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How an unarmed A-7 managed to repel a MiG-17 over North Vietnam

by Till Daisd August 29, 2021

Junker’s SLUF lacked the typically present AIM-9D Sidewinder. And to make matters worse, a string of M61 faults on VA-146 caused his A-7 to lose its ability to fire. To avoid the MiG-17, he would have to rely on his flying prowess

The A-7 Corsair II, built by LTV Aerospace Corporation (the same company that made the renowned F-8 Crusader), took the role of the A-4 Skyhawk as the primary light attack aircraft for Naval Aviation. The A-7 made its first flight in September 1965 and had many characteristics of the F-8 Crusader, particularly the single jet intake gaping beneath the nose.

But the Corsair II’s short and stubby form exuded toughness and made it clear that it was built with bombs in mind. The A-7’s aircrews dubbed it the “Short, Little, Ugly, Fucker” (SLUF), although it really developed into possibly the most effective tactical jet bomber of the Vietnam War.

Dueling with a MiG was something the SLUF wasn’t supposed to undertake, yet it did so during the Southeast Asia War.

On May 10, 1972, the day Operation Linebacker kicked off, an A-7 pilot had one of his most up-close and personal contacts with a MiG.

It should be noted that during the campaign, American aircraft from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), and U.S. Air Force (USAF) carried out a number of heavy strikes deep inside the enemy’s heart, which was something that the military planners had desired since the early days of Rolling Thunder, more than six years earlier. Navy raids target locations along the coast of North Vietnam, especially the region north of Haiphong and close to the Chinese border.

The majority of Linebacker missions were flown by the Navy, with the A-6 and A-7 serving as the primary attack aircraft. The F-4 squadrons’ crews were also tasked with defending the strike groups from marauding MiGs that were more active in the sky.

In their book U.S. Navy A-7 Corsair II Units of the Vietnam War, Norman Birzer and Peter Mersky relate how on May 10, Lt. Allan E. Junker of VA-146 “Blue Diamonds” launched from USS Constellation (CV-64) on a midday strike against the Hai Duong railway marshaling yards, which connected the port of Haiphong to the industrial section of Hanoi. He was flying an A-7E and had eight 500 lb bombs on board.

As he got closer to the target, he questioned why no SAMs had been observed, which is often a sign of MiG activity. He lowered his weapons and turned to face the coast after his strike group. As his flight commander was nowhere to be found, Junker was on his own.

SLUF Vs Fresco: how an unarmed A-7 was able to fend off a MiG-17 in the skies over North VIietnam

Unbeknownst to him, a MiG-17 allegedly piloted by seasoned pilot Duong Trung Tan had targeted Lt. George T. Goryanec of VA-147. Junker noticed what appeared to be an A-6 approaching him as he moved for the sea. Right up until the silhouette turned into a North Vietnamese MiG-17 “Fresco,” he was excited about the promise of the firm. It was Duong Trung Tan, who had recently attempted to kill Lt. Goryanec but had abandoned the mission as the latter turned his SLUF to face the looming MiG.

However, Junker’s aircraft was lacking the regular AIM-9D Sidewinder because all Sidewinders had been delivered to the F-4 squadrons due to a lack of AIM-9Ds. And to make matters worse, a string of M61 mishaps on VA-146 caused his jet to be without a functioning cannon. To avoid the MiG, he would have to rely on his flying prowess.

Lt. Junker dove for the deck after radioing that a MiG-17 was tracking him. The characteristics of the MiG-17 had been made known to pilots during pre-deployment training. They were aware of its unquestionable superiority over the A-7 and how much faster it was. Additionally, its three-nose cannon had a powerful punch. They were also aware that the MiG’s roll rate was significantly lower than the Corsair II’s, so Junker had to work with this advantage.

He swept across the countryside of North Vietnam at very low altitudes (below 100 feet), cottages and meadows flashing by at more than 500 knots as he jinked up and down in a sine-wave pattern. In his rearview mirrors, he could make out the silver-grey MiG, and he could see that he was getting close to the sea. Junker yanked firmly. Red golf ball-sized shells the size of MiG bullets were being fired, and they were so close to the A-7’s cockpit that Junker could hear the muzzle blast. He wondered, “How will it feel when my wing comes off at 500 knots?”

The desperate A-7 pilot, pulling more than six Gs, threw his aircraft to the left and then to the right in an effort to obstruct the MiG pilot’s aim. The MiG had moved up above him and was now turning to the left to re-engage the Corsair II at his “two o’clock.” Junker could make out the MiG’s top.

As his squadronmate struggled for his life, his Executive Officer (XO), Cdr. Fred Baldwin was now standing over him. Baldwin, like Junker, lacked a Sidewinder and a functional gun, thus the XO was limited to providing moral support and making turn calls for his less-experienced pilot. Then, it’s said that George Goryanec, who was still nearby, heard Cdr. Baldwin’s warning shouts to Lt. Junker and activated the MiG. He hurriedly fired multiple bursts of 20 mm fire at the communist jet, potentially hitting the fighter’s wings (Goryanec was piloting a VA-147 aircraft, and this unit had not encountered any issues with its gun).

Baldwin’s phone calls were helpful, and Junker managed to repel the MiG. The A-7 was now traveling back toward Hanoi as a result of the frequent reversals, which Junker did not desire. He leveled off and stuffed his jet’s nose down once more. Junker soon created a 2000-foot distance between himself and the MiG as he started to outrun the aircraft. The miffed MiG pilot reversed course as he approached the coast, leaving Allan Junker to return to “Connie” and receive a warm welcome.

“People shook my hand and hugged me,” he recalled. From takeoff to landing, the entire sortie had barely taken 1.6 hours.

The rest of the tale was revealed sometime later during a fortuitous encounter between an F-4B pilot and one of Junker’s squadronmates at an officer’s club. Lt. Ken Cannon and Lt. Roy Morris (RIO) of VF-51 off the Coral Sea had heard Junker’s furious engagement on their radio as they were coming off another strike. Lt. Cdr. Chuck Schroeder and Lt(jg) Dale Arends (RIO), along with their flight leader, sped toward the battle and discovered a MiG returning home.

There was some proof that the MiG’s pilot, Duong Trung Tan, was still prepared for combat. Although the MiG pilot immediately moved into a favorable position behind the Phantom II and engaged Cannon’s flight lead, he chose not to fire. He most likely used all of his ammo on the A-7. Cannon approached the MiG-17 from behind and downed him. However, according to a different version of this event, Duong Trung Tan had really gone back to his post in Kep after being wounded by Lt. Goryanec.

