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F105

When a KC-135 Stratotanker crew crossed Vietnam DMZ and went into a dive to refuel a flamed-out F-105 Thunderchief

by Till Daisd May 22, 2024

The KC-135 Stratotanker

The KC-135 Stratotanker was the first offspring of the Dash 80. It was the only tanker employed by the Strategic Air Command for fifteen years, and it was built especially for aerial refueling.

The propeller-powered KC-97 tankers were replaced by the KC-135 because they were unable to keep up with the jet fighters and bombers. The last KC-97 and the first KC-135, dubbed “The City of Renton,” shared the Renton tarmac when they rolled out of the plant in 1956, providing a clear image of The Boeing Company’s full conversion to jet power.

Nine years of the Vietnam War saw 813,000 aerial refuelings of combat aircraft by KC-135s.

KC-135 Stratotanker crossing Vietnam DMZ

To save two F-105s that were running low on fuel, one tanker even crossed the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between Vietnam and China.

Richard Crandall, former USAF F-111 and F-15E Pilot at US Air Force (1980-1998), explains on Quora;

‘In the book Thud Ridge – Wing Commander Jack Broughton was leading a 2 ship of F-105s that was attempting the rescue of a downed Lt who had been down for a week.

‘They had helicopters inbound but one had problems and both left – in accordance with “doctrine”. He commented that it was within the rules but in previous rescues, one helicopter had been willing to continue alone. As an A-1 was leaving it was hit and caught fire – it called a Mayday. Broughton and his wingman, with no fuel to do so returned to CAP him in case he too ejected. The A-1 went into a vertical high-speed dive – gutsy move Maverick – as the high speed could have caused the wing root where the fire was to fail from the weakened hot metal. The fire however went out.

KC-135 heading to Vietnam DMZ

‘Broughton and his wingman, Ken Bell, now had no fuel to make it home. They called for help – eventually a Strategic Air Command KC-135 answered. I think the call was “do you have any gas for us?” and the reply was along the lines of “not really, but what little we have sounds like you need more than us”. The tanker broke the rules from SAC and headed North of the DMZ to meet them. The tanker was a Strategic Asset – needed for Air to Air refuelings for B-52s in case nuclear war with Russia occurred.’

Crandall continues;

‘Normally fighters will turn onto the tanker. The fighters and the tanker fly towards each other in opposite direction. When a certain distance away the fighter does a 180 degree turn and rolls out behind the tanker. Col Broughton was told by Bell “Boss, I’m hurting” as he was so low on fuel. Wingman never ever ever say that – the calls are “2, Joker, Bingo, Mayday and I’ve got the ugly one (at the bar)”. Colonel Broughton knew they had minutes only.

Flamed out F-105

‘The tanker did a fighter turn onto the fighters instead – a descending turn to roll out in front of the 2 F-105s. As the tanker rolled out Bell’s jet flamed out. The boomer told the pilot to push over into a dive – probably 10 to 20 degrees nose low and then talked him into position in front of the flamed out 105. Bell had likely extended its Ram Air Turbine to have electrical and hydraulic power without the engine running. Remember that the pilot in the tanker cannot see the 105 – it is behind and below him – has to solely go by the directions of the boomer. The boomer stabs the boom into Bell’s 105 and pumps the gas. On the boom Bell does an airstart. Meanwhile Col Broughton’s jet is chugging – just like in a car about to run out of gas. He jumps onto the boom before his engine quits and gets gas. All 3 aircraft return to Col Broughton’s base in Thailand – the 135 had to go there as no gas to return home.’

Crandall concludes;

‘I am sure that the entire tanker crew was hospitalized due to massive alcohol poisoning from the drinks they were given at the bar that night. Every fighter pilot who hear of this story has tremendous respect for all involved in this incident. Truly awesome aviation on everybody’s parts. On Col Broughton and his wingman for not abandoning an aircraft in distress and for the tanker that saved both of them.’

The Story of the KC-135 Stratotanker pilot that went into a 20-degree dive to refuel a flamed out F-105 Thunderchief — A US Air Force Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker refuels four Republic F-105D *Thunderchief*s over Southeast Asia, in November 1967.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

May 22, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

The KC-135 Stratotanker pilot who went into a 20-degree dive to refuel a flamed-out F-105 Thunderchief

by Till Daisd April 10, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The KC-135 Stratotanker

The Boeing Company’s model 367-80 served as the basic design for both the KC-135A Stratotanker and the commercial 707 passenger aircraft. The Air Force acquired the first 29 aircraft of its 732-plane fleet in 1954. The first Stratotanker went into production and was delivered to Castle Air Force Base in California in June 1957. The first aircraft took to the air in August 1956. The Air Force received the final KC-135 delivery in 1965.

