In 1968, six F-111As were sent to Thailand for Combat Lancer. - the aircraft’s first combat deployment and a key test of its new low-level strike capabilities. The F-111s flew at night, in poor weather, and without visual contact with their targets, yet still showed...
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly earned a reputation as one of the most effective close-support and counter-insurgency aircraft of the Vietnam war. From a small jet trainer, the “Super Tweet” was transformed into a heavily armed CAS aircraft capable of carrying thousands of...
The A-7D Corsair II was never intended to become one of the U.S. Air Force's greatest strike aircraft. Originally acquired as a stopgap solution during the Vietnam War, it evolved into arguably the most accurate conventional attack aircraft of the conflict. Equipped...
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was America's first operational supersonic fighter, but its journey from cutting-edge air-superiority aircraft to one of the most important strike fighters of the Vietnam War was anything but straightforward. Plagued by dangerous...
The AC-130 gunship, a heavily armed variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, originated during the Vietnam War as Project Gunship II to replace the AC-47 Spooky. Evolving through variants like the AC-130A Spectre, AC-130U Spooky, and modern AC-130J Ghostrider, it...
How the F-102 became a night fighter in Vietnam adapted the Convair Delta Dagger's infrared search/track system for detecting heat sources on the Ho Chi Minh trail, arming it with AIM-4 Falcon missiles and 2.75-inch rockets for precision night strikes. Deployed from...
No. 9 Squadron RAAF history with the Iroquois started with reformation in 1962 at Williamtown using UH-1B helicopters, relocating to Fairbairn for enhanced ops. Deployed to Vietnam 1966-1971 for troop transport, medevacs, and gunship support with UH-1D/H models aiding...
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief, nicknamed "Thud," was a 1950s supersonic fighter-bomber designed for nuclear strikes, achieving Mach 2 speeds with J75 engines and carrying 14,000 pounds of ordnance plus a 20mm Vulcan cannon. As USAF's primary Vietnam strike aircraft,...
Top Vietnam War aces showcase elite pilots on both sides, with US Navy's Randall "Duke" Cunningham and William Driscoll achieving five MiG kills each in F-4 Phantoms using innovative tactics like loose deuce maneuvers, alongside Air Force's Richard Stephen Ritchie....