Despite all of this aerial combat, on May 23, 1972, a MiG-21 claimed to have shot down an A-7 for the North Vietnamese. American records do not support the allegation, which is a recurrent point of contention. On that day, A-7B BuNo 154405 from VA-93 was lost and formally attributed to a SAM attack. After his death, Cdr. Charles E. Barnett’s remains were returned in 1988. When Barnett was a lieutenant commander and flying an A-4 with VA-195 in December 1966, he managed to avoid being shot down by a SAM.

Photo by skyhawkpc (Flickr) via hiveminer.com, Lt. Graves / U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force

August 29, 2021 0 comment

History

The commitment of the B-52 bombers during Operation Linebacker II

by Till Daisd August 29, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The B-52 community significantly contributed to returning North Vietnam to the negotiating table during Operations Freedom Train and Linebacker

As part of Operation Linebacker II, Andersen launched 729 sorties from December 18 to December 29, 1972, targeting 34 targets in North Vietnam. During the height of the Vietnam War, Andersen became home to almost 15,000 Airmen, 153 B-52 bombers, and 20 support aircraft.

The bombing campaign was successful because, as a result, the North Vietnamese freed 591 American POWs and went back to the negotiating table, where, less than a month after the operation, the Paris Peace Accords were signed. During Operation Linebacker II, the goal of bringing “peace through strength” was more prevalent than ever.

Impressive photos show B-52 bombers taking part in Operation Linebacker II, the Christmas bombings over North Vietnam which took place 45 years ago — B-52s at Andersen Air Base, Guam, during preparations for Operation Linebacker II in Dec. 1972.

In memory of the 15 aircraft and 33 crew members who perished during Operation Linebacker II, we share the following article by Yancy Mailes, Command Historical, Air Force Global Strike Command.

B-52s at Andersen Air Base, Guam, during preparations for Operation Linebacker II in Dec. 1972. — B-52 takes off for a mission over North Vietnam

President Richard Nixon and his administration received concrete proof that North Vietnam was preparing a massive operation to strike South Vietnam from American intelligence services in the early months of 1972. In order to eliminate the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and simultaneously undermine South Vietnam’s weak government, north Vietnam planned to invade as much of South Vietnam as they could.

Nixon’s Vietnamization program made the North aware that the United States was gradually drawing down its forces, with just 65,000 troops actually stationed in the South at the time. The Nixon administration intended to respond by ordering the B-52 crews to commence airstrikes in order to pressure the North to discuss a peace agreement.

Under Operation Bullet Shot, a fast buildup of B-52 troops started in early February 1972. By the end of 1971, just about forty B-52Ds, all based at U-Tapao, Thailand, were still operating in the theater after the ArcLight sortie rate at Guam and Kadena had decreased since September 1970. Strategic Air Command (SAC) intended to send 200 B-52s to the area in order to support the upcoming operations.

Beginning in February of that year, SAC crews from the 7th, 96th, and 306th Bomb Wings rebuilt Guam’s B-52 force over the course of the five stages of Bullet Shot. Although there were eventually 54 B-52Ds at U-Tapao and approximately 50 B-52Ds assigned to the 43d Strategic Wing in Guam, SAC still required roughly 100 bombers to meet the demand. As a result, the Air Force established the 72d Bomb Wing Provisional later in July 1972 and sent a complement of B-52Gs to Guam as the preparations continued. In April 1972, the 2nd Bomb Wing alone sent out almost 1,500 personnel and 23 bombers to aid in this operation.

With sortie rates increasing to 1,500 per month on February 14, 1972, the Air Force restarted the Arc Light missions supporting units within South Vietnam’s boundaries. Nixon hesitated to begin an all-out bombing campaign against North Vietnam as the B-52s were deploying to Guam and U-Tapao in preparation for strikes north of the Demilitarized Zone. He had placed all of his faith in the Parisian peace talks. After those talks fell through, North Vietnamese forces launched the Easter Offensive on March 30, 1972, while it was still dark outside.

Soon after, on April 5, the Nixon administration gave the go-ahead for strikes on the region north of the DMZ, and Operation Freedom Train began. Heavy strategic bombing was used at the outset of the B-52 campaign, as various military authorities had repeatedly advised since 1965. Strategic bombing was viewed by many senior USAF officers as a way to force the adversary to the negotiating table; this idea was obviously influenced by World War II.

However, every B-52 crew heading north was concerned about the risk of losing a B-52 to an enemy surface-to-air missile (SAM). While the SA-2 was occasionally launched at B-52 crews flying over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 1967, none of them were in the line of fire.

Twelve B-52D crews bombed Vihn facilities on April 9 after taking off from U-Tapao. An enemy SAM struck one of the B-52s during this flight, tearing off the majority of an external wing tank. The crew managed to fly the injured bomber south and land at Da Nang airport despite the damage. Bomb crews tested the main ring of SAM sites surrounding that city as well as the fortifications close to Haiphong Harbor a few days later after attacking a rail yard and a POL store close to Hanoi. The adversary fired 35 missiles, but none of them were able to harm us. But it soon became apparent that the B-52 might be pursued by the enemy.

Up until May 8, when the Air Force changed the operation’s name to Linebacker, Operation Freedom Train was still in effect. According to the Air Force, Linebacker was used to disrupt the extensive rail system that North Vietnam used to import supplies and weaponry from China. Before those supplies reached North Vietnam and vanished on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the United States determined it would be preferable to intercept them. The activity persisted until October 23, 1972. Nixon suspended all air operations above the 20th parallel because it looked that the bombing campaign had gotten the North back to the bargaining table at that point. However, Arc Light missions kept going in South Vietnam.

The B-52 community was crucial in bringing North Vietnam back to the negotiating table during Operations Freedom Train and Linebacker. But regrettably, SAC planners continued to deploy strategies from the early stages of the conflict because SAC had been fortunate and the enemy had not been able to shoot down a B-52. A three-ship color-coded cell embedded in a wave made up a typical mission. SAC launched about twenty-two cells every day during Linebacker.

