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Mask Policy:
In accordance with the updated guidance released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Defense (DoD) and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force will require all visitors to wear face masks indoors effective July 30, 2021 until further notice.

Visitors ages three and up will be required to wear masks while indoors at the museum. This policy applies to all visitors, staff and volunteers regardless of vaccination status. Visitors may wear their own masks or a free paper mask will be provided. Cloth masks will also be available for purchase in the Museum Store.
Additional information available here.

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Trumping the SAMs: The F-105G and the Standard AGM-78 Missile
In 1967 the USAF began developing the more capable F-105G with improved and standardized 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 AGM-78 was first employed by F-105 Wild Weasels on March 10, 1968. Although Rolling
The First Loss
Captains John Pritchford and Robert TrierThe first Wild Weasel loss occurred on Dec. 20, 1965. While on an Iron Hand mission over North Vietnam, anti-aircraft fire hit the F-100F crewed by Capts. John Pitchford and Robert Trier. Both ejected, but Capt. Trier was killed while exchanging fire with North Vietnamese troops on the ground. Capt.
The Pioneers: Wild Weasel and the F-100F
The Air Force placed great hope on the success of the Wild Weasel concept. Project Wild Weasel used modified two-seat F-100Fs, with the pilot flying and firing weapons from the front seat, while an electronic warfare officer (EWO) tracked enemy radar systems in the back seat. These trailblazers created, tested and proved SAM suppression tactics in
Tankers at War: Air Refueling in Southeast Asia
Refueling in flight made long-distance flying operations possible in Southeast Asia. Heavily-laden aircraft like the F-105 Thunderchief, F-4 Phantom and B-52 Stratofortress needed fuel on the way to and from their targets. Getting gas from tankers allowed them to carry maximum bomb loads, and search and rescue helicopters increased their range with
Tracking the MiGs: EC-121 Airborne Early Warning
EC-121s played a key role by monitoring airborne North Vietnamese MiGs and guiding USAF fighters to intercept them. Orbiting securely outside the border, EC-121 crews used the aircraft's radar and enemy radio communications to detect and locate MiGs within North Vietnamese airspace. These operations began in the spring of 1965 under the code name
Total Force Legacy
The Total Force Policy -- a direct result of lessons learned from the Southeast Asia War -- significantly changed the role of the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard after the war. In the 1960s Reserve and Guard units generally flew older aircraft and most did not have the ability to rapidly deploy. The Total Force Policy provided greater
Turning Night into Day: Candlesticks, Lamplighters and Blind Bats
The enemy used the cover of darkness to move and attack. In Laos, Air Force flareships played an important role in lighting the night sky over friendly positions. Flareship crews also directed night air strikes, often against trucks on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. They used night observation devices -- or "Starlight scopes" -- to detect the enemy, then
Tonkin Gulf Resolution: Authority for War
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was Congress' permission for the president to use force in response to North Vietnamese hostile action. It became a turning point in American involvement in Southeast Asia.On Aug. 2, 1964, three North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked the destroyer USS Maddox 28 miles off the North Vietnamese coast in the Gulf of Tonkin.
The Southeast Asia War: Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
A product of the Cold War, the Southeast Asia War (1961-1973) began with communist attempts to overthrow non-communist governments in the region. United States participation in the Southeast Asia War resulted from the policy of "containment," which aimed to prevent communism from expanding beyond its early Cold War borders. The containment strategy
Texas Instruments BOLT-117 Laser Guided Bomb
The BOLT-117 (BOmb, Laser Terminal) was the world's first laser-guided bomb (LGB). Used by U.S. Air Force F-4 Phantoms in the Southeast Asia War, it consisted of a KMU-342 laser guidance and control kit attached to a standard, M117 750-pound bomb. The guidance system and control fins were adapted from the AGM-45 Shrike missile.A Weapon System