Dan Rather - UPDATE from Bernie Goldberg

http://www.bernardgoldberg.com ^

[Richard Kimball]

No, but he volunteered to go to Cuba.

[GRRRRR]

Thanks MUCHO for the correction..I knew it was an “F” somthing...even have a pic of it somewhere...lazy me!

[A.A. Cunningham]

Very true, plust(sic) the Air Force decided that the jet he flew wasn’t air worthy enough to be flown in Viet Nam.

BS. F-102s were used in SEA from 1962-1968.

Two USAF Convair F-102A Delta Dagger interceptors of the 509th Fighter Interceptor Squadron over Vietnam in November 1966.

[Tallguy]

Thanks for the correction. I’m sure that you will agree that, FFARs aside, the aircraft pretty much lacked the ability to carry the other weapons that fighter-bombers of the day carried as a matter of course.

F-102’s were also used to escort the BUFFs for a time. During one such mission a Deuce was lost to a MiG-21. Most of the F-102s in Vietnam were lost to groundfire. So the rocket runs were the reason for the losses, apparently.

[tanknetter]

Thanks for the correction. I’m sure that you will agree that, FFARs aside, the aircraft pretty much lacked the ability to carry the other weapons that fighter-bombers of the day carried as a matter of course.

You're welcome!

I don't think it was so much lacking physical ability as having an integrated A2G avionics/targeting capability. There should have been no reason why the Deuce could not carry TERs, MERs and other bombs/guided missiles on the wing pylons (sacrificing, albeit, fuel and range), as it had about the same ground clearance as an F-4. From the article, the AAMs (AIM-4 Falcons) worked pretty well when used in A2G missions against heat sources (like VC campfires).

[Tallguy]

From the article, the AAMs (AIM-4 Falcons) worked pretty well when used in A2G missions against heat sources (like VC campfires).

I would think that the warheads on an A2A missile would be smallish when used in the ground attack role. Aircraft are fragile things. Trucks can be pretty tough as long as they aren't carrying something that might cause a secondary.

I've been noting that the Predator kill-rates are way up. This is leading me to believe that the Hellfire missile has an anti-personnel, fragmentation round or possible cluster munitions. The predator strikes are not killing 1 or 2 people; now they are killing a dozen at a crack.

I remember hearing that in '67 the Israelis were firing heat-seekers at Egyptian aircraft on the ground. I guess the 'Ready-5' aircraft would be pretty vulnerable to that type of thing.

[tanknetter]

I remember hearing that in '67 the Israelis were firing heat-seekers at Egyptian aircraft on the ground. I guess the 'Ready-5' aircraft would be pretty vulnerable to that type of thing.

Back in the early '90s I had a friend who was USMC Aviation Ordinance with VMFA-321 at Andrews AFB. One afternoon he took me out to their hangars and, with the permission of the very grizzled Marine Gunny (Sgt looked at my fairly old drivers license picture, then a look at me - was about 25lbs heavier - and commented that life was treating me well) ... AND after admonishing me NOT to touch anything THEN checking to make sure the ejection seat firing pins were all in place, put me into the cockpit of one of their birds, had me put on a plugged-in helmet and showed me what happened when a laser-pointer (or maybe it was an IR one) was waved in front of the Sidewinder acquisition round out on the wingtip, having me raise my hand every time I got tone.

Then I started doing it when he wasn't waving the pen in front of the missile's nose. Turned out the round was locking onto a Humvee idling a ways down the flightline ...