Throughout these operations, bombs were routinely dropped from a height of 30 to 35,000 feet by a trail of aircraft that included two or three waves, spaced an hour or more apart. Additionally, the formation would maintain a constant airspeed of 470kt over SAM-infested areas and roughly 430kt over targets with weak defenses. Most of the time, the cells took identical directions, elevations, and departure paths. Due to the enemy’s ability to launch massive SAM salvos, they were able to swiftly understand the B-52 community’s tactics. Fortunately, during Operations Freedom Train and Linebacker, they did not hit a B-52, but this mistake would be disastrous for the subsequent campaign, Operation Linebacker II.

The adversary ultimately shot down a B-52 during the bombing pause that Nixon ordered to allow the North time to negotiate. The crew of Olive 2, one of 18 B-52Ds belonging to the 307th Strategic Wing at U-Tapao, Thailand, participated in a bombing strike against targets in and near Vihn on November 22, 1972.

Two SAMs sped up from the ground and detonated beneath the jet just as the crew unloaded their bomb load.

Before crossing the Mekong River and flying over Thailand, the crew of the crippled B-52 flew their aircraft more than 100 miles. Once there, the crew made a forced landing and the six soldiers were swiftly rescued from the jungle by a combat rescue team. Only 10 B-52s had been lost in battle up to this time, but this was the first to be hit by enemy fire.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

August 29, 2021 0 comment

History

How A-6 Intruder crews dodged SAMs and MiGs over Vietnam

by Till Daisd August 29, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Sheets started to jink, making it difficult for the MiG-17 pilot to keep the A-6 in his sights while attempting to draw the MiG down the coast in an effort to run it out of fuel

The Grumman A-6 was developed as a carrier-based attack aircraft to replace the Douglas Skyraider. It stood apart from every other U.S. Navy aircraft thanks to a unique crew arrangement that placed the pilot and bombardier/navigator (BN) side by side to increase mission effectiveness. With improved crew communication, the Intruder became one of the best assault aircraft of the Vietnam War.

Here's how A-6 Intruder crews dodged SAMs and MiGs in the skies over Vietnam

The “Iron Hand” mission, officially known as Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD), which required the Intruder to attack and destroy SAMs (Surface to Air Missiles) and AAA (Anti Aircraft Artillery), was one of many carried out by the A-6 and required good crew cooperation. In these types of sorties, Intruder pilots had to rely on both their own proficiency with low-altitude flying and the sight of their BNs in order to dodge SAMs.

“You could outfly the SAMs with the A-6,” explains the former A-6 pilot (retired) Rear Admiral Rupe Owens in Rafael Lima’s article Legends of Vietnam: Shoulder to Shoulder The Grumman A-6 was ugly, but it sure could cook; published on Air & Space magazine.com “What you did was make hard turns. At their intercept speed of about Mach 3, the SAMs couldn’t turn with the A-6, especially at a low level.” Owens, who has flown almost every version of the Intruder, remembers approaching a target when several SAMs pointed towards its aircraft, streaming long, bright tails of flame, five in all. “We managed to out-turn them all, but I remember the sound of those five rocket motors from the SAMs as they went by. It got loud. Real loud.”

The Digital Integrated Attack and Navigation Equipment system, or DIANE, which combined an innovative tool that could take into account any angle of climb or dive, speed, G force, and wind with an analog computer to calculate when dropping a payload accurately, allowed the Intruder to demonstrate that it had a true all-weather capability. According to Lima, while Intruders were attacking various objectives, A-7 Corsairs and F-4 Phantoms were flying in formation and releasing their bombs as the A-6 crews instructed using DIANE.

The A-6s attacked moving targets that crossed the Ho Chi Minh Trail and other supply routes with the assistance of Forward Air Controllers (FACs). To complete this mission, the A-6s used specialized equipment like an Airborne Moving Target Indicator, a special doppler radar that collected returns from moving ground objects, as well as ground-based seismic and acoustic sensors that were airdropped along supply trails.

In order to give the Intruders’ crews the opportunity to carry out a second strike by dropping Mk 82s, these sorties were carried out by first dropping Rockeye cluster bombs to destroy vehicles’ gas tanks or ammunition caches. If the secondary fires were insufficient, they then moved on to preplanned secondary targets. According to Marine Corps Bruce Byrum (now a retired general), another Vietnam veteran who logged more than 3,000 hours as an A-6 pilot, these flights might be extremely terrifying and the A-6 could end up being the ideal target for AAA. Byrum detailed this possibility to Lima.

“Sometimes at night, the enemy anti-aircraft fire used colored tracer rounds fired aimlessly into the night sky when aircraft were detected flying in the area, to warn all vehicles on the road that we were there.”

However, the night strike against pre-designated targets was the most frequent mission carried out by the Intruders throughout the Vietnam War. Sometimes these missions were carried out in broad daylight, as was the case in May 1972 when a flight of four A-6s carrying Mk 20 Rockeye bomblet canisters proceeded toward the enemy airstrip of Bai Thuong. Roger Sheets, a Navy pilot, and air group commander piloted the lead Intruder. He directed the flight to Bai Thuong with the aid of the radar and visual indications provided by his BN Charlie Carr, a Marine Corps captain. “The A-6 was the all-weather attack aircraft,” says Carr to Lima “Monsoon season never affected our operations.”

However, because it was a bright day, Sheets and Carr could see North Vietnam clearly, and any other aircraft in the area could as well, including the enemy MiGs that Carr noticed as the Intruders climbed to 200 feet and approached their objective. However, Sheets armed the more than three tons of ordnance carried by its Intruder while the MiGs were 1,500 feet in the air.

“We came in underneath this wheel of MiGs,” Carr says, “maybe 12, 15 of them. We were hoping to catch them on the ground and bomb the hell out of ’em.” Despite the fact that the airbase had been informed, Sheets kept the A-6 level and straight. A little while later, he thumbed the release on the stick to release all 12 Mk 20s over the airstrip before turning the Intruder hard to the left.

But now the Intruders had another problem. “Now the MiG-17 was on our tail,” Carr says. Even though Sheets had no chance of positioning himself to fire given the A-6’s slower speed, Carr chose to arm the aircraft’s Sidewinder missiles. Instead, he started jinking, making it difficult for the MiG pilot to keep them in his sights while attempting to drive the MiG down the coast in an effort to run it out of fuel.

