Talyn
Emissary
It was during Rolling Thunder, however, on 3 April 1965, that U.S. and North Vietnamese aircraft met in aerial combat for the first time. The conflict’s first U.S. air-to-air kills soon followed on 17 June, courtesy of a pair of the U.S. Navy’s flashy new McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs.
Meanwhile, the Navy fighter squadrons flying the Chance Vought F-8 Crusader had scored five confirmed MiG kills with no losses, all using AIM-9s.
www.usni.org
Despite the temporary cessation of aerial hostilities, the bombing halt did produce MiG vectors on occasion, but the MiGs always ran.
Crusaders reportedly did not get close to a MiG again until May 1972. On the 23rd, a VF-211 F-8J section had to forcefully assert their presence on the radio to even be given the vector, all for them to roll in trail of a MiG-17 and the watch enemy pilot eject before they could fire a Sidewinder. Whether this enemy pilot was scared into jumping out is unconfirmed, but he supposedly was having control problems and was readying to eject anyway.14 That being said, it is a safe bet that two hungry F-8s in your mirror would expedite such an action.
F-8 Crusaders of the “Fighting Checkmates” of Fighter Squadron (VF) 211 in flight over the carrier USS Hancock. VF-211 had a reputation as MiG killers and, in 1968, Lieutenant (junior grade) Gary W. Williams was eager to join their ranks.
National Naval Aviation Museum
The attack aircraft carrier USS Hancock, from which VF-211 and VA-163 flew in the final air-to-air conflict of Operation Rolling Thunder. Skyhawks are lined up on her bow. U.S. Navy
Meanwhile, the Navy fighter squadrons flying the Chance Vought F-8 Crusader had scored five confirmed MiG kills with no losses, all using AIM-9s.
View from the Cockpit: The Final Air-to-Air Kill of Rolling Thunder
Based on interviews with the aviators who were there, here is a gripping account of aerial combat from Vietnam ’68.
Despite the temporary cessation of aerial hostilities, the bombing halt did produce MiG vectors on occasion, but the MiGs always ran.
Crusaders reportedly did not get close to a MiG again until May 1972. On the 23rd, a VF-211 F-8J section had to forcefully assert their presence on the radio to even be given the vector, all for them to roll in trail of a MiG-17 and the watch enemy pilot eject before they could fire a Sidewinder. Whether this enemy pilot was scared into jumping out is unconfirmed, but he supposedly was having control problems and was readying to eject anyway.14 That being said, it is a safe bet that two hungry F-8s in your mirror would expedite such an action.
F-8 Crusaders of the “Fighting Checkmates” of Fighter Squadron (VF) 211 in flight over the carrier USS Hancock. VF-211 had a reputation as MiG killers and, in 1968, Lieutenant (junior grade) Gary W. Williams was eager to join their ranks.
National Naval Aviation Museum
The attack aircraft carrier USS Hancock, from which VF-211 and VA-163 flew in the final air-to-air conflict of Operation Rolling Thunder. Skyhawks are lined up on her bow. U.S. Navy