The Southeast Asia War Gallery in the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio includes fighter planes.
With regard to the Southeast Asia War:
A product of the Cold War, the Southeast Asia War (1961-1973) began with communist attempts to overthrow non-communist governments in the region. United States participation in the Southeast Asia War resulted from the policy of "containment," which aimed to prevent communism from expanding beyond its early Cold War borders. The containment strategy seldom led to major combat, but as with the Korean War (1950-1953), the US committed large military forces to protect an allied, non-communist government.
The main U.S. goal in the Southeast Asia War was to protect South Vietnam -- initially from a local communist insurgency and later from conquest by communist North Vietnam. The U.S. also hoped to prevent the spread of communism to other nearby countries. Although popularly known as the Vietnam War, U.S. efforts included military action not only in South and North Vietnam, but also in neighboring Southeast Asian countries.
North American F-100F Super Sabre
According to the Museum:
After the single-seat, supersonic F-100 fighter entered service in 1954, it developed a high accident rate, in part due to pilot inexperience with the Super Sabre. In response North American built a two-seat training version -- the F-100F -- to train new Super Sabre pilots.
The F-100F retained the basic combat capabilities of the F-100D, including six wing hardpoints to carry external stores, but reduced the number of 20mm cannon from four to two. North American delivered the last of 339 F-100Fs in 1959.
When F-100 units deployed to Southeast Asia, they included a mix of one- and two-seat F-100s, and both types participated in traditional bombing missions in support of ground forces. As tactics developed, the two-seat F-100F became an important aircraft for two new missions -- surface to air missile (SAM) suppression, known as "Iron Hand," and high-speed forward air control (FAC), known as "Misty FAC."
This aircraft has a top speed of 875 mph and a range of 1,661 miles.
McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II
According to the Museum:
First flown in May 1958, the Phantom II originally was developed for U.S. Navy fleet defense. The U.S. Air Force's first version, the F-4C, made its first flight in May 1963, and production deliveries began six months later. Phantom II production ended in 1979 after over 5,000 had been built -- more than 2,600 for the USAF, about 1,200 for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and the rest for friendly foreign nations.
In 1965 the USAF sent its first F-4Cs to Southeast Asia, where they flew air-to-air missions against North Vietnamese fighters as well as attacking ground targets. The first USAF pilot to score four combat victories with F-4s in Southeast Asia was Col. Robin Olds, a World War II ace. The aircraft on display is the one in which Col. Olds, the pilot, and Lt. Stephen Croker, the weapons system officer, destroyed two MiG-17s in a single day, May 20, 1967.
In its air-to-ground role, the F-4C could carry twice the normal load of a WWII B-17. The armament loaded on the aircraft on display is a typical configuration for an F-4C in 1967. It consists of four AIM-7E and four AIM-9B air-to-air missiles, and eight 750-pound Mk 117 bombs. The aircraft also carries two external fuel tanks on the outboard pylons and one ALQ-87 electronic countermeasures (ECM) pod on the right inboard pylon.
This aircraft has a top speed of 1,400 mph, a cruising speed of 690 mph, a range of 1,750 miles, and a ceiling of 59,600 feet.
General Dynamics F-111A Aardvark
According to the Museum:
Originally known as the TFX (Tactical Fighter "X"), the F-111 was conceived to meet a U.S. Air Force requirement for a new tactical fighter-bomber. In 1960 the Department of Defense combined the USAF's requirement with a Navy need for a new air superiority fighter. The USAF's F-111A first flew in December 1964, and the first production models were delivered to the USAF in 1967. Meanwhile, the Navy's F-111B program was canceled. In all, 566 F-111s of all series were built; 159 of them were F-111As. Although the F-111 was unofficially referred to as the Aardvark, it did not receive the name officially until it was retired in 1996.
An interested feature of the aircraft was its variable-geometry wings. While in the air, the wings could be swept forward for takeoffs, landings or slow speed flight, and swept rearward for high-speed flight. The F-111 could also fly at very low level and hit targets in bad weather.
In the spring of 1968 the USAF operationally tested the F-111A in Southeast Asia with mixed success. In 1972, after correcting early problems, the USAF returned the F-111A to Southeast Asia for Operation Linebacker II, where it conducted very effective night strikes against North Vietnamese targets.
This aircraft has a top speed of 1,452 mph, a cruising speed of 685 mph, a range of 3,632 miles, and a ceiling of 57,000 feet.
Northrop YF-5A Freedom Fighter
According to the Museum:
The F-5 was a supersonic fighter that combined low cost, ease of maintenance and great versatility. The U.S. Air Force procured more than 2,000 of these aircraft for use by allied nations. The F-5, which closely resembled the USAF Northrop T-38 trainer, was suitable for various types of ground-support and aerial intercept missions, including those conducted from unpaved fields in combat areas.
The F-5 first flew in July 1959, and deliveries to the Tactical Air Command for instructing foreign pilots began in April 1964. Pilots from Iran and South Korea were the first to be trained in the F-5, followed by pilots from Norway, Greece, Taiwan, Spain and other Free World nations that adopted the F-5. A two-place combat trainer version, the F-5B, first flew in February 1964.
This aircraft has a top speed of 925 mph, a cruising speed of 575 mph, a range of 1,100 miles, and a ceiling of 50,700 feet.
McDonnell RF-101C Voodoo
According to the Museum:
The F-101 lineage included several versions: low-altitude fighter-bomber, photo reconnaissance, two-seat interceptor and transition trainer. To accelerate production, no prototypes were built. The first Voodoo, an F-101A fighter version, made its initial flight on Sept. 29, 1954. Development of the unarmed RF-101, the world's first supersonic photo-reconnaissance aircraft, began in 1956. When production ended in March 1961, 807 Voodoos had been built. While 35 RF-101As and 166 RF-101Cs were produced, some single- and dual-seat Voodoos were converted to the reconnaissance configuration and redesignated RF-101Bs, RF-101Gs and RF-101Hs later in their operational lives.
This aircraft has a top speed of 1,000 mph, a cruising speed of 440 mph, a range of 2,060 miles, and a ceiling of 45,800 feet.
More airplanes
Air Force Museum: Southeast Asia air support aircraft (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: Southeast Asia bombers (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: Southeast Asia cargo aircraft (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: Lockheed F-22 Raptor (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: Some Cold War era fighters (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: Lockheed Blackbird (photo diary)
Evergreen Aviation: Jet Planes (photo diary)
Yanks Air Museum: Military Jets (Photo Diary)