The KC-135 was particularly important during the Vietnam War, where the Stratotanker not only allowed heavy fighter-bombers to reach North Vietnamese targets and return but also towed them back to their bases when they were badly damaged by enemy action.

KC-135 Stratotanker into dive to refuel an F-105 Thunderchief

Even so, one Stratotanker went into a dive to save two F-105s running short on fuel. According to an interesting article published in Air & Space Forces Magazine by Walter J. Boyne, in May 1967, Maj. Alvin L. Lewis’s KC-135 was piloted through intense thunderstorms in order to locate two severely low-fuel F-105s.

After having found the F-105s in a clear area, Lewis put his tanker into a 20-degree dive to position himself in front of the first fighter, which had already flamed out. The Thud was gliding earthward, its pilot preparing to eject, when the diving Stratotanker passed in front to a refueling position.

F-105s safely RTB

All checklists and preliminaries were forgotten as the F-105 hooked up and took on enough fuel to air-start the engine. The tanker transferred a little fuel and then increased its dive angle to 30 degrees to get enough air through the intake of the fighter to spool it up to starting RPM. Lewis then refueled the second F-105, which was about to flame out. Both 105s made it home.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

April 10, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

The high loss rate of the F-105 over Vietnam can be attributed, according to the F-105 pilot, to the SAC bomber philosophy

by Till Daisd March 3, 2024

written by Till Daisd

‘At Takhli we liked the pop-up tactic as we felt we got better target coverage with less exposure and fewer losses. Lots of folks agreed until new PACAF C-in-C Gen John D Ryan arrived in Honolulu with his high-altitude, straight-and-level B-17 experience and his SAC bomber philosophy,’ 388th TFW Vice Commander Jack Broughton

Throughout the 43 months of Operation Rolling Thunder, pilots of the F-105D Thunderchief flew against North Vietnamese targets day after day, up against the most impressively concentrated air defenses in history.

Twenty-five upgraded QRC-160A (later AN/ALQ-71) pods were ordered in mid-1966 for the Thai F-105 wings in an attempt to reduce the losses for the F-105 wings, which had lost 126 jets in 1966, according to a story written by Peter E. Davies in his book F-105 Thunderchief Units of the Vietnam War. Tougher than the 1965 test models, they contained jammers for the ‘Fan Song’ SA-2 guidance radar elevation and azimuth frequencies, as well as the ‘Firecan’ radar directing 57 mm and 85 mm AAA.

Crews from EB-66C evaluated the techniques that Project Vampyrus developed for deploying these new pods between September 26 and October 8, 1966. For maximum protection against jamming, a variety of “formations” were tested. Early combat results in late October revealed that an “echelon up front the leader” formation offered sufficient jamming power to prevent accurate guidance of both SA-2s and heavy flak.

All threat frequencies were initially covered by two pods carried on the F-105’s outboard pylons; but, due to increased MiG activity, one pod had to be swapped out for an AIM-9B Sidewinder.

Brig. Gen. William Chairsell, commander of the 388th TFW, approved of the pods as they let F-105s make dive attacks from medium altitude, rather than ‘popping up’ in 30-degree, 4G climbs from lower altitude, where the jets were easier AAA targets. However, a `Fan Song’ could ‘burn through’ the pods’ emissions and lock onto an F-105 inside eight miles’ range.

When the jet banked or turned more than 15 degrees, it diverted its radiation away from the radar that the pod was trying to cover, which decreased the pod’s efficacy. Pods may potentially cause issues with the F-105’s own RHAW system and Shrike guidance. Both sides engaged in a “battle of the beams,” where they changed formations, tactics, and frequencies constantly.

A particular hazard for the F-105s was ‘passive tracking’ where the NVA ‘triangulated’ data from a number of sites and launched missiles at a point calculated to be the center of the attack formation. Later in 1967, the improved AN/ALQ-87 (QRC-160-8) pod that could jam both the SA-2’s position beacon and ‘Fan Song’ was introduced.

