during hazardous missions, were the actions
of pararescueman Airman 1st Class William ‘Bill’ Pitsenbarger. Arriving in Vietnam in August
1965, Pitsenbarger completed more than 250 missions, including one in which he hung from
an HH-43’s cable to rescue a wounded South Vietnamese soldier from a burning minefield.
This action earned him the Airman’s Medal.
On 11 April 1966, in thick jungle near Saigon, an infantry company of 134 soldiers from the
1st Infantry Division was surrounded by a Viet Cong battalion of approximately 500 troops.
In a fierce firefight, the Viet Cong surrounded and pinned down the Americans. As the battle
went on, the number of US casualties grew steadily. Detachment 6 of the US Air Force’s 38th
Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron received an urgent call to evacuate the wounded.
Army helicopters could not land in the battle zone because there were no clearings in the
tall, dense forest. Only US Air Force HH-43 Huskie helicopters with cables and winches could
hoist the injured from the jungle. Airman Pitsenbarger was the rescue and survival specialist
aboard ‘Pedro 73’, one of the two Huskies on the mission. The Huskies were taking turns
hoisting litters with critically wounded patients through the forest canopy and delivering
them to a nearby airfield. While under fire and hovering in a hole in the forest below the
tallest trees barely large enough for the Huskie, the crew of ‘Pedro 73’ saw that the ground
troops desperately needed help loading wounded into the litter. Pitsenbarger volunteered
to be lowered to the ground to help. He descended a hundred feet into the firefight with a
medical bag, a supply of splints, a rifle and a pistol. On the ground, Pitsenbarger organised
and speeded the evacuation, enabling the Huskies to rescue nine soldiers on several trips.
Normally, pararescuemen return to the helicopter, but Pitsenbarger chose to stay and help
the beleaguered troops. As the fight continued, ‘Pedro 73’ was badly damaged by ground fire
and forced to withdraw. Rather than escape with the last Huskie, Pitsenbarger chose to stay
on the ground and aid the wounded. Soon the firefight grew too intense for the helicopters
to return. As darkness fell, Pitsenbarger not only cared for the wounded, but also collected
and distributed ammunition to the surviving soldiers several times under enemy fire. In the
early evening he was mortally wounded fighting alongside the remaining infantrymen. He
was only 21. On his final mission, Pitsenbarger embodied the pararescueman’s motto: ‘That
Others May Live’. The Viet Cong withdrew during the night, and the following morning US
forces were able to recover survivors and the fallen.
Below: A1C William Pitsenbarger with an M-16 in front of an HH-43.

Above: HH-43 ‘Pedro’ rescuing a pilot in

Southeast Asia.

HH-43F Huskie, supported by two A-1E

Skyraiders, flew 17 miles north of the DMZ to
rescue Capt Robert V. Baird.
Initially the Huskies were unarmed, but
early experience led some crewmen to install
a Browning automatic rifle or .30-cal. machine
gun in a door sling. During the war they
became known unofficially as ‘Pedros’ from their
radio call sign and HH-43 aircrews saved more
lives in combat than crews flying any other US
Air Force helicopter. From 1966 to 1970, they
performed a total of 888 combat saves, 343
aircrew rescues and 545 non-aircrew rescues.
However, as more purpose-built HH-3s arrived,
the Huskies were relegated to their original
fire-fighting role. The last HH-43 left Indochina
on 20 September 1975, making it the first US
Air Force SAR helicopter to conduct a combat
search-and-rescue mission and the last to leave
the theatre.

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 68 HELICOPTER
SIKORSKY HH-3 JOLLY GREEN GIA
Saviour from above
F
or a downed US pilot surrounded
by enemy forces, the sound of an
approaching Jolly Green Giant meant
the difference between life and death.
The HH-3 rescue helicopter was specially
adapted for the task, but it was still a highly
dangerous mission…
The US Air Force developed the Sikorsky
HH-3E helicopter, nicknamed the ‘Jolly Green
Giant’, to perform combat search and rescue
(CSAR) to recover downed airmen during the
conflict in Southeast Asia. A highly modified
version of Sikorsky’s CH-3 transport helicopter,
50 CH-3Es were converted to HH-3Es with
the addition of armour plating, defensive
armament, self-sealing fuel tanks and a rescue
hoist. With a watertight hull, the HH-3E could
land on water, and its large rear door and
ramp permitted easy loading and unloading.
It was also the first air-refuellable helicopter
to be produced, the HH-3E’s retractable fuel
probe and external fuel tanks giving it a range
limited only by the endurance of the aircrew.
This long-range capability allowed HH-3Es to
conduct CSAR operations anywhere in the
Southeast Asia theatre of operations, and
they participated in the attempt to rescue US
prisoners of war from the Son Tay prison camp
in 1970.
The first US Air Force HH-3Es arrived in
Vietnam in 1967, and they operated out of
Udorn Air Base, Thailand, and Da Nang Air
Base, South Vietnam. The HH-3E was generally
armed with a pair of 7.62mm M60 General
Purpose Machine Guns for suppression of
068-069_AA52.indd 68
enemy elements. The internal hold could house
up to 25 passengers or 15 medical litters along
with two medical specialists. The Vietnam War
certainly illustrated the bravery and sacrifice of
Jolly Green Giant crews for they were awarded
over 190 Silver Stars, 24 Air Force Crosses and
one Medal of Honor. HH-3E crews were exposed
to very harrowing conditions during a typical
work day, including bullet riddled airframes,
loss of windscreens and fractured rotor
assemblies. It was not uncommon for a single
aircraft to have rescued dozens of downed
airmen across the theatre of war. 
‘Jolly Green 22’
Typical of HH-53 operations in Vietnam is
the story of HH-3E 67-14709. Assigned to the
37th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron at Da
Nang Air Base, South Vietnam, it flew with the
call sign ‘Jolly Green 22’. On 14 March 1968, a
two-ship helicopter rescue team attempted
to rescue the aircrew of a US Marine Corps F-4
Phantom shot down over North Vietnam. One
of the two crewmen was picked up, but heavy
enemy machine-gun fire forced the rescuers
to withdraw before saving the second Marine.
Enemy fire had damaged ‘Jolly Green 22’, but
its crew made a second attempt to rescue
the stranded Marine. Meanwhile, the North
Above: An HH-3E being refuelled by an HC-130.
Vietnamese had killed the Marine and set up
Aerial refuelling enabled the Jolly Green Giant to
an ambush for the returning rescuers. Despite rescue downed aircrew from any location in the
intense enemy fire, ‘Jolly Green 22’ escaped the Southeast Asia theatre of operations.
trap with 68 bullet holes, a shot-out windshield,
and holes through the rotor blades. The Lowe and pararescueman Sgt James Locker,
pilot, Maj Stuart Hoag, co-pilot, Lt Col Gerald all received Silver Stars. The flight engineer,
Sgt Dennis Richardson, whose actions under
intense fire probably saved the helicopter,
received the Purple Heart and was later
awarded the Air Force Cross.
During the 32 months this helicopter – also
known as ‘709’ from its serial number – served
in Southeast Asia, the crewmen assigned to it
received one Air Force Cross and 14 Silver Stars
for heroism. In addition, they were credited
with the rescue of 27 US airmen.
Left: A Jolly Green Giant escorted by an A-1
Skyraider on a CSAR mission in Southeast
Asia. Skyraiders provided the helicopters with
valuable protection during the high-risk rescues
of downed US pilots.
13/10/2020 17:19
 HH-3 JOLLY GREEN GIANT 69

GIANT HH-3E Jolly Green Giant

Crew:
Length:
4
73ft 0in (22.25m)
Rotor diameter: 62 ft 0in (18.9m)
Height: 18ft 11in (5.52m)
Empty weight: 12,346lb (5,600kg)
Max T/O weight: 22,051lb (11,002kg)
Powerplant: 2 x General Electric
T58-GE-5 turboshaft
engines of 1,500hp each
Max speed: 153mph (247km/h)
Range: 779 miles (1,253km)
Service ceiling: 21,000ft (6,401m)
Guns: 2 × 7.62mm M60

Above: A downed F-105 pilot about to be rescued

by an HH-3 in 1972.

Below left: A US Air Force HH-3E Jolly Green Giant

helicopter picks up a pilot from the water while
performing its mission as a search and rescue
helicopter in Vietnam. On rescue missions,
it carried a crew of four: two pilots, a flight
engineer and a para-rescueman.

Below: A Jolly Green Giant flattens the foliage

during a rescue mission.

