Vietnam War 65th Anniversary Vol.1 USAF Aircraft (Aviation Archive No.52)

100 Pages·2020·51.624 MB·English

by  Allan Burney

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4 INTRODUCTION
VIETNAM WAR
65th Anniversary Special: Vol 1
USAF Aircraft
1965 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, [email protected].
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 [phone] • 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: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. Website: www.keypublishing.com ISBN: 9781913295240
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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 R EPUBLIC 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 N ORTH 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
The Vietnam War was a protracted build-up began. At this point in the conflict,
conflict that pitted the communist US leadership emphasised restraint and
government of North Vietnam and gradual escalation, so the US Air Force mission
its allies in South Vietnam, known as the was at first limited. During this period, the
Viet Cong, against the government of South North Vietnamese Air Force (also known as
Vietnam and its principal ally, the United the Vietnam People’s Air Force or VPAF), was
States. The conflict was intensified by the building an extensive ground radar network,
ongoing Cold War between the US and the while its pilots slowly acquired experience with
Soviet Union and their respective allies. their new MiG-17s. Acting cautiously, Hanoi
At the heart of the conflict was the desire refused to commit its fighters to combat unless
of North Vietnam, which had defeated the the odds were stacked in their favour. Only 28
French colonial administration of Vietnam in North Vietnamese aircraft were lost in combat
1954, to unify the entire country under a single with US aircraft during 1964-66. The US Air
communist regime modelled after those of the Force’s first kills of the war occurred on 7 July
Soviet Union and China. The South Vietnamese 1965, when two MiG-17s were shot down when
government, on the other hand, fought to they attacked a pair of F-4C Phantoms.
preserve a Vietnam more closely aligned During the second half of the 1960s, the US
with the West. US military advisers, present in Air Force gained more flexibility and took on a
small numbers throughout the 1950s, were more active role in the war. Operation ‘Rolling
introduced on a large scale beginning in 1961, Thunder’, ordered by President Johnson in
and active combat units were introduced 1965, had two objectives: to smash the North
in 1965. By 1969 more than 500,000 US Vietnamese air defence system, industrial base,
military personnel were stationed in Vietnam. and supply network; and to erode its support
Meanwhile, the Soviet Union and China poured in the south. The campaign targeted rail lines,
weapons, supplies, and advisers into the north, 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
which in turn provided support, political the supply lines running down the Ho Chi Minh
F-105 pilot Maj Ralph Kuster Jr on 5 June 1967. 
direction, and regular combat troops for the Trail to the south. China and the Soviet Union
campaign in the south. More than three million continued to help North Vietnam build up its
people (including over 58,000 Americans) were supplies of anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to- guided bombs. These bombs felled several
killed in the Vietnam War, more than half of air missiles, eventually creating the strongest important bridges over the Red River, including
them civilians. The costs and casualties of the air-defence system then in existence. the logistically and symbolically important Paul
controversial war proved too much for the US to As ‘Rolling Thunder’ ended and Doumer Bridge, the only bridge to link Hanoi
bear, and it withdrew its combat units in 1973. Vietnamization (a policy to make South Korea and Haiphong. As peace talks dragged on,
Communist forces ended the war by seizing self-sufficient and allow the gradual withdrawal President Nixon ordered a second Linebacker
control of South Vietnam in 1975 and the of US troops) began in late 1968, the US Air operation and in late December 1972, B-52s
country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Force continued its bombing campaign, struck Hanoi and Haiphong at night and A-7s
Vietnam the following year. 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
THE AIR WAR pull out, air power began a greater offensive. quickly concluded a settlement.
US Air Force involvement in the Vietnam War During Operation ‘Linebacker I’, from May to
first began in the 1950s in an advisory level October 1972, the US Air Force dropped over AIR-TO-AIR
and ended with heavy bombing operations 150,000 tons of bombs over North Vietnam, In 1965, the small North Vietnamese Air Force
in the early 1970s. Initially, the US Air Force concentrating mostly on transportation targets, (VPAF) was equipped with somewhat outdated,
helped train and equip the growing South airfields, powerplants, and radio stations. gun-armed MiG-17s. The entry of missile-armed,
Vietnamese Air Force, while also building The US Air Force also continued to develop a supersonic MiG-21s in early 1966, however,
up radar, reconnaissance, air control, and wider range of weapons suited to the conflict, dramatically increased the VPAF threat. The US
counterinsurgency capabilities. After the including specialised bombs to penetrate or Air Force’s primary counter to the MiG was the
Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, during which defoliate the jungle canopy, non-lethal gas F-4 Phantom fighter. Though outnumbered,
a US destroyer exchanged fire with North bombs that could provide cover for air rescue VPAF MiGs had some significant advantages.
Vietnamese torpedo boats, a major military missions, and a new arsenal of radar- and laser- Guided by ground controllers using early
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8 VIETNAM WAR
warning radar, MiG pilots only attacked under
ideal circumstances, such as when US aircraft MiG-17 ‘Fresco’
were bomb-laden, low on fuel, or damaged.
This single-seat, single-engine fighter was in widespread use with the North Vietnamese Air
The small, hard-to-see MiGs typically made
