Vietnam War Air Power: Rolling Thunder, Dogfights, and Reconnaissance Missions
F-111 in Vietnam | COMBAT LANCER
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...
A-37 Dragonfly
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...
A-7D | Precise & Revolutionary
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...
F-100 Super Sabre
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...
AC-130 Gunship: Origins, Upgrades, and Battlefield Dominance
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
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...
9 Squadron RAAF History Part 2 | The Iroquois
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...
F-105 Thud – Thunder in the Skies
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
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....
SR71 Over Vietnam
The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird conducted high-altitude reconnaissance missions over Vietnam during the war, leveraging Mach 3+ speeds and 85,000-foot ceilings for strategic intelligence gathering amid North Vietnamese threats. Its advanced stealth coatings and sensors...
F-14 tomcats in Vietnam
The F-14 Tomcat in Vietnam marked its combat debut during Operation Frequent Wind in April 1975, with VF-1 and VF-2 aboard USS Enterprise providing air cover for Saigon evacuations amid North Vietnamese advances. Armed with AIM-54 Phoenix, AIM-7 Sparrow, and AIM-9...
LIMA SITE 85: How a Huey shot down a plane
Lima Site 85 saw a rare 1969 Vietnam War incident where a CIA UH-1D Huey helicopter pursued and downed a North Vietnamese AN-2 biplane over Laos using rotor downwash and AK-47 fire from crewman Glenn Woods after pilot Ted Moore's maneuvers. This marked the only...