Carr recollects seeing smoke rising from the MiG’s 37-mm cannon before an F-4 finally showed up like a big brother arriving late to a fight. Sheets and Carr managed to return to the USS Coral Sea (CV-43) after the Phantom launched a missile, which caused the MiG to burst into flames. This story makes it clear that MiGs were one of the reasons A-6 crews chose the safety of darkness or bad weather.

No matter the hour, A-6 aircrew were able to fly low and quickly thanks to the usage of the terrain-following radar. However, as Carr says, only approximately a quarter of his trips from the Coral Sea were at night due to the complexity of carrier operations. “But missions from land,” he concludes, “were almost all at night.”

Photo by U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps

August 29, 2021 0 comment

History

Captain Messerschmitt’s story: the pilot who loved to shoot the A-7 Corsair II’s gun

by Till Daisd August 29, 2021

written by Till Daisd

“One white hat laid into me, calling me ‘Captain Messerschmitt.’ I thought it had to do with my German name. ‘Not exactly,’ he corrected, maintaining that it was actually my nickname among the ‘mechs’ because whenever I flew, I brought the A-7E back filthy from shooting the gun,” Capt. Ralph Wetterhahn USAF exchange with VA-146 Blue Diamonds

The A-7 Corsair II was created by Vought to succeed the storied A-4 Skyhawk, but while the latter aircraft represented the most straightforward, fundamental method of launching a variety of weapons from an aircraft carrier, the A-7, also known as the SLUF (Short, Little, Ugly, Fucker) by its aircrews, went on to become arguably the most effective tactical jet bomber of the Vietnam War.

The A-7E was the ultimate Corsair II for the U.S. Navy, and during the Southeast Asia War, Forward Air Controllers (FACs) came to love it for its durability, precision, and an arsenal of weapons.

The A-7E was built by the U.S. Navy from the A-7D by the U.S. Air Force, which had a significantly more potent engine and an entirely new set of avionics. The impressive and helpful change of switching to the Allison TF41 from the underwhelming Pratt & Whitney TF30 enhanced the A-7B’s output by about 3000 lbs of thrust. The General Electric M61A1 Vulcan, which had a very reliable six-barrel configuration reminiscent of the Gatling gun of the 19th century, replaced the A-7E’s two troublesome 20 mm Colt Mk 12 cannons. Additionally, the cannon’s overall ammunition capacity was boosted from little more than 650 rounds to 1000 rounds.

To many Navy Corsair II drivers, the Vulcan gun was a cool toy, but as Norman Birzer and Peter Mersky explain in their book U.S. Navy A-7 Corsair II Units of the Vietnam War, they did not use it much in combat mostly because there were not enough suitable targets.

Even FACs were hesitant to authorize strafing runs by eager A-7 pilots in some circumstances. While serving an exchange tour with VA-146 “Blue Diamonds” in 1970, USAF Capt. Ralph Wetterhahn (who as a first lieutenant shot down a MiG-21 during Operation Bolo and later became a successful author) preferred to fire the A-7E’s cannon, which did not go over well with his groundcrew.

Wetterhahn was confronted by a plane captain while making an off-duty incursion into a bar in the Philippines’ famed servicemen’s paradise of Olongapo City (the enlisted man in charge of a specific aircraft in the squadron). “We all got merrily inebriated, and one white hat laid into me, calling me ‘Captain Messerschmitt.’ I thought it had to do with my German name. ‘Not exactly,’ he corrected, maintaining that it was actually my nickname among the ‘mechs’ because whenever I flew, I brought the airplane back filthy from shooting the gun. I usually did fire the M61, particularly at night. On one occasion, maintenance wanted the ammo can emptied for some reason, and boy did I accommodate. All 1000 rounds… “zzziiip!’ The cordite would stick to the belly, and being corrosive, it had to be cleaned off before salt spray got to it.

The story of Captain Messerschmitt, the pilot who loved shooting the A-7 Corsair II's gun

“I had figured out a way to drop bombs, then open up with the Gatling gun during pullout – a tactic designed to keep AAA heads low while I cleared the area. Truth be known, I just loved to shoot the gun. ‘The AAA gunners can see your muzzle blast at night a hose you’, another aviator told me. ‘Heck, they see the whole airplane the whole time during the day and miss,’ I retorted, “so because they see a two-second burst at night, they’ll suddenly get more accurate?’

“But that wasn’t the plane captain’s point. He and his fellow PCs had to clean the cordite off the A-7. ‘It’s a real pain, Captain Messerschmitt!’ ‘Fine,’ I told him. ‘Next time I fly, I’ll clean the damn thing myself!’

“Two weeks later, back on the line, I caught a night mission with six Mk 83s and a full load of 20 ‘mike-mike.’ Needless to say, the airplane came back with a black belly. After the A-7 was chained down, I noticed the PC looking underneath, a look of disgust on his face. ‘Don’t touch it,’ I said. ‘Get what you need to clean it at dawn and wait for me.’

“I went to debrief and hit the sack for about two hours, then groggily stumbled up to the flight deck. There must have been 200 sailors gathered around that A-7 when I showed up. I grabbed the gunk can and a pile of rags slid under the fuselage and started applying the cleaning solvent. Cameras flashed like a 57 mm gun battery in the heat.

“I was halfway to the tail, and fully appreciative of the work involved, when the plane captain slid next to me and took the rag. ‘Never thought I’d ever see an officer do this. I’ll take over – and another thing. Shoot the gun any time.”

Wetterhahn closed his commentary on this incident by noting that his fellow sailors in the Navy did not use the gun as frequently as he did.

“Mostly, when we had a mission in South Vietnam, we used it. In Laos, generally, the bombs did the work, so strafing was required. Also, you had to get pretty close to be effective, putting yourself in the heart of the AAA envelope. I strafed high, the rounds hitting the ground in front of the area where I was pulling out.”

Photo by skyhawkpc (Flickr) via hiveminer.com, screenshot from YouTube video, and Lt. Graves / U.S. Navy

August 29, 2021 0 comment

History

Operation Secret Squirrel: when the B-52 Stratofortress opened strikes of Operation Desert Storm

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Saddam Hussein’s troops had invaded the neighboring country of Kuwait, and Secret Squirrel prepared the way for American forces to overthrow him

In a single, secret mission that would launch Operation Desert Storm, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) sent seven B-52G Stratofortress aircrew from the 2nd Bomb Wing (BW) to Iraq early on January 16, 1991.