F-105-Bombings — Specialized RB-66s helped F-105s bomb in North Vietnam’s frequently poor weather conditions. Top Image: F-105 crews played a key role in ROLLING THUNDER.

The Korat tactics, which involved extremely close formations striking from between 15,000 and 18,000 feet, with roughly two minutes between the formations, were not the same as the 355th TFW’s approach to “pod” formations. This placed them above the lighter AAA, but loaded F-105s’ maneuverability against SAMs and MiGs was hindered by their tight formations and relatively high altitudes. According to Vice Commander Jack Broughton of the 388th TFW,

‘At Takhli we liked the pop-up tactic as we felt we got better target coverage with less exposure and fewer losses. Lots of folks agreed until new PACAF C-in-C Gen. John D. Ryan arrived in Honolulu with his high-altitude, straight-and-level B-17 experience and his SAC bomber philosophy. He directed a study that produced the phoniest, untrue results possible, and despite much wailing from the veterans of the Hanoi environment, he ordered us to adopt the bomber approach. He seemed to feel the advent of ECM pods would solve all the problems up north, which they did not. We continued to appeal our case, without much hope, but in the interim, many of us never quite “understood” the General’s direction, thus we did not get to fly the bomber patterns. We tried it one time and it was an obscene mess as far as we were concerned. The end of Rolling Thunder signaled the end of our attacks into RP VI, and therefore an end to that controversy.

‘We liked to have as many pods as maintenance could provide, and we used them along with our pop-up tactic. Korat units liked that straight and level stuff, which may be why their loss rates were higher than ours and their bombs-on-target rates lower.’

F-105 Thunderchief Units of the Vietnam War is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

March 3, 2024 0 comment

History

To destroy a SAM installation, pilot Merlyn Dethlefsen made multiple passes while piloting a Thud heavily damaged by AAA and engaged by MiG-21s

by Till Daisd August 1, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Capt. Dethlefsen received the Medal of Honor for demonstrating exceptional bravery above and beyond the call of duty. On February 1st, 1968, President Johnson made the presentation in the White House

Operation Rolling Thunder had been ongoing for two years by March 1967, with little evidence that North Vietnam was backing down. The conflict between the US and North Vietnam gradually intensified.

The Hanoi regime upgraded its anti-air defenses from AAA to the deadlier SA-2 surface-to-air missiles as well as MiG aircraft as US airstrikes escalated. Since World War II, the skies over North Vietnam would be the most dangerous and challenging for American pilots to fly in.

The two-seat F-100F Super Sabres referred to as the Wild Weasels, were tasked with defense suppression at the beginning of Rolling Thunder. However, because of its restricted payload and inability to keep up with the F-105 Thunderchiefs, which were at the time carrying the bulk of the USAF’s strike missions, the F-100 was only a temporary answer for the Wild Weasel duty.

The first Wild Weasel Thunderchiefs made their way to Southeast Asia in June 1966. The 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB), which housed the F-105s of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), was one of the Wild Weasel units of the time. Before being sent out for Rolling Thunder, the 355th TFW had been using the Thunderchief at McConnell AFB in Kansas since 1962.

The Wild Weasel F-105Fs featured two crew members, the pilot and the electronic warfare officer (EWO), also known as “Bear,” in the back.

The substantial Thai Nguyen steel works were ultimately added to the target portfolio on March 10, 1967.

James Geer describes how on that particular day Capt. Merlyn H. Dethlefsen flew from Takhli on an Iron Hand (SAM suppression) mission against the air defenses surrounding the Thai Nguyen steel works in his book The Republic F-105 Thunderchief Wing and Squadron Histories. His third position in a flight of four Thuds, consisting of two EF-105Fs and two F-105Ds operating as hunter-killer teams, was his 78th combat mission.

The flight encountered heavy AAA fire as they got closer to the target area. Amidst the bursting shells, Dethlefsen trailed the two lead aircraft by roughly 3,000 to 5,000 feet. After locating a SAM site, the lead aircraft attempted to unleash a Shrike missile, but it was unsuccessful. The enemy gunners had better aim. The flight leader was shot down, and his wingman took significant damage and had to give up.

Dethlefsen took control of the flight and circled the target area before maneuvering his aircraft for a second pass at the target. He saw two MiG-21s aiming behind his Thud just as he and his backseater, Capt. Kevin “Mike” Gilroy, had discovered the SAM site. As one of the MiGs launched a missile at his aircraft, he fired a Shrike missile at the SAM position and dove into a mushroom of flak. His evasive action was successful because the MiGs did not pursue him into the barrage of AAA fire.