068-069_AA52.indd 69 13/10/2020 17:21

 70 HELICOPTER

SIKORSKY HH-53
SUPER JOLLY GREEN GIANT
Big brother

HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant

Crew: 5
Length: 88ft 3in (26.9m)
Rotor diameter: 72ft 3in (22m)
Height: 24ft 11in (7.35m)
Empty weight: 23,628lb (10,717kg)
Max T/O weight: 33,500lb (15,195kg)
Powerplant: 2 x General Electric
T64-6 turboshaft
engines of 2,850hp each
Max speed: 196mph (315km/h) The HH-3E Jolly Green Giant long-range Above: A US Air Force HH-53 seen from the
Range: 540 miles (869km) rescue helicopters were highly valued in gunner’s position of a fellow Super Jolly over
Vietnam in October 1972.
Service ceiling: 20,400ft (6,217m) Vietnam, so when its ‘big brother’ CH-53
Guns: 3 × General Electric became available, it was little surprise that Right: An HH-53C lowering a ‘PJ’ (pararescueman)
GAU-2/A 7.62mm the US Air Force would be interested in a during a mission in June 1970.
miniguns more capable CSAR version. Consequently, it
ordered 72 HH-53B and HH-53C variants for on 250ft (76m) of steel cable; armament of

I
t was dubbed ‘Super Jolly Green Giant’
for good reason. Developed to replace
the HH-3, the HH-53 was bulked up in
every way. It was the largest and fastest
helicopter in the US Air Force inventory, but
most importantly its primary mission was to
rescue downed airmen in hostile territory.
Search and Rescue units based in Southeast
Asia. In homage to the smaller HH-3E, not
surprisingly it was quickly referred to as Super
Jolly Green Giant, or more commonly Super
Jolly. Features of the HH-53 included: spindle-
shaped jettisonable external tanks; a rescue
hoist capable of deploying a forest penetrator
three pintle-mounted General Electric GAU‑2/A
7.62mm six-barrelled machine guns, with
one in a forward hatch on each side of the
fuselage and one mounted on the tail ramp;
and a Doppler navigation radar. Five crew
were standard, including a pilot, co-pilot, crew
chief, and two pararescuemen. The first of

070-071_AA52.indd 70 13/10/2020 17:39

 HH-53 SUPER JOLLY GREEN GIANT
Above: An HH-53B of the 40th Aerospace
Rescue and Recovery Squadron refuelling
from a HC-130P Hercules over North Vietnam,
circa 1969–70.
eight HH-53Bs performed its initial flight on
15 March 1967 and the type was performing
CSAR missions with the US Air Force Aerospace
Rescue & Recovery Service in Southeast Asia by
the end of the year. The HH-53B was essentially
an interim type, with production quickly
moving on to the modestly improved US Air
Force HH-53C CSAR variant. Some 44 HH‑53Cs
were built, with introduction to service in
August 1968. Late in the war they were fitted
with countermeasures pods to deal with heat-
seeking missiles. Despite the guns and armour
plating, theirs was a dangerous mission and the
big helicopters were still vulnerable at lower
altitude. Even when travelling at top speed,
the HH-53 was within tracking range of various
enemy guns for 30 seconds or longer. Small
arms could do damage as well. Used in virtually
every high-risk CSAR and special operations
mission of the war, the US Air Force lost 17
Super Jollies, with 14 lost in combat – including
one that was shot down by a North Vietnamese
MiG-21 on 28 January 1970 while on a CSAR
mission over Laos – and three in accidents.
Super Jolly to the rescue
To cover the southern portion of South Vietnam
and be closer to the increasing levels of
operations in Cambodia, the 37th Aerospace
Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ARRS)
maintained a pair of HH-53Cs at Bien Hoa Air
Base, about 15 miles northeast of Saigon. On
26 September 1971, a Super Jolly was
scrambled to rescue the crew of an OV-10A that
had been shot down. The ‘Rustic FAC’, the call-
sign that any forward air controller operating in
Cambodia used, was hit by converging fire from
070-071_AA52.indd 71
71
four 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine guns ringing
the perimeter of a small village northwest of the
Mekong River town of Kampong Cham.
Piloting the HH-53 was Lt Cdr Joseph ‘Jay’
Crowe, US Coast Guard exchange pilot. He
approached at 8,000ft (2,438m), safely above
the range of the still-active hostile guns, while
the A-1H Sandys (Skyraiders) went in low to
begin their routine of locating the survivors
and the hostile guns. In the flat and relatively
open terrain of central Cambodia there was
little cover and penetrating the ring of guns
was going to be difficult. By this stage of
the war, a low, treetop-hugging approach
by the rescue helicopter was a well-known
procedure, and the enemy gunners would be
waiting for it. Crowe decided to use a diving
spiral approach and entered an autorotation
from directly overhead, with throttles pulled
back. The helicopter descended with blades
unloaded, so the characteristic whop-whop
was virtually eliminated. With the Sandys
rumbling around, strafing and bombing and
attracting the attention of the gunners, the
diminished but still tell-tale sounds made by
the falling Super Jolly were masked. Crowe
kept the helicopter in a steep turn, spiralling
down inside the perimeter of the four guns
around the downed aircrew. As the HH-53
approached the ground, Crowe began to level
off. The accelerating engines and the rotors
digging into the air as Crowe pulled up on the
collective and flared into a quick-stop, created
loud rotor beats announcing their arrival to all.
But the helicopter was safely down beneath the
trees in a hover. The Super Jolly crew snatched
the two men quickly and escaped out of the
circle with a low-level departure. The helicopter
received only sporadic fire as it left the scene
in the typical low-level escape, while taking no
casualties. Mission accomplished.
13/10/2020 17:44
 72 HELICOPTER
BELL UH-1 HUEY
Covert ‘Ops’ Specialist
F
or the ‘grunts’ on the ground, a Huey
was a Huey, no matter what service it
belonged to… but for the US Air Force
the UH-1 was more of a secretive ‘bird’, one
that specialised in covert operations.
The Bell HU-1, with its strong and reliable
turbine engine, quickly earned a reputation
for dependability and proved itself the best
equipped helicopter to execute a new and
mobile style of warfare. When the HU-1 went to
Vietnam, it shed its given name, Iroquois, and
took the Huey moniker derived from the letters
in its designation. Later, when the Department
of Defense began using the US Air Force
naming standard, the letters were swapped and
the helicopter became UH-1, but the nickname
Huey stuck. In October 1965, the US Air Force
20th Helicopter Squadron was formed at Tan
Son Nhut Air Base in South Vietnam, equipped
initially with HH-3 helicopters. By June 1967 the
UH-1F and UH-1P were also added to the unit’s
inventory, and by the end of the year the entire
unit had shifted to Nakhon Phanom, with
the HH-3s transferring to the 21st Helicopter
Squadron. The unit was redesignated the 20th
Special Operations Squadron on 1 August 1968
and became known as the ‘Green Hornets’,
stemming from the UH-1’s two-tone camouflage
072_AA52.indd 72
Above: US Air Force special operations Hueys flew
missions to Cambodia from bases in Laos.
(green and tan). Carrying the radio call-sign
‘Hornet’, the main roles of these helicopters
were to insert and extract reconnaissance
teams, provide cover for such operations,
conduct psychological warfare, and other
support roles for covert operations especially
in Laos and Cambodia. From late 1970, the unit
was re-equipped with the twin-engined UH‑1N.
Armed with miniguns (or 40mm grenade
launchers) and rocket pods, the helicopters
carried no US markings, save for a Green Hornet
insignia. The UH-1Ns supported Special Forces
reconnaissance missions from Cam Ranh Bay.
Green Hornet rescue
On 26 November 1968, a six-man
reconnaissance team of US Army Special Forces
Green Berets found themselves penned up
next to a river near the Cambodian border,
surrounded by enemy forces and taking heavy
fire. The team leader’s call for immediate
evacuation was picked up by a nearby flight
of five US Air Force UH-1s of the 20th SOS,
led by Capt James P. Heming. Despite being
low on fuel, the helicopters headed toward
the co-ordinates. As soon as the helicopters
UH-1F Huey
Crew: 2-4
Length: 57ft 0in (17.4m)
Rotor diameter: 48ft 0in (14.6m)
Height: 14ft 11in (4.3m)
Max T/O weight: 9,000lb (4,082kg)
Powerplant: 1 x General Electric T58
of 1,070shp
Max speed: 140mph (121km/h)
Range: 330 miles (531km)
Service ceiling: 24,830ft (7,568m)
sighted the team’s smoke, they opened fire,
knocking out two machine gun positions.
One gunship was hit and crash-landed across
the river, its crew picked up by another UH-1.
Another UH-1, dangerously low on fuel, had to
pull out of the combat. Fleming flew over the
river and hovered just above the water, with
his landing skids against the bank, hoping that
the special forces troops would be able to run
the few yards to his helicopter safely, but they
were pinned down and Fleming was forced to
lift his UH-1 out of range of the hostile fire. In a
last attempt to reach safety, the Green Berets
detonated their mines while Fleming once
again lowered his helicopter to the riverbank.
The Green Berets ran for the chopper, firing as
they ran and killing three Viet Cong barely 10ft
(3.0m) from the aircraft. As they leapt through
the cargo door, Fleming backed the helicopter
away from the bank and flew down the river
to safety. For this action, he was awarded the
Medal of Honor.
15/10/2020 12:08
 T N A M : 6
I N V I E
USAF
TRANSPORTS
TACTICAL AIRLIFT WAS the glue that held the widely dispersed
force in Southeast Asia together. Initially, the workhorse of the
airlift mission was the C-123 Provider, which had previously
been declared obsolete and scheduled for retirement. After
1965, the rugged and powerful C-130 Hercules, which carried
triple the payload of the C-123, dominated the tactical airlift
mission, delivering vital supplies to the ground troops, often
under battle conditions.
Strategic airlift in the Vietnam War was provided by Military
Airlift Command, which transported two million tons of materiel
and two million passengers between the US and Southeast Asia.
The main strategic airlifter of the war was the C-141 Starlifter,
which made its first delivery to Vietnam in 1965. It was twice as
fast as the propeller-driven C-124, and it could carry twice the
load. The gargantuan C-5 Galaxy had even more capacity, but it
did not make its first delivery to Vietnam until August 1971 in the
later phase of the war. Between 1965 and 1973, MAC airlifters
evacuated a total of 406,022 patients from Southeast Asia,
168,832 of them battle casualties.