This first salvo, carried out by the 596th Bomb Squadron (BS), made it possible for American forces to overthrow Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein, whose forces had invaded the neighboring country of Kuwait. The covert mission was known as Operation Senior Surprise by the then-Strategic Air Command (SAC).

“Secret Squirrel” mission patch created by the men who took part in the historic mission. The mission marked the first combat launch of the AGM-86C, Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile, a GPS-guided munition.

SAC oversaw the effort known as Operation Senior Surprise during Operation Desert Shield. The operation was officially known as Senior Surprise, but the aircrew and maintainers ingeniously came up with the name Secret Squirrel so they could keep track of timetables and talk about the mission in unclassified areas.

A limited group of airmen and maintainers from the 596th Bomb Squadron (BS) were instructed on the use of a novel type of weapon, the Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile (CALCM), in battle at the beginning of Desert Shield.

“I was first informed of the mission in August 1990 and then had six months to train on the new weapon. We couldn’t tell anybody anything,” explained Warren Ward, Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) deputy chief of programming division and 596th BS B-52G Stratofortress co-pilot, during Operation Senior Surprise. “The 62nd BS and part of the 596th BS were largely deploying forward yet a large portion of the 596th stayed at Barksdale. We were watching our brothers in arms going forward, yet we were staying back. We had to work under a veil of secrecy.”

A B-52G Stratofortress aircraft is serviced on the flight line prior to flying a bombing mission against Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm. The aircraft is armed with M-117 750-pound bombs.

The parties started rigorous training after being briefed to make sure the aircraft could fly long-range missions safely and flawlessly.

On the morning of January 16, 1991, seven B-52G Stratofortresses from Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB) launched 35 of the brand-new AGM-86C CALCMs at Iraqi targets, decimating Saddam’s army and damaging critical communication equipment, and then secretly made their way back.

Additionally, it was the first time that a missile had ever been guided to a target using GPS.

DAYTON, Ohio — Boeing AGM-86B (ALCM) at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)

When he participated in the Secret Squirrel mission as a B-52G electronic warfare officer, Col. Trey Morriss, vice commander of the 307th BW, was a brand-new captain.

“The Secret Squirrel mission was used to blind Iraq by eliminating certain power and communication nodes throughout the country. This severely hampered their response in the initial phase of the war,” Morriss pointed out. “We proved to U.S. citizens, our allies, coalition partners, and even to our enemies that we will do what we say we’re going to do. In doing so, we solidified the B-52 in the realm of long-range strike capability.”

“The B-52 provides a great first-strike capability in any conventional war,” Morriss said. “It gives us the ability to degrade the enemy with the first attack and press in with other capabilities. We also proved to the world that we were on the threshold of a new type of modern warfare with GPS-guided weapons. The results speak for themselves.”

A KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft boom operator refuels a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, center, during air operations for Operation Desert Storm over Southwest Asia Feb. 1, 1991. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Chris Putnam/Released) — A KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft boom operator refuels a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft during air operations for Operation Desert Storm over Southwest Asia on Feb. 1, 1991. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Chris Putnam / Released)

When flying to the Middle East during “Secret Squirrel,” the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fucker, as the B-52 is known) aircrews faced unforeseen risks but remained confident in their training. These dangers included the possibility of hostile action, landing on friendly territory that might not have been ready for U.S. military aircraft, and a variety of system malfunctions with the aircraft itself.

“The risks were the unknown,” explains Russell Mathers. who took part in Secret Squirrel as a B-52 copilot “We didn’t know if anyone was going to take a shot at us.”

The longest combat sortie flight was Secret Squirrel, which covered 14,000 miles in 35 hours and 24 minutes. Additionally, the covert operation established the standard for the long-range strike.

According to Mathers, SAC gained important knowledge regarding long-range combat missions as a result of Desert Storm. “What we learned as a bomber community is that the bomber is still a huge viable weapons system. We also learned how difficult it is physiologically, to fly these missions and prepare the human body to fly 30 or 40-hour missions.”

The B-52 continued to play a crucial part in Desert Storm operations after “Secret Squirrel” launched operations. A total of nearly 70 B-52G crews flew 1,741 missions for 15,269 combat hours, dropping 27,000 tons of ammunition.

Staff Sgt. Brian D. Land checks a .50-caliber tail turret gun on a B-52G Stratofortress aircraft during Operation Desert Shield

AFGSC program analyst Jim Bowles participated in Desert Storm as a B-52 instructor pilot and aircraft commander. According to Bowles, it was a blessing to be flying with a copilot, radar navigator, electronic warfare officer, and gunner who were all instructors in their respective fields. “We knew our aircraft, and we knew our training. While there was some apprehension about going into combat and the potential of not coming home, there was also confidence because we knew we could do our mission. When I look back on Desert Storm, it feels like yesterday. It’s a memory deep within myself and my family. It’s a defining moment that shaped me for the rest of my Air Force career.”

Prior to being awarded air, accomplishment, and commendation medals on January 16, 1992, the aircrew members and maintainers who made Secret Squirrel possible remained secret.

Twenty-five years after Operation Senior Surprise, aka “Secret Squirrel”, the aircrew members that kicked off Operation Desert Storm reunited on Barksdale Air Force Base, La. on Jan. 15, 2016. One of the B-52 Stratofortress bombers stationed at Barksdale is displaying the “Secret Squirrel” patch to commemorate the anniversary. This 35-hour mission was the first combat use of the Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missile (CALCM). (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Dachelle Melville/Released)

Source: Senior Airman Benjamin Raughton, 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs and U.S. Air Force; Photo by U.S. Air Force

August 28, 2021 0 comment

History

When Argentine Air Force Dagger Fighters severely damaged HMS Ardent

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

“It was a Sea Harrier going for Captain Robles’ aircraft. Almost simultaneously I saw fire in my mirror and immediately I felt the impact of a missile in my Dagger, which remained without controls,” 1st Lieutenant Luna, Argentine Air Force

The Malvinas/Falkland Islands, an archipelago 300 miles off the coast of South America that was the subject of a dispute between this country and the UK, were invaded by the Argentine Navy and tens of thousands of troops on April 2, 1982. The First Vulcan bomber raids on the islands started British operations on May 1; twenty days later, on May 21, British landings on the Falklands took place.

The Fuerza Aérea Argentina (FAA, Argentine Air Force) undertook numerous attack missions against the Royal Navy fleet.