Force from 1964. The F-4 was clearly a superior aircraft in terms of absolute performance, but
one-pass attacks at high speed, then escaped
the MiG pilots knew they could win an encounter if they could get the F-4 into a close-in,
to a sanctuary (either their airfields, which
turning dogfight. In these conditions, the F-4’s manoeuvrability was inferior to that of the
were not bombed until mid-1967, or to nearby
MiG, its missiles would be ineffective and its radar would count for nothing. Unlike the F-4,
communist China). Since they were always over
the MiG-17 had a heavy cannon armament, ideal for close engagements. At least three VPAF
friendly territory, MiG pilots could be back in
pilots achieved ‘ace’ status (five kills) during the Vietnam War, some of these being F-4s.
action quickly if they survived being shot down.
US Air Force fighter pilots had better training Below: North Vietnamese pilots walk past their MiG-17s. Between 1966 and 1972 a total of 17
and superior aircraft, but they endured several flying aces were credited by the VPAF against US fighters.
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, astern of four bomb-laden F-4 Phantoms in and radar-jamming aircraft, F-4 Phantom fighter
enemy MiGs failed in their primary mission to close formation. The MiG made a supersonic escorts close to the bomb carriers and the
stop US air attacks over North Vietnam during ‘hit-and-run’ pass, launched a Soviet AA-2/Atoll ‘MiGCAP’ F-4s, which were free to make sweeps
the operation. In fact, the VPAF fighter force air-to-air missile that shot down Phantom No 4, and aggressively go after MiGs.
sometimes retreated to China and stood down and blew past the formation to safety. Because When US forces resumed widespread
from combat operations due to heavy losses the MiG-21s engaged only when directed by operations over North Vietnam in spring 1972,
suffered at the hands of US fighter crews. The radar, which provided them with both surprise the North Vietnamese decided once again to
VPAF, having lost half of its combat aircraft in a and positional advantage, there was no challenge the strikes head-on. On 10 May, the
matter of a few weeks between March and June opportunity for the US forces to achieve a lethal US Air Force traded the North Vietnamese three
of 1967, went into a period of self-examination, firing position on the attacking MiGs. Facing for two during the first major battle of Operation
training and reconstitution. Because the North both the SAM threat and supersonic MiGs, the ‘Linebacker’. However, the US Navy famously
Vietnamese could not possibly gain control of US Air Force began building larger groups of shot down seven MiG-17s and a MiG-21 with
the skies by directly challenging the US forces, aircraft for bombing missions. ‘Strike packages’ no losses. It was the worst single day of the war
they adopted a different tactic that created contained 40 or more aircraft, including bomb for the VPAF. Hanoi’s reaction was swift, radical
problems for the US Air Force until the end of carriers, ‘Wild Weasels’ (two-seat F-105F and and appropriate. The MiG-17s were largely
the war. On 23 August 1967, North Vietnamese G Thunderchiefs outfitted with equipment to withdrawn from combat and the VPAF reverted
ground radar guided a MiG-21 to a position 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
MiG-21 ‘Fishbed’
five US Air Force Phantoms on air-to-air missions
North Vietnam’s best fighter and a close match in capability with the US F-4. The latter was for a loss of only two. But things were about to
slightly faster, but the MiG-21 had better acceleration. The MiG-21 was especially effective at turn around… In August 1972, the US Air Force
higher altitudes. It had a 23mm cannon but relied mainly on its four Atoll finally got its technical answer to the attack
missiles. Thirteen of North Vietnam’s16 fighter aces flew MiG-21s. 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.
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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.
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10 ATTACK
DOUGLAS A-1 SKYRAIDER
The Air Commandos
‘We were flying anachronisms, Designed during World War Two for the US
piloting Spads through a Navy, the Skyraider almost disappeared before
supersonic world, tasting the it had the opportunity to excel over Southeast
thunderstorms at 8,000ft when an SR-71 was Asia. In the high-speed jet-age world of the late
hitting three times the speed of sound above 1950s, the Skyraider seemed to be a relic of an
70,000ft. It was a ludicrous situation, but one earlier era. It had performed well during the
I applauded. Some of the greatest and most Korean War, but the US Navy had decided to
dangerous and heroic flying ever done was replace it with jet aircraft. However, the rugged
right there… in old A-1 Skyraiders.’ nature of Skyraiders proved well suited for
Skyraider pilot Capt Richard Drury’s fighting against the guerrilla-style war waged
sentiments are echoed by many of his by communists in Southeast Asia. Therefore,
Above: Four Douglas A-1E Skyraiders in formation
colleagues who fondly remember this unlikely when the US provided South Vietnam with
over South Vietnam on their way to a target on
hero of the Southeast Asia war. There was increased military assistance and training to
25 June 1965. The aircraft were assigned to the
nothing subtle about the Skyraider, but its ability resist communist forces, it gave Skyraiders to 34th Tactical Group based at Bien Hoa, South
to carry an immense number of weapons and the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). In 1961, Vietnam. The A-1E 133899 was lost on 9 June
stay over the battlefield for extended periods US Air Force instructors started training the 1966, 132633 on 10 November 1966, and 132638
on 4 May 1967.
of time made it a powerful weapon. It provided VNAF pilots at Bien Hoa Air Base with Skyraiders
close air support to ground forces, attacked in VNAF markings and their tail hooks removed.
Below: It might have been a relic from another
enemy supply lines, and protected helicopters Redesignated the A-1 in 1962, the old Skyraider age, but the A-1E Skyraider became a valuable
rescuing airmen downed in enemy territory. soon got the nickname ‘Spad’ – referring to weapon during the Vietnam war.
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