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 74 TRANSPORT
FAIRCHILD C-123 PROVIDER
Short-range hauler
A
s its name implied, the Provider
was a short-range assault transport
used for airlifting troops and cargo
to and from small, unprepared airstrips.
The rugged C-123 became an essential part
of US Air Force airlift during the Southeast
Asia conflict, where it flew primarily as an
in-theatre airlifter and, more controversially,
as a ‘Ranch Hand’ sprayer.
Designed by the Chase Aircraft Co just after
World War Two, the C-123 evolved from earlier
large assault glider designs. The prototype
XC‑123, basically a glider powered by two
piston engines, made its initial flight in 1949. A
second prototype was built as the unpowered
XG-20 glider. Chase began manufacturing
the C-123B in 1953, but the contract was
transferred to Fairchild, which built about 300
C-123Bs. Between 1966 and 1969, 184 C-123Bs
074-075_AA52.indd 74
were converted to C-123Ks with the addition
of two J85 jet engines. These jet engines
increased the C-123’s payload weight by a third,
shortened its take-off distance, improved its
climb rate, and gave a much greater margin
of safety should one of the piston engines fail.
Providers entered service with the US Air Force’s
309th Troop Carrier Group (Assault) in 1955.
The Provider’s most important service was
during the Southeast Asia war. In January 1962,
the first of many Providers were sent to South
Vietnam to start the ‘Ranch Hand’ programme
Right: A Provider unloading US Marines at Calu,
South Vietnam. On this airlift, 13 C-123s delivered
475 troops and over 12,000lb of equipment.
Below: Many isolated outposts depended on
the appropriately-named C-123 Providers for
essential supplies.
15/10/2020 09:40
 C-123 PROVIDER 75

tasked with defoliating the jungle in order

to deny rebels their traditional hiding places.
Aircraft fitted with spraying equipment were
given the U prefix as a role modifier, with the
most common types being the UC-123B and
the UC-123K. They used the call-sign ‘Hades’ and
during the 10 years of spraying, over 5 million
acres of forest and 500,000 acres of crops were
heavily damaged or destroyed.
More conventionally, by the autumn of
1964, there were four US Air Force C-123B
squadrons in Vietnam flying airlift and airdrop
missions. Providers constantly flew troops and
supplies to small, dirt airstrips at isolated bases
in South Vietnam. Their relatively large cargo
hold and excellent short field performance

Above left: A US Air Force C-123B dropping

Daring rescue ammunition to forward-deployed troops in
South Vietnam in 1966.
On 12 May 1968, Lt Col Joe Jackson was flying an emergency mission from Da Nang during
the evacuation of the special forces camp at Kham Duc, which had been overrun by enemy Above: ‘Ranch Hand’ UC-123 clearing a roadside
forces. Viet Cong had taken the forward outpost and were in complete control of the airstrip, in central South Vietnam in 1966. Note the
aircraft’s very low altitude.
which was surrounded on all sides by mountainous terrain. While orbiting over the battle
area, Jackson learned by radio that a three-man combat control team (CCT) had been
made them essential to holding these widely-
inadvertently left behind after the camp was air evacuated. Jackson answered the call by
scattered bases. In 1968, the aircraft helped
descending his C-123 rapidly from 9,000ft and making an assault landing on the strip, while
resupply troops in Khe Sanh, Vietnam, during
under heavy enemy fire. After he stopped, a rocket fell in front of the transport. A dud, it
a three-month siege by North Vietnam. C-123s
bounced harmlessly toward the nose of the C-123 without exploding. Jackson had landed
sometimes flew other types of missions,
near the spot where the CCT was hiding, and quickly rescued the men. With the team safely
including dropping flares to expose enemy
on board the aircraft, he took off under a mortar barrage and intense automatic weapon
attacks at night. Specially-modified C-123s also
fire from the surrounding hills. After landing back at Da Nang the crew found that not a
flew night operations with floodlights, radar,
single bullet had touched their aircraft during the entire flight. For his actions, Lt Col Jackson
and night-vision equipment.
received the Air Force Medal of Honor.
As the war in Southeast Asia wound down,
the US transferred some of its Providers to the
Below: This remarkable photograph was taken just as Lt Col Jackson was turning his C-123
around (1). A disabled and burning helicopter is visible blocking the runway (2), while a South Vietnamese Air Force and the Royal Thai
damaged C-130 and the tracks it made skidding off the runway are visible on the left (3). Just Air Force. The remaining US Air Force C-123s
beyond the C-130 is an O-2 which had been hit and crash-landed (4). were transferred to the Air Force Reserve.

C-123K Provider
Crew: 4
Length: 76ft 3in (23.24m)
Wingspan: 110ft 0in (33.53m)
Height: 34ft 1in (10.39m)
Empty weight: 35,366lb (16,042kg)
Max T/O weight: 60,000lb (27,216kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney
R-2800-99W Double
Wasp 18-cylinder radial
piston engines of
2,500hp each.
2 × General Electric
J85-GE-17 turbojets
engines of 2,850lb
thrust each
Max speed: 228mph (367km/h)
Range: 1,035 miles (1,666km)
Service ceiling: 21,100ft (6,400m)

074-075_AA52.indd 75 15/10/2020 09:43

 76 C-124 GLOBEMASTER II
DOUGLAS C-124
GLOBEMASTER II
‘Old Shaky’
T
he C-124 Globemaster II was the US
Air Force’s first strategic long-range
airlifter. A veteran of Korea, the
transport was beginning to show its age
by the time of Vietnam. Nevertheless, in
the early years of the conflict it provided
invaluable service.
The Douglas C-124 served as the backbone
of strategic air transport for the US Air Force
throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. It was
officially the Globemaster II, but its pilots never
called it that. It was affectionately known as ‘Old
Shaky’ or ‘Shakemaster’, because of the constant
in-flight shaking and rattling.
A redesign of the Douglas C-74 Globemaster,
the C-124 used the same wings, tail and
engines, but featured a new and enlarged
fuselage, as well as stronger landing gear to
handle higher weights. To facilitate out-sized
cargo handling, the C-124 featured ‘clamshell’
loading doors and hydraulic ramps in the
nose and an elevator under the aft fuselage
076-077_AA52.indd 76
Above: C-124 of the US Air Force Reserve’s
916th Military Airlift Group, based at Carswell
AFB, Texas.
with electric overhead cranes which could
traverse the entire length of the 77ft-long
cargo compartment. It was capable of handling
up to 74,000lb of cargo such as tanks, field
guns, bulldozers, and trucks. It could also be
converted into a transport capable of carrying
200 fully-equipped troops in its double-decked
cabin or 123 litter patients and their attendants.
The first flight by a C-124 took place on
27 November 1949 and the first operational
aircraft were delivered in May 1950. The US
Military Air Transport Service (MATS) was the
primary operator until January 1966, when
the organisation was retitled Military Airlift
Command (MAC). Within a few years following
the formation of MAC, the last remaining
examples of the C-124 were transferred to the
Air Force Reserve (AFRES) and the Air National
Guard (ANG), these being complete by 1970.
Douglas C-124
Globemaster II
Crew: 6 or 7
Capacity: 200 troops/
123 litter patients
Length: 130ft 5in (39.75m)
Wingspan: 174ft 2in (53.073m)
Height: 48ft 3in (14.719m)
Empty weight: 101,165lb (45,888kg)
Max payload: 74,000lb (33,565kg)
Max T/O weight: 194,500lb (88,224kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Pratt & Whitney
R-4360-63A Wasp
Majors of 3,800hp each
Max speed: 304mph (489km/h)
Range: 4,030 miles (6,490km)
Service ceiling: 21,800ft (6,600m)
AFRES effort
US Air Force Reserve participation in the
Vietnam War commenced in the early months
of 1965 with C-124 Globemaster II missions
to Saigon. Reservist C-124 crews completed
1,252 missions to Southeast Asia for MATS and
Military Airlift Command from January 1966
through November 1972, when the last C-124
departed the inventory.
Over the course of the conflict, the C-124
fleet flew 95,395 hours, carried 27,125.7 tons
of cargo and 3,435 passengers. At its peak in
1967, this airlift service consisted of 19 groups
equipped with 158 airframes.
15/10/2020 09:44

