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  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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 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

  • 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

  • Teledyne-Ryan AQM-34Q Combat Dawn Firebee

    Please Note: This aircraft is currently in storage.Firebee drones flew many types of missions, including photographic reconnaissance, electronic intelligence gathering, and radio communications monitoring. From February 1970 to June 1973, AQM-34Q unmanned aircraft flew 268 missions near North Korea

  • Teledyne-Ryan AQM-34L Firebee

    The AQM-34L remotely piloted aircraft flew low-level photo-reconnaissance missions over North Vietnam. The AQM-34 series was developed from the unmanned BQM-34A target aircraft.The AQM-34L on display flew more than 30 missions over North Vietnam. On Aug. 6, 1972, it was damaged by an SA-2