Escuadrón III Aeromóvil, which was stationed at Naval Air Base Rio Grande in Southern Argentina and outfitted with the Mirage 5A Dagger, was one of the units that participated in the air raids (how the FAA renamed its IAI Nasher examples purchased from Israel before the war). The second round of strikes was started in the afternoon of May 21 after the morning’s initial sorties failed to seriously damage the British ships. Together with Libra flight with Captains Cimatti and Robles, Cueca flight with Captain Mir González, Lieutenant Bernhardt, and First Lieutenant Luna took off at 13.55.

The story of how Argentine Air Force Dagger fighters severely damaged HMS Ardent during the Falklands War — HMS Ardent (F184)

Due to an oil leak, Cimatti Dagger soon started to leave a thick, black contrail, forcing the pilot to return home as Robles boarded Cueca’s flight.

The Hornby Mountains, which the Daggers had to fly over to get to the target area, were obscured by clouds, so the pilots had to find another route to the Royal Navy ships. Robles explains this in the book Latin American Mirages Mirage III/5/F.1/2000 in Service with South American Air Arms by Santiago Rivas and Juan Carlos Cicalesi, “we flew along the hills until we found a small valley through which we could see the other side. We went through it. Now we were only three as we supposed Luna crashed against a hill… On the other side of the sound, at Ruiz Puente Bay/Grantham Sound, we saw a frigate close to the coast. We started the attack thinking ‘For Luna’!” The British ships started firing on them as they were flying quite close to the surface of the ocean. In addition to opening fire with his cannons, Mir González detonated a bomb 10 meters from one of the ships, creating a large wave that struck the ship’s hull.

González was followed by Lieutenant Bernhardt, who detonated his bomb and damaged the upper half of the ship. As he turned, Robles let go of his ammunition and flew dangerously close to the ship’s antenna. He then observed a missile coming in the direction of Bernhardt’s Dagger, which he managed to dodge by swerving to the right. The three Argentine jet pilots could clearly see the frigate blazing as they were returning home.

They were unaware that Luna had missed the hill because, according to Luna, five Sea Harriers intercepted their flight while the Daggers were only three minutes from the target. But because of the terrible weather, Luna was the final Argentine pilot to pass through the valley. Next, he saw a shadow passing above him and to his left, as he explains: “It was a Sea Harrier going for Captain Robles’ aircraft. Almost simultaneously I saw fire in my mirror and immediately I felt the impact of a missile on my aircraft, which remained without controls. I tried to climb and the aircraft turned upside down, I thought I would die. I left the stick and searched desperately for the upper ejection handle. I think I found it when I was again flying normally, as the ejection was normal.”

Lieutenant Andy Auld and Lieutenant Commander Rod Frederiksen piloted the Sea Harriers that intercepted the Daggers. Therefore, it appears that the Sea Harrier element that intercepted the Argentines was made up of only two fighters that were passing close to King George Bay and not five aircraft as previously thought. HMS Brilliant directed the British aircraft towards the Daggers, and when the Sea Harriers were able to see the enemy jets, Frederiksen fired the Sidewinder, striking Luna, who was later saved by the islanders.

The HMS Ardent was the vessel that the Daggers struck. The Mk 17 bomb dropped by Bernhardt, while the bomb dropped by Robles impacted the ship but did not explode, caused the assault aircraft to fully destroy the vessel hangar, the ship’s helicopter, and the Sea Cat missile system.

Later that day, Ardent was struck by three A-4Q Skyhawks from the Argentine Navy. At least two bombs were dropped on the ship’s stern, and numerous unexploded bombs tore into the hull.

The Ardent sank the following day as a result of the airstrikes carried out by Dagger and Skyhawk.

Photo by Jorge Alberto Leonardi and Horacio Claria via Wikipedia, U.S. Navy, and screenshot from YouTube video

August 28, 2021 0 comment

History

How the Buff was trasformed into a MiG Killer by B-52 tail gunners

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The two BUFF MiG kills occurred during Operation Linebacker II, the Christmas-time strategic air assault against the logistical and industrial hub of North Vietnam

The Boeing B-52 is the quintessential example of strategic airpower in action. Originally designed to carry a hydrogen bomb over intercontinental distances, the Stratofortress saw extensive use in conventional bombing during the Vietnam War, turning it into a MiG killer by downing two MiG-21 fighters.

Both MiGs were destroyed during Operation Linebacker II, the Christmas-time air onslaught against North Vietnam’s logistical and industrial core that got underway after the Paris peace talks ended in failure. Two B-52D tail gunners from the 307th Strategic Bomb Wing stationed at U-Tapao RTAFB (Royal Thailand Air Force Base), Thailand, continued the long tradition of tail gunners from prior wars by shooting down two North Vietnamese Fishbeds during this air operation.

Here's how B-52 tail gunners made of the BUFF a MiG killer

The four.50-caliber M3 machine guns installed at the rear of the D model of the Stratofortress made it possible for these accomplishments, and they possibly made the B-52 the last strategic bomber to shoot down an enemy fighter. The 600-round weapons on board the A-3A fire control system search and tracking radar may be handled remotely from the forward fuselage by the gunner or manually by a tail gunner.

On December 18, 1972, 129 bombers (42 B-52Ds from U-Tapao, 87 BUFFs between B-52Ds and B-52Gs from Andersen Air Force Base on Guam) were launched to attack rail yards and logistical facilities in and around Hanoi as well as the MiGs bases at Kep, Hoa Loc, and Phuc Yen. This was the first of the two MiG kills. B-52 Stratofortress: The Story of the BUFF from Drawing Board to the Skies over Afghanistan by Bill Yenne claims that the bombers flew in three aircraft cells for mutual ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) defense.

The B-52D Tail No. 56-0676, callsign Brown III, which had Sgt. Samuel O. Turner working as a tail gunner was one of the bombers. Numerous SAMs (Surface to Air Missiles) were fired throughout the bomb run to the target, and anti-aircraft fire of all calibers exploded close to Brown III.

When the B-52Ds arrived at their objective and dropped their bombs, several MiGs took off to intercept them as they were flying back to base. Turner was able to lock on to the incoming Fishbed and, as it was in the firing line, he opened fire on it, hitting the back of the MiG-21, which burst into a big inferno. One of the MiG-21s was prepared to launch its missiles toward Brown III. According to Donald J. McCarthy, Jr. in his book MiG Killers A Chronology of U.S. Air Victories in Vietnam 1965-1973, this kill was the first for a bomber crew since the Korean War, and it had also been confirmed by MSgt. Lewis E. Le Blanc, who was a tail gunner on another B-52.