LOCKHEED C-5 GALAXY
Heavyweight champion
T
he Vietnam War highlighted the
urgency of developing the capability
to move US troops and weapons
quickly overseas. The need? A huge military
transport that could carry nearly every type
of combat equipment – including heavy
tanks and helicopters – any place in the
world. The solution? Lockheed’s C-5 Galaxy.
Following a US Department of Defense
proposal for a ‘Heavy Logistics System’,
Lockheed was awarded the contract in
December 1965 for what was to become the
C-5 Galaxy. The Lockheed design featured
shoulder-mounted swept-back wings, with
four underslung engine nacelles towards their
leading edges. Power was provided by four
076-077_AA52.indd 77
of the revolutionary General Electric TF39-
GE-1C high-bypass turbofans of 43,000lb
thrust each. The flightdeck was seated over
a short, downward-sloped nose cone giving
a commanding view of the ground ahead.
The nosecone was hinged to open upwards
allowing access to the hold within the body of
the aircraft. Rear clamshell doors and a ramp
allowed a roll-on-roll-off capability. The first
C-5A Galaxy (66-8303) was rolled out of the
manufacturing plant in Marietta, Georgia, in
early March 1968 and made its first flight just
under four months later on 30 June 1968. By
this stage the costs of the programme had
escalated in proportion to its astronomic
size, a problem exasperated by fatigue cracks
C-5 GALAXY 77
appearing in some wings which reduced
payload capability in the early C-5As. The first
operational C-5 was delivered on 17 December
1969 in time for the aircraft to participate in the
Vietnam War, flying the transpacific run from
California to Southeast Asia.
Into service
The C-5’s first mission during the Vietnam
War was on 9 July 1970. Because it could
transport about 98 percent of the Army’s
range of equipment, the C-5 soon became
indispensable to the war effort. C-5s were used
to transport equipment and troops, including
US Army tanks and even some small aircraft,
throughout the later years of the US action in
Vietnam. In the final weeks of the war, prior to
the Fall of Saigon, several C-5s were involved in
evacuation efforts. During one such mission on
4 April 1975, a C-5A was lost while participating
in Operation ‘Babylift’, which involved
transporting a large number of orphans. The
transport crashed on approach during an
emergency landing at Tan Son Nhut Air Base,
South Vietnam. Although there were 176
survivors, tragically 140 were killed. The cause
was ascribed to loss of flight control due to
explosive decompression and structural failure.
The accident marked the second operational
loss and first fatal crash for the C-5 Galaxy fleet.
Left: The C-5 Galaxy had an immediate impact on
airlift capability when it entered service during
the Vietnam War.
Lockheed C-5A Galaxy
Crew: 6
Length: 247ft 1in (75.31m)
Wingspan: 222ft 9in (67.89m)
Height: 65ft 1in (19.84m)
Empty weight: 380,000lb (172,371kg)
Max T/O weight: 840,000lb (381,000kg)
Powerplant: 4 x General Electric
TF39-GE-1C high-
bypass turbofans of
41,000lb thrust each
Max speed: 531mph (855km/h)
Range: 2,760 miles (4,400km)
Service ceiling: 33,000ft (10,058m)
14/10/2020 10:04
 78 TRANSPORT
LOCKHEED C-130 HERCULES
Combat transport
T
he Hercules came of age during the
Vietnam War. Its legendary strength,
ruggedness and power proved to
be the perfect combination for operations
in the hot and dangerous environment of
Southeast Asia. For the first time, its crews
truly began to understand its capabilities.
078_AA52.indd 78
It was in early 1951 that the US Air Force
issued its requirement for a new military
transport. It called for an aircraft able to haul
heavy equipment including artillery weapons,
vehicles and tanks over long distances and
to deliver them into short strips. These
requirements were born out of the experience
in Korea, where existing military piston-engined
transports proved to be woefully inadequate.
Most importantly, the US Air Force wanted a
transport that was quick and easy to unload in
battle conditions. A low-slung fuselage with
hinged rear loading ramp would best meet this
requirement. Four aircraft manufacturers
14/10/2020 11:06
 T N A M : 7
I N V I E
USAF
SPECIALISED
THERE ARE MANY ways in which aerial warfare can influence
the battle, beyond who has the heaviest bomber or the fastest
fighter. In Vietnam ‘electronic’ aircraft came to the fore for
the first time, flying high above the battlefield crammed with
the latest technology monitoring the skies and snooping the
airwaves for valuable intelligence. Meanwhile, without the ‘eyes
in the sky’, the battle on the ground could not be fought. Low-
level battlefield reconnaissance was the dangerous domain of
the RF-101 and RF-4, while circling RB-135s provided the bigger
picture. Even higher, roaming with impunity were the strategic
eyes of the U-2 and SR-71. But there was one aircraft without
which the air war over Vietnam could not have been fought. The
KC-135 Stratotanker was the lifeblood of the operation and the
greatest force multiplier. It was these aerial petrol stations that
allowed US aircraft to roam the extensive skies of Southeast Asia,
perform their missions and get home safely.

083_AA52.indd 83 14/10/2020 13:34

 84 ELECTRONIC
DOUGLAS EB-66 DESTROYER
Electronic jammer
J
amming was the name of the game for
the unarmed Douglas EB-66 electronic
warfare aircraft. Though small in
number, EB-66s and their crews remained
in high demand blocking enemy air defence
radars as part of the total strike package in
bombing missions against North Vietnam.
The North Vietnamese used radar signals
to detect incoming aircraft, guide their MiG
fighters, and aim surface-to-air missiles (SAMs)
and anti-aircraft guns. US Air Force EB-66s
conducted ‘electronic warfare’ against these
radars to render them useless. These aircraft
were derived from the B-66 Destroyer that had
been developed as a tactical bomber, itself a
084-085_AA52.indd 84
modified version of the US Navy attack bomber,
the A3D Warrior. Between 1955 and 1957,
the US Air Force bought 36 electronic tactical
reconnaissance versions, the RB-66C, later
redesignated EB-66 after ‘jammer’ conversion.
Sparks over Vietnam
The first EB-66s went to Southeast Asia in
the spring of 1965. Their crews detected and
gathered information about enemy radar
locations and frequencies and also used
Below: Douglas EB-66E Destroyer over
Southeast Asia on 30 March 1970. These aircraft
and their crews were always small in number
and high in demand.
jamming equipment to interrupt enemy radar
signals. US Air Force bombing missions deep
into North Vietnam always required EB-66
support, even though there were relatively
few of them. Moreover, the B-66 was out of
production, so repair and shortages of spare
parts made it difficult to keep aircraft flying.
Losses further reduced the number of available
aircraft. EB-66s were so successful that the
enemy specifically targeted them. MiG fighters
shot down one EB-66 and SAMs shot down
five. Eleven more EB-66s were lost to accidents.
Despite these problems, EB-66 crews continued
flying and providing essential support to strike
aircraft to the end of the war.
15/10/2020 15:16
 EB-66 DESTROYER 85

EB-66 Destroyer
Crew: 3
Length: 75ft 2in (22.91m)
Wingspan: 72ft 6in (22.10m)
Height: 23ft 6in (7.19m)
Empty weight: 43,476lb (19,720kg)
Max T/O weight: 83,000lb (37,648kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Allison J71-A-13
turbojet engines
Max speed: 585mph (941km/h)
Range: 1,800 miles (2,896km)
Service ceiling: 43,000ft (13,106m)

Top: Some EB-66s flew ‘buddy bombing’ or ‘pathfinder’ missions during bad weather. They aimed with
their radar bombsight and signalled to the accompanying F-105s when to release their bombs. 