Dethlefsen changed his direction to get a better look at the SAM site so he could determine if he had been successful in knocking it out. The steel mills were being bombed by the strike force’s initial elements at this point, covering the target area in a cloud of dust and smoke. Dethlefsen observed two MiGs trying to position themselves behind his aircraft as he could see enemy missiles streaking up toward the strike force through the cloud. Dethlefsen observed that he had been damaged by the AAA fire on his second pass after shaking the MiGs with a Light left break.

Maj. Merlyn Dethlefsen — Merlyn Dethlefsen

Dethlefsen halted his run to inspect his damaged Thud as the striking force finished its assault. The 57-mm gunner had damaged the bottom of the fuselage, but fortunately, the engine and flight control systems remained unharmed. He made the decision to re-engage the missile defense system after realizing that he had missed the SAM site and that the steel complex was a crucial target that would require additional bombing over the course of the following few days.

Dethlefsen noticed the SAM site squarely in front of him after maneuvering around the flak pattern. The second Shrike missile he launched immediately caused the site to go off the air. Dethlefsen placed his Thud on the deck to put the finishing touches on the site while a cloud of debris and smoke continued to linger over the target area. He located the SAM’s radar van, dropped his bombs directly on it, and then made a strafing pass with his 20-mm weapon to completely demolish the site.

Capt. Dethlefsen received the Medal of Honor for demonstrating exceptional bravery above and beyond the call of duty. On February 1st, 1968, President Johnson made the presentation in the White House.

The Republic F-105 Thunderchief Wing and Squadron Histories is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by: U.S. Air Force

August 1, 2023 0 comment

History

An overview of the F-107A Ultra Sabre, the Century Series fighter that never was

by Till Daisd July 17, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The USAF decided to purchase the F-105 Thunderchief instead of producing the F-107A after giving it some serious thought

A mid-1950s improvement on the popular F-100 Super Sabre was the North American F-107A Ultra Sabre. The F-107A was distinguished by its engine air intake located above the cockpit, all-moving vertical fin, and system (known as a Variable Area Intake Duct) that automatically adjusted the quantity of air supplied to the jet engine.

The F-107A (serial number 55-5118), the first of three prototypes, flew in September 1956 and reached Mach 1. A few months later, F-107 flew at Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound).

Notably, the F-107A had issues “tuning” the intake at a high number of Mach during its flight test campaign, an issue that had essentially afflicted the whole Century Series. Several undesirable flying properties were discovered during the subsequent, more thorough study. The automatic variable inlet duct system developed a recurring issue as the flight test campaign went on, limiting the maximum altitude for sustained flying to 51,000 feet.

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) did not finally decide to cancel the F-107 and purchase the F-105 Thunderchief until March 1957, as Ted Spitzmiller explains in his book Century Series, The USAF Quest Air Supremacy 1950-1960.

A quick look at the F-107A Ultra Sabre, the Century Series fighter that never was

The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the forerunner of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), then leased the first and third F-107A prototypes for use in high-speed flight research, with the third F-107A’s variable intake serving as one of the primary investigation points. A fixed intake subsequently replaced the variable-area inlet duct, which reduced the top speed to Mach 1.2. Nonetheless, the variable-area inlet duct proved to be a recurrent cause of mechanical issues.

According to Spitzmiller “a second area of interest to NACA and the USAF was the evaluation of a “side-stick” installed on the right side of the F-107A cockpit in addition to the traditional center position. The North American Aviation X-15 rocket plane, then in the final stages of design, would use a ‘hand controller’ that cradled the pilot’s right arm so that the high acceleration forces imparted by the rocket engine would not cause unintended control input. The traditional center stick was for use after burnout of the rocket engine.”

As Spitzmiller explains “the first prototype had so many problems that NACA eventually grounded it and used t as a spares donor for the other two. The third plane, which was turned over to NACA in February 1958 for variable duct research and side-stick evaluation, completed forty flights before an incident ended its flying days. Test Pilot Scott Crossfield, who was preparing to fly the X-15, was piloting 55-5120 [F-107A third prototype] during take-off when he encountered control problems. The plane ground looped, blowing both main tires, and a small brake fire resulted. Although the airplane was not badly damaged, it was decided not to invest in repairs. Crossfield indicated that the desired attributes of the side stick had been demonstrated and that no further testing was needed. The plane was cut up for use as a fire-fighting training form.”