At the Fairchild AFB Heritage Park in Spokane, the B-52D with the tail number 55-0676 is still on display and still carries the iconic MiG Killers logo, a red star under the cockpit.

On December 24, 1972, Christmas Eve, the second Stratofortress aerial victory of the Vietnam War occurred. During the bomb run, the B-52s were assaulted by the MiGs, and thirty BUFFs that took off from U-Tapao had to hit rail yards at Thai Nguyen and Kep, 40 miles north and northeast of Hanoi. A1C Albert E. Moore, the tail gunner of the B-52D Tail No. 55-0083, Diamond Lil, noticed one of them on the radar sight. At 4,000 yards, he latched onto the Fishbed and started firing at the blip on his radar scope until it vanished.

In his combat report, according to a lengthy essay by Tom Docherty that was published in FlyPast magazine’s December 2015 issue, Moore wrote: “I observed a target on my radar scope 8 o’clock low at 8 miles. I immediately notified the crew, and the ‘bogey’ started closing rapidly. It stabilized at 4,000 yards, at 6 o’clock. I called the pilot for evasive action and the EWO for chaff and flares. When the target goes to 2,000 yards, I notified the crew that I was firing. I fired at the bandit until it ballooned to three times in intensity then suddenly disappeared from my radar scope at approximately 1,200 yards. I expected 800 rounds in three bursts.”

This kill too was confirmed by another tail gunner, TSgt. Clarence W. Chute, reported: “I went visual and saw the ‘bandit’ on fire and falling away. Several pieces of the aircraft exploded, and the fireball disappeared in the undercast.”

Also preserved and on display at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado is the B-52D tail number 55-00083. According to Vietnamese authorities, a B-52 downed a MiG-21 on April 16, 1972, earning its third air-to-air win.

General George L. Butler, who was in charge of Strategic Air Command (SAC) at the time, announced the removal of the gunner post and the deactivation of the B-52’s guns on September 16, 1991. As a former B-52 gunner explained to us “we (Gunners) were done away with for two reasons 1) Budget. It was very expensive to maintain the Fire Control System. It was the ONLY system on the jet that had never been updated. It still used vacuum tubes! If a part broke and couldn’t be located, it had to be made. This was very expensive. And 2) Missile technology had become advanced enough to shoot aircraft down from beyond visual range. The guns were obsolete unless a fighter was dumb enough to try and get close enough to use its guns on the BUFF. Those are the facts.”

Since then, a generation has passed since the BUFF had a tail gunner, and the days of a fighter having to be cautious when attempting to get behind a B-52 are long gone.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

August 28, 2021 0 comment

History

The first official American aerial victory of the Vietnam war

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Murphy and Fegan’s kill remained unsubstantiated for many years even if the Chinese claimed the destruction of the F-4 immediately following the fight because it was not deemed politically wise to counterclaim a MiG-17

On April 9, 1965, Lt. (j.g.) Terrence M. Murphy and his Radar Intercept Officer (RIO), Ens. Ronald J. Fegan of Fighter Squadron 96 (VF-96), shot down a Chinese MiG-17 while departing from the USS Ranger (CVA-61) in an F-4B Phantom II BuNo 151403, callsign “Showtime 602,” to claim the first recognized American aerial victory of the Vietnam War.

The unknown story of the first official American aerial victory of the Vietnam War

Three VF-96 crews were assigned to Barrier Combat Air Patrol (BARCAP) duty on April 9; this duty required them to fly a racetrack pattern over the water roughly 25 miles off the coast of Haiphong. The mission’s target, as stated by Peter E. Davies in his book Gray Ghosts, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps F-4 Phantoms, was to thwart hostile aircraft’s attempts to attack components of the 7th Fleet. Pairs of aircraft flew the circuit’s legs in roughly three minutes while cruising at a speed of around 300 kts and 20,000 feet. However, they frequently slowed down and gently steered towards the shoreline on the inshore side of the circuit to entice one or more MiGs to surface.

CDR Frazer was in charge of the BARCAP on April 9, and LT Don Watkins was his wingman. When their Phantom II experienced an engine failure on takeoff, LCDR Greer and his RIO LTJG Bruning were forced to eject and fly the third F-4B. Murphy and Fegan made their official debut in Showtime 602 as replacement section leaders under the guidance of LT Watkins and LTJG Mueller.

Watkins attempted to overtake Murphy while they were passing Chinese MiG-17s as they were flying north from Hainan Island, but Murphy heard him send “Three in contrails.” A fourth MiG-17 attacked Watkins’ F-4 from behind, according to Davies, and Murphy reported that he was being fired upon. After being called back from their BARCAP, Frazer and Don Watkins engaged the MiGs. When two AIM-7s were launched, the engine of one failed to ignite while the other went ballistic.

Additionally, two AIM-9s were fired, although only one connected, and the other was dodged. Murphy and Fegan went missing shortly after, and the three Phantom crews discovered this while they were making their way to the tanker. “Out of missiles,” had been their most recent transmission. Going back to base Watkins and Mueller, however, had witnessed a MiG-17 going down in a fiery crash after ejecting the other robbers. A second blip appeared behind Showtime 602 as it headed away from Hainan on the radar of the Fleet’s Combat Information Center (CIC), and the F-4 subsequently vanished from view.

Even if the Chinese had immediately after the combat claimed the loss of the F-4, it was not seen as politically wise to claim a MiG-17 in response, and Murphy’s kill remained unconfirmed. Additionally, according to some Chinese reports, one of the Phantoms’ inaccurate missiles is what brought Murphy and Fegan down.

The destruction of the Chinese MiG was handed to Murphy and Fegan after the air war, while they were piecing together the events.

This engagement, however, quickly brought to light issues that would continue throughout the Vietnam War. According to Davies, these problems were:

Poor missile performance. None of the four missiles fired hit their intended target.
With the MiGs moving at a moderate speed, Murphy and Fegan attempted to turn. They lost when their Phantom ran out of energy during the turn, making them maybe the first of many to learn that this maneuver could be lethal in an F-4.
Communication difficulties. Frazer’s and Murphy’s, the two aircraft in the air fight, were using various radio frequencies and different radar controllers. Only after the MiGs had indicated that they intended to attack and had dropped their wing tanks were they permitted to engage in combat. The mutual effects of the two portions may have been compromised if each F-4 had only one primary radio.