Above: US Air Force Douglas EB-66C 54-522 of the 42nd TEWS, 388th TFW.

Right: Unarmed EB-66s were vulnerable to enemy MiGs, who specifically targeted them. Pictured here
are EB-66 pilot Maj Kibby Taylor (right) and navigator Capt Jack McGinn. Their aircraft was attacked by
two MiGs on a mission in November 1966. They narrowly escaped, and their fighter escort shot down
both of the MiGs.

Below: Douglas EB-66E Destroyer, 54-440, of the 42nd TEWS, 355th TFW, at Takhli RTAFB, on
5 December 1968.

084-085_AA52.indd 85 15/10/2020 09:48

 86 EARLY WARNING
LOCKHEED EC-121
WARNING STAR
Eye in the sky
T
here was no mistaking the origins of
the EC-121. Even the large radomes
above and below the fuselage could
not detract from the lines of one of the best-
looking aircraft ever built, the Lockheed
Constellation. But beneath its classic looks,
there was state of the art technology…
The Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star was a US
Navy and US Air Force airborne early warning
and control radar surveillance aircraft. A
military version of the Lockheed L-1049 Super
Constellation, it was designed to supplement
the Distant Early Warning Line, using two
large radomes, a vertical dome above and a
horizontal one below the fuselage. EC-121s
were also used for intelligence gathering
(SIGINT).
The US Air Force ordered 82 EC-121 Warning
Stars between 1951 and 1955, 72 of which
were EC‑121Ds. The EC-121 entered service
with the Air Defense Command in 1953.
086-087_AA52.indd 86
EC-121s were used extensively in Southeast
Asia between 16 April 1965, and 1 June
1974, particularly in support of Operation
‘Rolling Thunder’ and Operation ‘Linebacker/
Linebacker II’, providing radar early warning
and limited airborne control of US Air Force
fighter forces engaging MiG interceptors. They
also directed US aircraft to aerial refuelling
tankers, and guided rescue missions to
downed pilots. Flying orbits over the Gulf of
Tonkin and later over Laos, these unarmed
high-value assets were protected by F-104
Starfighter ‘MiGCAPs’.
During the Vietnam War some 40 EC‑121s
were modified from US Navy WV-2 and
WV-3 early warning Constellations for use
with ground sensors to detect enemy troop
movements along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and
25 were deployed to Korat RTAFB as a part of
Operation ‘Igloo White’. The resulting EC-121R
configuration was nicknamed the ’Batcat’.
EC-121D WARNING STAR
Crew: 
6 flight crew,
11-25 radar crew
Length: 116ft 2in (35.40m)
Wingspan: 126ft 2in (38.45m)
Height: 24ft 9in (7.54m)
Empty weight: 69,210lb (31,387kg)
Max T/O weight: 143,000lb (65,000kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Wright R-3350-34
18-cylinder
supercharged radial
engines of 3,400hp each
Max speed: 299mph (481km/h)
Range: 4,250 miles (6,843km)
Service ceiling: 25,000ft (7,620m)
EC-121Rs were operated by the 553rd and
554th Reconnaissance Squadrons of the 553rd
Reconnaissance Wing, between October 1967
and December 1970, with approximately 20
‘Batcats’ on hand at any one time. The US Air
Force had a total of 11 Warning Stars destroyed
in accidents, killing 66 aircrew.
Below: Lockheed EC-121D 53-0555 Triple Nickel,
of the 552nd AEWCW, Korat AB, circa 1967.
On 24 October 1967, while operating over the
Gulf of Tonkin, it guided a US fighter by radar
into position to destroy a North Vietnamese Air
Force MiG-21. This was the first time a weapons
controller aboard an airborne radar aircraft
had ever directed a successful attack on an
enemy aircraft.
15/10/2020 09:49

GRUMMAN HU-16 ALBATROSS
Flying life boat
I
t might not have looked state of the art,
but that did not matter to aircrew forced
to ditch or eject off the coast of Vietnam.
For them, the old-fashioned sight and sound
of the HU-16 Albatross simply meant one
thing… survival.
086-087_AA52.indd 87
Grumman designed the versatile Albatross to
meet a US Navy requirement for an amphibious
utility aircraft. The prototype first flew on 24
October 1947 and soon after the US Air Force
ordered a quantity for air-sea rescue duties as
SA-16As. Grumman delivered 297 A models
to the US Air Force. It went into action during
the Korean War and rescued almost 1,000
United Nations personnel from coastal waters
and rivers, often behind enemy lines. In 1955
Grumman developed an improved version with
an increase in wingspan and larger aileron and
tail surfaces. Beginning in 1957, many A models
HU-16B Albatross
Crew: 4-6
Capacity: 10 passengers/
survivors
Length: 62ft 10in (19.15m)
Wingspan: 96ft 8in (29.46m)
Height: 25ft 10in (7.87m)
Empty weight: 22,883lb (10,380kg)
Max T/O weight: 37,500lb (17,010kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-1820-76A
Cyclone 9 9-cylinder
air-cooled radial pistons
of 1,425hp each
Max speed: 236mph (380km/h)
Range: 2,850 miles (4,590km)
Service ceiling: 21,500ft (6,600m)
RESCUE 87
Above: US Air Force Grumman HU-16B Albatross,
51-5292, patrolling along the coast of South
Vietnam in 1966.
were converted to the B configuration with
these improvements. In 1962 the US Air Force
changed the designation to HU-16.
The Albatross saw extensive combat
service during the Vietnam War where it was
used by the US Air Force’s Aerospace Rescue
and Recovery Service (ARRS) patrolling the
extensive coastline. They made numerous
dramatic and hazardous rescues in Southeast
Asia, on occasion taxiing many miles over
rough, open water when unable to take off. In
addition, a small number of Air National Guard
air commando groups were equipped with
HU-16s for covert infiltration and extraction of
special forces from 1956 to 1971.
By the very nature of their operations, often
in harsh conditions, a number of HU-16s were
lost in action, including an Albatross deployed
to rescue two crew members of a downed
F-4C Phantom off Haiphong in the Gulf of
Tonkin. The HU-16B landed in the sea close to
the shoreline, but was quickly approached by
several North Vietnamese boats which opened
fire. The flying boat was hit by a mortar shell
and burst into flames. Two of the six crew were
killed but the survivors were later rescued by US
Navy helicopters.
14/10/2020 12:16
 88 TANKER
BOEING KC-135
STRATOTANKER
Aerial fuel truck
T
he heartfelt phrase ‘Thanks, that’s
a save!’ was heard more than 500
times during the Vietnam War as the
dedicated crews of KC-135 tankers moved
into harm’s way, delivering salvation to
strike aircraft perilously low on fuel. Quite
simply, without the KC-135, the air war over
Vietnam could not have been fought.
088-089_AA52.indd 88
The Boeing KC-135 was designed in
response to a US Strategic Air Command
(SAC) requirement for a jet-powered aerial
refuelling tanker to replace the propeller-driven
KC-97s. Like its predecessor, the KC-135 was
equipped with a flying boom for fuel transfer
at the rate of 6,500lb/min. The KC-135 was
initially purchased to support bombers of the
Above: Even long-range bombers like the B-52
needed refuelling to reach their targets and
return to base on far-off Guam. Bombing
operations such as ‘Arc Light’ and ‘Linebacker’
depended heavily on air refuelling.
Strategic Air Command, but by the late 1960s
the Stratotanker’s ability as a force multiplier
came to the fore in the Southeast Asia theatre.
Mid-air refuelling of F-105 and F-4 fighter-
bombers as well as B-52 bombers brought far-
flung targets within reach and allowed fighter
missions to spend hours at the front, rather than
a few minutes. Without tankers, the bomber
operations from Guam would have been
impossible, and the fighter force would have
been virtually incapacitated. KC-135 crews also
Left: A pilot’s-eye view of the KC-135’s refuelling
station. Stratotankers could use either the boom
by itself, or the hose-and-drogue attachment,
seen here. The ability to use either method
allowed US Air Force tankers to refuel aircraft
from all services.
KC-135A Stratotanker
Crew: 4-6
Length: 136ft 3in (41.54m)
Wingspan: 130ft 10in (39.9m)
Height: 38ft 4in (11.7m)
Empty weight: 109,000lb (49,441kg)
Max T/O weight: 297,000lb (134,716kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney
J57-P-59W turbojets of
13,750lb thrust each
Max speed: 600mph (965km/h)
Range: 4,000 miles (6,437km)
Service ceiling: 40,000ft (12,192m)
15/10/2020 15:17

