0.0EndedDocumentary

Wings Over Vietnam: The Missions

During the course of the Southeast Asian war, the United States developed many new types of air tactics that had never previously been needed. New missions were devised, often under bizarre code-names. Some of these missions have gone on to become legends, while others have simply faded. What does remain are the men who flew the missions, the planes that were involved, and incredible stories of determination, triumph and tragedy. Wings Over Vietnam compares rare combat footage with first-hand accounts, to create a captivating portrait of these unique missions.

6. MiG Killers

0.0Apr 14, 2004

In March 1965, U.S. air strikes into North Vietnam began. In April, the first dogfights took place. As the fighting grew into a major conflict, the air activity increased accordingly. At first the results were not encouraging for the U. S. Air Force. The most common problem found could be summed up in the words insufficient training and experience in air-to-air combat. But in 1972, when the "Top Gun" program improved the skills in aerial combat of USN Phantom pilots, and the F-4E appeared with a 20 mm built-in Vulcan cannon, could the US neutralize edge of the NVAF MiG-17, MiG-19 and MiG-21.