Overall, the only solace was the knowledge that Murphy and Fegan’s deaths would have been VF-96’s only casualty to enemy aircraft during wartime.

Gray Ghosts, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps F-4 Phantoms is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force

August 28, 2021 0 comment

History

The Project Blue Book and how UFO sightings covered high-altitude U-2 flights

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Numerous U-2 spy planes testing at high altitudes were the primary cause of many UFO sightings reported to Project Blue Book beginning in 1955

Midway through the 1950s, the USAF and CIA covered extremely high-altitude flights of their then-secret U-2 surveillance planes with UFO sightings.

The United States Air Force (USAF) program known as Project Blue Book was established in March 1952 at General Cabell’s request to research unidentified flying objects. Despite the fact that this research team continued to work until 1969, it is still uncertain if Project Blue Book was actually employed to keep an eye on unidentified flying objects in American airspace or to cover “black programs” that the team itself was well aware of.

Airliners flew between 10,000 and 20,000 feet in the middle of the 1950s, while military planes like the B-47 and B-57 soared below 40,000 feet. However, in 1955, the then-covert U-2 spy planes started flying over 60,000 feet, an altitude above which no aircraft was known to function, according to Bill Yenne’s account in Area 51 Black Jets. Due to this, U-2s conducting high-altitude testing were a common cause of UFO encounters reported to Project Blue Book beginning in 1955.

Project Blue Book and the story of how UFO sightings were used to cover high altitude U-2 flights

The aircraft were difficult to see because they were in the troposphere and had no trailing contrail; they could only be seen if sunlight reflected off of their silver wings. This assertion is confirmed by Gregory Pedlow and Donald Welzenbach, who stated in their book The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance: The U-2 and OXCART Programs, 1954-1974 that the reports of U-2s as UFOs “were more prevalent in the early evening hours from pilots of airliners flying from east to west.”

These evening sightings occurred because an airplane flying at 20,000 feet was in darkness as the sun descended below the horizon. However, if a U-2 was flying nearby at the same time as the aircraft, its horizon would be farther away from it at 60,000 feet, and because it was flying so high in the sky, its silver wings would reflect the sun’s rays and seem to the airliner pilot 40,000 feet below as fiery objects.

But even during the day, when their silver bodies might reflect the sun even on the ground, the high-flying U-2s could be mistaken for UFOs. An object that was high in the sky was not anticipated to be observed at the time since no one thought an airplane could fly above 60,000 feet.

When Blue Book members received a letter reporting a UFO sighting, they called the CIA in Washington and requested that the Agency’s Project Staff check U-2 flight logs. By doing this, the investigators were able to rule out the majority of the UFO reports, even though they were unable to inform the letter writer of the true cause of the UFO sighting.

By the time Project Blue Book was formally shut down, its investigators had looked over a total of 12,618 UFO reports, classifying all but 701 of them as misinterpretations of regular objects.

According to Pedlow and Welzenbach, the majority of the “unidentified” sightings were U-2s and other dark aircraft, while the other inexplicable sightings remain unsolved.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

August 28, 2021 0 comment

History

Brazilian Mirage Fighters intercepted an Il-62 during Falkland War

by Till Daisd August 28, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The two Mirage jets prepped their air-to-air missiles as they both climbed above the clouds and increased their speed from Mach 0.98 to Mach 1.15

Brazil never considered getting involved in the Falklands war, despite being close to the battle area.

However, after conflicts over control of the islands between Argentina and the U.K. on April 2, 1982, Brazil expressed its support for Argentina, and its bases were alerted.

The radars of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) noticed a massive aircraft coming from the north without permission at about 20:00 on April 9. (FAB, Brazilian Air Force). The aircraft was identified as a Cubana Ilyushin Il-62 traveling to Buenos Aires and carrying the Cuban envoy to Argentina by the air defense operators who made contact with it.

The two QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) Mirage IIIEBRs were scrambled after its pilot refused to comply with the order to land at Brasilia, but due to a strong storm the pilots, Major Aviador Paulo César Pereira, the section leader, and 1° Tenente-Aviador Eduardo José Pastorelo de Miranda, the wingman, were only able to take off at 21:00, but because of a problem with his navigation system, Pastorelo was forced to take off a few minutes later.

Pereira moved in the direction of the airplane that was passing above Porto Nacional. He was flying at roughly 31,000 feet and the wingman was following him at 29,000 feet. The high cloud cover prevented him from using the onboard radar to find the intruder. As a result, the target was located by the Ground Control Intercept (GCI) when it was wheeling to the left.

Here's how Brazilian Mirage fighters intercepted an Il-62 that was bringing Cuban ambassador to Argentina during the Falklands War

While the leader and wingman both readied their air-to-air missiles, the two Mirages rose above the clouds and increased their speed from Mach 0.98 to Mach 1.15.

The Ilyushin was recognized by the two fighters after they were able to establish visual contact. The flying crew responded that they were headed to Ezeiza International Airport in Argentina when the ground controller again ordered the plane to land at Brasilia.

The leader moved to the left of the Ilyushin and the wingman to the right until they were quite near to the cockpit as per the command to the Mirages to make them visible to the airliner. In their book Latin American Mirages Mirage III/5/F.1/2000 in Service with South American Air Arms, Santiago Rivas, and Juan Carlos Cicalesi detail how they made one more contact with a Cuban airplane from the ground while communicating in English: “Cubana 1225, you have been intercepted! There are two fighters alongside your aircraft. You are ordered to land in Brasilia immediately!” The Il-62 pilot responded after a while, “Roger, Roger, Brasilia! Give me instructions! The Mirages closely tracked the airliner over Brasilia, but when they ran out of gas, the fighters returned to base just in time for the Il-62 to touch down.

Five hours after landing, the Il-62 was given the go-ahead to take off once more. The attempt by the Cuban envoy to mediate in the conflict before the arrival of the American ambassador in Argentina was later identified as the cause of this unauthorized flight.

Even though they weren’t scrambled again, the FAB Mirages were kept on guard for the duration of the conflict.

Photo by Força Aérea Brasileira

August 28, 2021 0 comment

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