refuelled US Navy and USMC aircraft, though
a special ‘basket’ adaptor had to be fitted
to the boom before such a mission. Crews
also helped to bring in damaged aircraft
(specifically those with punctured fuel tanks
which could fly while being fed fuel) to a
landing site or to ditch over water. Another
specialised mission was handling the
refuelling requirements of reconnaissance
aircraft, from RB-47s (phased out by 1966)
to SR-71s, the latter requiring dedicated
KC-135Qs filled with the special JP-7 fuel used
by the Blackbird.
The tanker air and ground crews were able
to achieve their decade-long success for a
variety of reasons. They had the advantage
of a designed-to-purpose tanker. Although
underpowered for operations in the heat
and humidity of Southeast Asia, and with
performance sometimes limited by the
length of available runways, the KC-135s were
nonetheless well-suited for their task. When
the situation demanded, the tankers went
inside the combat area to off-load fuel, even
though officially forbidden to do so. Without
the tankers, aircrew casualties would have been
dramatically higher. Perhaps the best known
‘save’ occurred on 31 May 1967. Maj John
H. Casteel’s tanker crew was engaged in a
routine refuelling of two US Air Force F-104Cs
over the Gulf of Tonkin when US Navy aircraft
dangerously short of fuel arrived. This KC-135,
equipped with a boom-drogue adapter to
support the F-104s, refuelled two US Navy KA-3
tankers, two Navy F-8s, two Navy F-4s, as well as
its assigned F-104s. In order to save the aircraft,
a brief tri-level refuelling occurred with the
088-089_AA52.indd 89
KC-135 feeding a
KA-3 while the KA-3 passed
fuel to an F-8. All six US Navy aircraft involved in
the operation reached their carriers safely.
By 1973, after nine years and two months
of hard flying, the tankers had flown a total of
911,364 hours during 194,687 sorties. In the
same period, they conducted 813,878 in-flight
refuellings and off-loaded more than 8 billion
pounds of fuel. No KC-135 was lost to enemy
action despite the massive number of sorties
and frequency with which tankers went in
harm’s way over North Vietnam to assist fighters
desperately low on fuel. Only four tankers were
lost during the entire war,
Tow truck
‘Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! We’ve been struck
by a missile’, called the voice on the radio.
The transmission blared over the headsets
of the crew on a KC-135 Stratotanker about
to return to base after a successful refuelling
mission in the midst of the Vietnam War.
Retired Maj Jim Hickman was the navigator
on that tanker crew that received the distress
signal and he vividly remembers the events
KC-135 STRATOTANKER 89
Above: A gaggle of thirsty F-105 Thunderchiefs
receive fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker on their
way to bomb targets in North Vietnam, circa
December 1965.
Left: Fighter and reconnaissance refuelling
‘anchors’. KC-135 Stratotankers loitered along
the oval ‘racetrack’ patterns, awaiting combat
aircraft on their way to and from targets in
North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Tanker
bases on this map include Takhli, Korat, and
U-Tapao in Thailand.
that transpired shortly after. The crew members
exchanged glances and began weighing their
options, when Hickman made the call.
‘Let’s go get him’, he said.
The tanker crew called back over the radio,
verified the location of the distressed aircraft
(an F-111 Aardvark) and headed north until the
two aircraft were in view of each other.
‘He pulled in behind us, we got the boom
into the receptacle and started transferring fuel’,
said the retired navigator.
It wasn’t until the boom operator saw fuel
spilling out of the aircraft that they realised the
extent of the damage to the fighter. Getting
the aircraft and its crew safely back to base
was going to take a bit of ingenuity: ‘We have
a thing that we do called locking the toggles’,
said Hickman. ‘When you lock the toggles on
a receiver you can actually tow him. So we did
that, and kept giving him fuel’.
The KC-135 towed the fighter through the
skies of North Vietnam back to Thailand. When
they got close to the base where the F-111 was
operating out of, the boom operator unlocked
the toggles, disconnected and the fighter made
a safe landing.
15/10/2020 09:50
 90 RECCE

BOEING RB-47H
D
uring the early part of the Cold War,
the US Air Force needed an aircraft
to gather information about Soviet
air defence radar systems. Developed from
the B-47E strategic bomber, the RB-47H met
this requirement.
A total of 32 RB-47Hs were built for electronic
intelligence (ELINT) missions. Featuring a
distinctive blunt, rounded nose and sporting
blisters and pods for intelligence-gathering
antennas and gear, they were designed to
probe defences and collect data on radar
and communications signals. The bomb bay
was replaced by a pressurised compartment,
which accommodated three Electronic Warfare
Officers. As the only B-47s to see anything that
resembled combat, they encountered MiGs
at various hotspots around the world. The last
known confrontation between MiGs and RB-47s
occurred on 28 April 1965, when an ERB-47H
was intercepted by two North Korean MiG-17s
over the Sea of Japan. While hit by the MiGs,
it returned to Yokota AB in Japan with three
engines out. A few RB-47Hs operated during
the Vietnam War on missions such as relaying
ELINT data, but were soon replaced by more
efficient and capable Boeing RC-135s.
Below: The RB-47H flew missions early in the air
campaign against North Vietnam.

MARTIN RB-57E
T
he first B-57s to be deployed to ‘Patricia Lynn’ RB-57Es – and two of these were were lost in combat operations. The first,
South Vietnam were not operated shot down – their effectiveness far outweighed 55-4243, was lost as a result of a fuselage
in an offensive role. The need their numbers. Flying under the radio call sign fire caused by small arms fire while on a low-
for additional reconnaissance assets, ‘Moonglow’, ‘Patricia Lynn’ crews flew both level reconnaissance mission in August 1965.
especially those capable of operating at night and day missions over South Vietnam, The crew ejected safely. The second aircraft,
night, led to the deployment of ‘Patricia Laos, Cambodia and areas of North Vietnam 55-4264 (pictured), was lost on 25 October
Lynn’ RB-57Es. until 1971, being some of the last US Air Force 1968, after an engine fire started by ground
‘Patricia Lynn’ was a highly-classified tactical aircraft to be withdrawn. Two RB-57Es fire forced the crew to eject.
reconnaissance programme using specially-
modified RB-57Es which provided infra-
red coverage using their Reconofax VI
cameras. The sophisticated equipment in
these aircraft revealed enemy positions
and transportation even on the darkest of
nights. They also carried optical cameras for
day missions. Though there were only six

Right: Martin RB-57E ‘Patricia Lynn’ at Da

Nang AB, South Vietnam, January 1964. This
aircraft was lost on 25 October 1968.

090-091_AA52.indd 90 14/10/2020 12:36


BOEING RC-135M
Combat Apple
F
or 24 hours a day, RC-135M Combat
Apple aircraft orbited over the
Gulf of Tonkin and Laos, gathering
communication and electronics intelligence.
Their mission was highly-classified, which
made them a specially valuable target for
North Vietnamese MiGs.
The secretive world of airborne electronic
intelligence (ELINT) took on ever greater
importance during the Cold War. In Vietnam,
the arrival of the RC-135M in 1971 represented
another level of sophistication over the aging
RB-57s. Under the Combat Apple programme,
five RC-135Ms were deployed to Kadena AB
to be operated by the 82nd Reconnaissance
Squadron, gathering signals intelligence over
the Gulf of Tonkin and Laos. With so few
aircraft and with missions lasting over 19 hours
for a 12 hour orbit in the Gulf of Tonkin, it was
a challenging task, especially when operating
090-091_AA52.indd 91
in conditions of such high humidity and
volatile weather. Nevertheless, Combat Apple
was on station without a break until the
requirement ended.
MiG threat
Initially, the Combat Apple orbits were all in the
Gulf of Tonkin, which inevitably attracted the
interest of North Vietnamese MiG-21s. The
RC-135M had no defensive systems, so after
a few close encounters, fighter escort was
ordered for the Combat Apple patrols. However,
the enemy fighters soon recognised that
the RC-135M would be vulnerable when the
fighters had to refuel and timed their attacks
accordingly. That occurred twice before
additional fighter cover was provided. A couple
of orbits before the ‘high cover’ would depart
for refuelling, two more fighters would join the
RC-135 and tuck in under its wings undetected.
RC-135 91
Above: Highly capable RC-135s – like this
RC-135M Combat Apple aircraft – conducted
communications and electronic intelligence over
Southeast Asia, 24 hours a day.
The MiGs took the bait and were promptly shot
down. They soon learned to leave the RC-135s
alone. In 1972 an overland route was established
for Combat Apple that took the RC-135Ms over
Laos and the Ho Chi Minh Trail and other supply
routes. Although this gave access to intelligence
that was unobtainable from the Gulf of Tonkin,
it also placed the RC-135s under the threat
of SAMs and attacks by MiGs. However, any
weapons moved into Laos against the RC-135,
were quickly detected and destroyed. No
RC‑135M was lost in combat in Southeast Asia.
Other specialised RC-135 family types sent
to Kadena for the purpose of collecting specific
electronic intelligence were the KC-135R,
C-135U and several versions of the RC-135C.
15/10/2020 09:53
 92 RECCE

