Skip to main content
***Our website URL has changed. Update your favorites to www.history.navy.mil/hrnm***
[X]
Tags
Related Content
Topic
  • Aircraft--Fixed Wing
  • Exhibits
Document Type
  • Photograph
Wars & Conflicts
  • Vietnam Conflict 1962-1975
Navy Communities
File Formats
  • Image (gif, jpg, tiff)
Location of Archival Materials
  • Hampton Roads Naval Museum
Author Name
Place of Event
Recipient Name

Page 48 top image
Caption: Flight deck crewmembers direct an A-1 Skyraider taxiing to a catapult aboard USS Coral Sea (CVA 43) in January 1968. (National Archives and Records Administration)

Page 49 bottom right
Caption: Two A-6 Intruders from VA-196, off USS Constellation (CVA 64), fly toward enemy targets in July 1968. (National Archives and Records Administration)

Page 50 top image
Caption: Danger for Navy pilots flying over North Vietnam came from the air as well as the ground. North Vietnamese MiG fighter planes (supplied by the Soviet Union and China) often tried to attack American planes during bombing runs. While not as prevalent as anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) or surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), MiGs were a constant threat to aviators. In 1969, the Navy established the famous “Top Gun” school to improve air-to-air combat skills. In this image, ordnancemen arm an F-8 Crusader with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. These heat-seeking missiles were the primary weapon against enemy fighters. (Naval History and Heritage Command)

Page 50 bottom right image 
Caption: An SA-2 SAM explodes under an American plane. The North Vietnamese countered U.S. air superiority by positioning surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) around high value targets. For propaganda purposes, the North Vietnamese often moved SAM sites to areas that risked collateral damage, near dikes, villages, and stadiums. Although the U.S. developed technology to jam North Vietnamese radar, SAMs and AAA remained a constant danger throughout the war. (Naval History and Heritage Command)
hide
Published: Thu May 27 04:08:23 EDT 2021