The First USAF AGM-78 Standard Mission

DAYTON, Ohio - Items in the First In, Last Out: WIld Weasels vs. SAMs exhibit: 1) Tape player, carried on Acree and O-Donnell's F-105, that recorded the mission. 2) Arming lanyards from AGM-78s fired on the first mission. 3) Acree's helmet used while flying in the U.S. 4) Fragments from an AGM-78 warhead. Each warhead produced 10,000 fragments. 5) Cockpit control panel for the AGM-78. Fp1-5G patch. (U.S. AIr Force photo)

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Capt. George Acree

Before becoming the Air Force Project Manager for the AGM-78, Acree flew 126 F-105D combat missions over North Vietnam. (U.S. Air Force photo)

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The First USAF AGM-78 Standard Mission

Acree and O’Donnell testing the AGM-78 over the White Sands Missile Range in October 1967. O’Donnell was a seasoned EWO, having flown fifty-three combat missions in Wild Weasel I. (U.S. Air Force photo)

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"Something Better Than the Shrike": The First USAF AGM-78 Standard Mission

After participating in the test program, Capts. George Acree and Frank O'Donnell flew on the first USAF AGM-78 missions over North Vietnam on March 10, 1968. Four Wild Weasel F-105s, each carrying two AGM-78s, covered a strike missions against a barracks near Hanoi. Acree and O'Donnell fired the first Standard. Although three of the eight AGM-78s fired by "Barracuda" flight failed, three hit their targets and two probably did -- a success rate nearly three times better than the Shrike.

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The First USAF AGM-78 Standard Mission

Capt. George Acree

The First USAF AGM-78 Standard Mission