MCDONNELL RF-101 VOODOO

Magic Eye
R
econnaissance pilots had a motto –
‘alone, unafraid and unarmed’. For the
RF-101 pilots flying low and fast over
the dangerous skies of Southeast Asia, this
could not be more apposite.
Nicknamed the ‘Long Bird’, the RF-101C was
the only version of the Voodoo to see combat.
Using the reinforced airframe of the McDonnell
F-101C Voodoo, the RF-101C first flew on 12 July
1957 entering US Air Force service in 1958.
The RF-101C retained the bombing ability
of the fighter-bomber versions, but had up to
six cameras in place of radar and cannons in
the reshaped nose, which gave the RF-101 its
distinct appearance when compared to the
original F-101 fighter. Some 166 RF-101Cs were
built, including 96 originally scheduled to be
F-101C fighter-bombers.
RF-101s from the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance
Wing deployed to Vietnam in October 1961 and
started off flying
flood damage
photos and
missions over Laos. The
Loran-equipped RF-101s also acted as
pathfinders for F-100s in the first US Air Force
strike against North Vietnam on 8 February 1965.
As the war escalated, so the requirement for
reconnaissance operations over South and then
North Vietnam increased. Voodoo and aircrews
photographed communist positions in South
Vietnam and Laos, enemy movement on the
Ho Chi Minh Trail, and targets in North Vietnam
before and after bombing attacks. They also
conducted weather reconnaissance flights
ahead of strike forces.
But it was a dangerous business and flying
tactical reconnaissance demanded nerves of
steel. Pilots had to fly straight and steady as
they flew over targets which, by mid 1965,
were ringed with growing AAA defences and
SA-2 ‘Guideline’ SAM missiles… and MiGs were
always lying in wait. However, the Voodoo’s
greatest asset was its speed and regularly its

Above: As they approached their ‘targets’ the

RF-101 crews flew low and their shadows often
crept into the images, such as this recce photo
taken over the destroyed My Duo highway
bridge, April 1965. The Voodoo at this stage
would have been doing around 600mph to avoid
enemy defences.

Right: An RF-101 lands at Udorn Royal Thai AFB,

after another reconnaissance mission over North
Vietnam in December 1967.

RF-101C Voodoo
Crew: 1
Length: 69ft 3in (21.09m)
Wingspan: 39ft 8in (12.1m)
Height: 17ft 11in (5.48m)
Empty weight: 28,660lb (13,000kg)
Max T/O weight: 51,147lb (23,200kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney J57
turbojets of 15,000lb
thrust each
Max speed: 1,000mph (1,610km/h)
Range: 2,060 miles (3,315km)
Service ceiling: 48,556ft (14,800m)

092-093_AA52.indd 92 15/10/2020 11:10

 RF-101 VOODOO 93

pilots would light the afterburner and exceed Above: US Air Force McDonnell RF-101A-30-MC Voodoo, 54-1510, circa1968.
Mach 1 after hitting the targets, leaving the
Below: The RF-101 provided key intelligence about movements along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
MiGs in their wake. Nevertheless, the first
RF‑101C combat loss occurred in late 1964. In
April 1967, ALQ-71 ECM pods were fitted to
provide some protection by jamming the radars
used by SAMs. Although the Voodoo was again
able to operate at medium altitudes, the added
drag decreased the speed enough to make the
RF-101 vulnerable to MiGs and thus requiring
fighter escort. In some 35,000 sorties over
nine years, 39 RF-101C aircraft were lost, 33 in
combat including five to SA-2 ‘Guideline’ SAMs,
one to an airfield attack, and one in air combat
to a MiG-21 in September 1967. From 1965
through November 1970, the RF-101’s role was
gradually taken over by the RF-4C Phantom II.

The cost of a photograph

On 29 July 1965, Capt Jack Weatherby
volunteered to lead an extremely dangerous
recce mission against a key surface-to-air
missile (SAM) site deep in North Vietnam.
Forty miles from the target, Weatherby and
his wingman, Maj Jerry Lents, descended to
200ft and accelerated to more than 600mph.
As they neared the site, Weatherby’s RF-101C
was hit by ground fire, causing a fire under
the fuselage. Knowing the importance of
this mission, though, he continued on the
photo run. As they left the target area at low
altitude, Weatherby’s RF-101C exploded and
crashed. In recognition of his extraordinary
heroism and sacrifice, Capt Jack Wilton
Weatherby was posthumously awarded the
Air Force Cross, the US Air Force’s second
highest honour.

Left: Capt Jack Weatherby was one of the

most experienced reconnaissance pilots in
Southeast Asia.

092-093_AA52.indd 93 15/10/2020 09:54

 94 RECCE
MCDONNELL RF-4C PHANTOM
Action photographer
I
n an era when flying low and very fast
gave a reasonable chance of getting back
to base with the all-important film of the
target area, the RF-4C became the master of
tactical reconnaissance.
In the early 1960s, the US Air Force
recognised the need for more tactical
reconnaissance aircraft to reinforce the
RF-101s then in service. A modification of
the F-4C fighter was chosen and the RF-4C
development programme began in 1962. The
first production aircraft made its initial flight on
18 May 1964 and the US Air Force eventually
operated a total of 499 RF-4Cs. The 16th Tactical
Reconnaissance Squadron became the first
operational unit to fly the RF-4C. In October
1965 that unit deployed to Southeast Asia to
provide photographic reconnaissance of the
growing conflict in Vietnam. The RF-4C was
094-095_AA52.indd 94
equipped with a variety of optical and infra-red
cameras in three different stations in its nose
section, allowing it to take images at both high
and low altitude, day or night. The RF-4C carried
no offensive armament, although during the
last few years of its service some were fitted
with four AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles for defence.
The unarmed RF-4Cs were far from defenceless,
however, as pilots quickly developed deceptive
manoeuvres to counter the gunners. Its crews
also found that the RF-4C could outrun many
threats. To get the best pictures, crews usually
flew daytime missions over North Vietnam
between 11-14,000ft altitude, making the
aircraft vulnerable to surface-to-air missiles.
From SAM launch to possible impact was about
10sec. For SAM defence, dispensers on the rear
of the RF-4C ejected chaff to fool radar-guided
missiles, and a radar-warning receiver flashed
threats on cockpit displays, along with chirping
in headsets. The RF-4C was operated by four
squadrons, and of the 83 losses, 72 were in
combat, seven to SAMs and 65 to AAA.
Back-seat driver
Even without formal pilot training, several
back-seat weapon system officers (WSO)
managed to land RF-4Cs after their pilots were
injured. WSO Gerry Dobberfuhl recounts a
mission over Laos on 16 September 1969: ‘Our
cockpit exploded and I heard screaming from
the front. We started diving and I managed
to pull back on the stick and we just missed
the ground and the mountain in front of us’.
Since he had heard that Laotian communists
were taking no prisoners, Dobberfuhl initially
headed for North Vietnam, but realising the
aircraft was still flyable, turned back west
14/10/2020 13:32
 RF-4C PHANTOM 95

Left: An early uncamouflaged US Air Force RF‑4C

in a protective revetment. The first RF-4Cs
deployed to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon,
Vietnam with the 16th TRS in 1965. This RF-4C,
64-1054, was lost after being hit by ground fire
on the night of 19-20 August 1966.