Airframe 55-5118 was purchased by the Pima Air Museum in Tucson while the second prototype (F-107A 55-5119, which was employed for weapons testing with both conventional and atomic bombs) is on display at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

Additional source: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

July 17, 2023 0 comment

History

Infamous F-105 Thunderchief as an Incredible Morale Booster

by Till Daisd June 13, 2022

written by Till Daisd

There were shouts of “SHE’S HERE!” as soon as Ms. Galore arrived, and Vic can see crew members crowding the boom operator window for a peek as camera flashes also go off

The F-105D was one of the most famous—or infamous, depending on your perspective—planes and was also called P***y Galore. Captain Victor “Vic” Vizcarra piloted this aircraft.

The first Py Galore I marking was painted in July 1965, according to an intriguing Reddit thread. Py Galore was painted directly on the nose so that her, uh, “Strategic Part” was just above the receptacle as an inside joke for the KC-135 tanker crews, especially the boom operators who had difficulties placing the boom into the receptacle! She was given the same name as the executive pilot who flew the evil Goldfinger in the eponymous James Bond movie.

Ms. Galore and the tankers had a difficult first encounter. The tanker crew was informed by the pilot—not Vizcarra—that “she” was a virgin and that this was “her” first experience. To the amusement of all the involved Thud pilots, the boom operator mistook the phrase as the pilot’s first in-flight refuel and talked him all the way in. To their disappointment, Galore was not mentioned.

Later flights turned out to be considerably more enjoyable. There were shouts of “SHE’S HERE!” as soon as Ms. Galore arrived, and Vic can see crew members crowding the boom operator window for a peek as camera flashes also go off. There were snickers when the boom operator inserted the boom into Galore’s “Strategically Positioned” receptacle, completing the equivalent of an umm… oh yeah! After coming off the boom, there were cries of “Was that good for you?” “Ok, just how much did it cost me this time?” “Take good care of her now!” and “God damn it! There go another 100 bucks down the drain!” can be heard. Both sides reacted to those with a good deal of laughter, snickering, and smiles. Sadly, everything eventually came to an end.

During a dreaded journey “downtown,” the original Py Galore was shot down in 1967, leaving the pilot missing (not Vic). By that point, she had changed from a silver-painted finish to the typical South-East Asian three-tone finish, sadly with Ms. Galore painted over. Vic had already completed a Py Galore II by that point, in October 1966. The typical three-toned SE camouflage was used on this F-105D. Vic had to go through three hoops to obtain authorization to do Py Galore II. The tankers found it to be equally as popular as Py Galore I.

Sadly, this aircraft likewise failed to land. P***y Galore II was dispatched to Taiwan for a crucial significant maintenance and overhaul operation during the bombing lull LBJ authorized in 1968. She, unfortunately, sustained severe damage in a ground collision accident and was written off completely.

The marking itself though didn’t last that long. It was found out by the new Wing commander three weeks after application. Robert Scott, a legendary pilot from World War II, served as the commander. He suddenly grew apoplectic and demanded Galore be removed right away! So the P***y Galore tale comes to a close.

How well-known was P***y Galore? On a necessary R&R trip to Guam, Vic and his fellow Thud pilots broke into the local watering hole. They were immediately met by several KC-135 tanker crews. Their Thud patches allowed them to identify them. The tanker crew immediately inquired about a unique and really impressive Thud since it had a huge naked chick sprawled on the nose, with her special part strategically covering the receptacle.

They claimed that in addition to giving everyone involved an “eyeful,” Thud also significantly improved morale during an otherwise dull tanker sortie and made the life of the boom operator much simpler. They prayed every day that this Thud would appear and make the tanker crew’s day a little bit better. This is why her eventual, permanent disappearance was so disappointing.

They enquired as to who had thought up the idea and who was driving the Thud. They also said this wasn’t their first time asking this question. Well, someone on Vic’s team ratted him out as the guy who came up with THE P***y Galore concept! The tanker crew actually cheered when they realized not only did they find out the pilot, but got a name to go with the plane also! For the rest of that night, Vic couldn’t buy a drink without someone from the tanker crew picking up his tab!

No matter where it came from, never EVER undervalue the power of a good morale boost!

Photo by U.S. Air Force and Kits World

June 13, 2022 0 comment