Right: Photograph of an SA-2 site in North

Vietnam taken by an RF-4C in August 1965.

toward Thailand. Crossing the river dividing

Laos and Thailand, he pulled the throttles to
idle and headed for Nakhon Phanom Air Base,
just inside Thailand’s eastern border. The barely
conscious pilot lowered the gear and flaps, but
Dobberfuhl couldn’t tell if the tail hook was
down. To see the runway, he kicked the rudder
back and forth during final approach. ‘The last
300ft was pure luck’, he said. ‘The greatest relief
I ever felt in my life was when that tail hook
grabbed the wire’. Both pilot and aircraft lived
to fly another day.

Above: Two RF-4C aircrews fully outfitted for

a mission. Unlike the single-seat RF-101C, the
RF-4C carried a pilot in the front seat and a pilot/
WSO in the back seat.

Left and below: A US Air Force RF-4C being shot

down by an SA-2 on 12 August 1967 near Hanoi,
North Vietnam. Capts Edwin Atterberry and
Thomas Parrott were captured after ejecting.
Atterberry died in the hands of the North
Vietnamese after an escape attempt and Parrott
was released at the end of the war.

RF-4C Phantom
Crew: 2
Length: 62ft 2in (18.95m)
Wingspan: 38ft 5in (11.76m)
Height: 16ft 3in (4.99m)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric
J79-GE-15s of 17,000lb
thrust each
Max speed: 1,384mph (2,227km/h)
Range: 1,400 miles (2,253km)
Service ceiling: 55,200ft (16,824m)

094-095_AA52.indd 95 14/10/2020 14:35

 96 U-2
LOCKHEED U-2
Dragon Lady
T
hey couldn’t see it, but they knew it
was there... flying high overhead, slow
and vulnerable, but tantalisingly out
of reach. The U-2 was the proverbial eye in
the sky, gathering vital intelligence essential
to the US war effort in Vietnam.
The unique high-flying U-2 reconnaissance
jet was designed early in the Cold War to overfly
and photograph military activities in the Soviet
Union and other communist nations. The U-2,
nicknamed ‘Dragon Lady’ after a comic strip
character of the 1930s, was built at Lockheed’s
famous ‘Skunk Works’ under the direction of
Clarence L. ‘Kelly’ Johnson, and became one
of the most successful intelligence-gathering
Below: A US Air Force Lockheed U-2D, 56-6951,
from the 4,028th SRS at Bien Hoa Air Base,
Vietnam, in early 1965. For security reasons,
U-2s were rarely seen outside of their hangars.
Note the Vietnamese Douglas A-1H Skyraiders
and US Air Force Martin B-57B Canberras in
the background. On 19 October 1966 this U-2
crashed on the runway at Davis Monthan AFB,
Arizona, during a practice approach and landing.
The pilot survived without injury.
096-097_AA52.indd 96
aircraft ever produced. The original U-2A first
flew in August 1955 and early flights over the
Soviet Union provided key intelligence on
Soviet military capability. In October 1962,
the U-2 photographed the build-up of Soviet
offensive nuclear missiles in Cuba, touching off
the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Chasing the Dragon
The clandestine U-2 first appeared over
Southeast Asia skies in 1962 under the
command of the CIA, using unmarked U-2s
from ‘Detachment H’ in Taiwan. However, as
tactical intelligence became more important
after the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of
August 1964, SAC took over all U-2 missions
in Indochina. In early 1964, SAC sent a
detachment of U-2s from the 4,080th Strategic
Reconnaissance Wing to South Vietnam for
high altitude reconnaissance missions over
North Vietnam, particularly identifying SAM
sites around highly-defended targets such
as Hanoi and Haiphong harbour. Following
the redesignation of the 4,080th SRW into
the 100th SRW on 11 February 1966, the
Lockheed U-2C
Crew: 1
Length: 50ft 0in (15.24m)
Wingspan: 79ft 11in (24.38m)
Height: 14ft 11in (4.57m)
Empty weight: 13,007lb (5,900kg)
Max T/O weight: 22,542lb (10,225kg)
Powerplant: 1 x Pratt & Whitney
J75-P-13 producing
15,000lb of thrust
Max speed: 528mph (845km/h)
Range: 6,251 miles (10,060km)
Service Ceiling: 90,000ft (27,432m)
detachment at Bien Hoa AB, South Vietnam,
became the 349th SRS. The U-2s continued
to provide valuable information throughout
the Vietnam War, flying high over Southeast
Asia with impunity, beyond the range of
enemy fighters and missiles. As such, its
role in the conflict cannot be understated.
Remarkably, the only loss of a U-2 during
combat operations occurred on 8 October
1966, when an aircraft flown by Maj Leo Stewart
developed mechanical problems high over
North Vietnam. Stewart managed to fly the U-2
back to South Vietnam where he ejected safely.
The U-2 crashed near its base at Bien Hoa. In
July 1970, the 349th SRS at Bien Hoa moved to
Thailand and was redesignated the 99th SRS in
November 1972.
15/10/2020 09:55
 SR-71 BLACKBIRD 97

LOCKHEED SR-71 BLACKBIRD

Black Shield ops

N
ot everybody appreciated the Lucky bunny Above: Lockheed SR-71A, 61-7974, Det 1 9th SRW,
futuristic beauty of the SR-71 On 15 May 1972, Maj Tom Pugh and Maj Ronnie Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan 1968.
Blackbird. The North Vietnamese Rice were ‘cruising’ at Mach 3.18 at 79,500ft over
fired 800 SAMs at SR-71s during the Vietnam North Vietnam in SR-71 61-7978 (known as the Pugh crossed Laos to recover into Udorn RTAFB
War, without scoring a single hit. While ‘Rapid Rabbit’ because of the Playboy bunny without further problems. In their post-flight
it would appear that the Blackbird was logo on its rudders), when both generators analysis, Pugh learned that they had overflown
untouchable, there was nothing routine failed. Out of power, the fuel pumps stopped Hanoi at 41,000ft, within range of the SAMs that
about its missions over Vietnam. feeding JP-7 to the engines causing a double encircled the city. The ‘Bunny’ had pulled off a
They might have been built alongside each flameout. To add to the crew’s problems, the- lucky escape.
other at Burbank California, but the SR-71 inlet spikes moved fully forward and the aircraft
was the antithesis of the U-2. In some ways
it represented the pinnacle of aeronautical
began pitching and rolling rapidly. Pugh knew
the aircraft was approaching the limits of its
SR-71A Blackbird
innovation, and of the advanced work carried supersonic flight envelope, so had to be gentle Crew: 2
out by Lockheed’s famous ‘Skunk Works’. This as he struggled to regain control. Pugh initiated Length: 107ft 5in (32.74m)
sleek Mach 3, unarmed, high-altitude strategic a gentle ‘needle ball and airspeed’ turn towards Wingspan: 55ft 7in (16.94m)
reconnaissance aircraft was among the ultimate a ‘friendly piece of concrete’. Having descended Height: 18ft 6in (5.64m)
symbols of US technological superiority during to 41,000ft and slowed to just Mach 1.1, he Empty weight: 67,500lb (30,617kg)
the Cold War. The first flight of an SR-71 took managed to get one generator back on line and Max T/O weight: 172,000lb (78,018kg)
place on 22 December 1964 and it entered both engines relit. He then re-accelerated to Powerplant: 2 x Pratt & Whitney J58s
service with the 4,200th (later 9th) Strategic Mach 1.7 to exit the area as quickly as possible. of 25,500lb thrust each
Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, California, in Max speed: Mach 3.32
January 1966. (2,200mph/3,540km/h)
Code named ‘Black Shield’, the first Range: 3,250 miles (5,230km)
operational SR-71 sorties over North Vietnam, Service Ceiling: +85,000ft (+26,000m)
and Laos were flown in March 1968 from
Kadena AFB, Okinawa. Because of the extended
turnaround required after mission recovery, the
SR-71s initially averaged approximately one
sortie a week for nearly two years. Very often
an aircraft would return with rivets missing,
delaminated panels or other broken parts
such as inlets requiring repair or replacement.
However, by 1972 the SR-71 detachment was
flying nearly one sortie every day, an incredible
achievement for such a specialised machine.
Two SR-71s were lost during these missions,
one in 1970 and the second in 1972, both due
to mechanical malfunctions. Over the course of
its reconnaissance missions during the Vietnam
War, the North Vietnamese fired approximately
800 SAMs at SR-71s, none of which managed to
score a hit.

Right: An aircraft like no other. The Lockheed

SR-71 Blackbird.

096-097_AA52.indd 97 15/10/2020 09:57

 X T
NE E!
IS S U

VIETNAM WAR
Vol 2: US Army, USN and USMC aircraft
Land, sea and sky. Part two of our coverage of the Vietnam War
features the primary aircraft operated by the
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 A PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDE TO THE BATTLE
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