North American F-100 Super Sabre - Phan Rang Air Base

[Hunpilot]

I challenge the comment about the F-100 being a gas guzzler. In fact we got better gas milage than most two-engine fighters in the early years in Viet Nam. I remember being able to hold over the target area in Laos to let F-4's go in first because they were running out of gas and I still had 300 miles to get back to Phan Rang. Sure, F-111's got the best, but then they carried 2 1/2 times more gas. Flew with the 352 TFS, Yellow Jackets.

[datzfast]

great plane, the best jets are always chosen as thunderbirds. thats all anyone really needs to say.

[AstroChickenII]

If they had a whole base of F-100s does that mean some of them were used as interceptors?

[StiviGun1]

This design allowed for a lot of improvements. Too bad the US politicians had to experience Vietnam to realize the importance of close A-A combat. They could've made excellent fighters based on the Sabre design.

[ynotme297]

I was a crew chief on the Huns at Phang Rang 1966-67, in fact the 100f tail number 005 shown in this clip was in my squadron. I was with the 401st TAC/35th TFW. They were good planes and flew many missions. They had their faults as well.

[raynus1]

@Iffy: "...but was designed in the late 1950's". Sorry to drop in, but if you are referring to the F-100. it was actually designed during the Korean war and first flew in 1953. It went supersonic on it's first test flight, and as you're probably well aware, was the first US fighter that could achieve Mach 1 in level flight. This bird remained in service with ANG units until ~1980...hardly a turkey.

[biukucanoe]

Americans have never liked lightweight fighters like the F-5 or F-104, even the F-16 and F-18 have grown to Phantom weights and beyond. F-100s were initially assigned MiG-cap for F-105, but Mig-17s ignored them and F-4 took over. F-5 was probably better bomber and fighter than F-100, but USAF thought it was a toy.

[cyberarmy007]

The F-5 had a short operation range. 1000 km (621,3 miles) is too little!

[AerialSerialKiller]

i think the job of the FAC must have been an awesome experience-there you are,with just a speaker to your mouth, but you direct all this airpower to a point you choose...i think some of the prophetes in the bible who relied on gods involvement and urged it must have had such a feeling.

[AerialSerialKiller]

FAC- Forward Air Controller,somethimes also :Forward Airstrike Coordinator...

[modmusik]

"F-100 as a passing reference?" No more, with the new book - Bury us upside down : the Misty pilots and the secret battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail / Rick Newman and Don Shepperd ; foreword by John McCain.

[1z1q]

check that...... 104 was retired from service with all natios in 2004.. 1954-2004 ..QUITE A CAREER FOR A SHITTY BIRD.... HUH?

[Iffy350]

The AIM-9B had a range of 2.6 miles and was unable to follow a MiG through a 5G turn. It had a load factor limit of 2G's. To score a hit, the launching aircraft has to be properly positioned with great attention paid to closure rate and range. F-100D had a pretty unorthodox missile firing method. On the left side of a pilot there is a panel where the pilot must select his missiles station, then he must flip a switch to arm the missile then press the fire button which is below the arm switch.

[1z1q]

agreed on the 102 being a DUD.. but the 106 was probably the greatest pure interceptor ever created..and if the 104 was so crappy why was it retired in 2006?

[Iffy350]

Pretty much the only good century series fighter was the F-105 Thunderchief and history reflects this fact. F-102's and F-106 fighters were subpar. The F-104 was hated by West German Pilots including famed JG-52 BF-109 flying ace Enrich Hartmann. As for the small arms comment, DUH! I KNOW THAT! DON'T PATRONIZE ME! I was just saying that it doesn't absorber punishment as well as other US ground attack fighters. The plane was slow because the a/c engine was underpowered and it was designed poorly.

[Iffy350]

Correction 1956; The F-105 would have been a better front line fighter plane. It could carry 4 AIM-9B Sidewinders but like the USN/USMC F-8E Crusader they found out that these missiles were almost useless in a dogfight. The F-100D has the ability to stall like no other plane in the US arsenal at the time save for maybe the F-104 Starfighter.

[1z1q]

actually iffy350.... The AIM 9'S WERE QUITE USEFUL in a Dogfight. The Aim-4 Hughes Falcon and the AIM-7 Sparrow were liabilities.. and get off the F-100 , those brave men went into battle with what they had and from all of the web-sites devoted to the Hun from former drivers , I would say that all in all it was loved. and Like THUD086 said, it was never meant to be weighted down to the gills with bombs and other externals.. you'll notice that all of the MIGS in Nam had clean silhouettes.

[Iffy350]

I would rather fly the F-5A Freedomfighter because it was a better plane! Also, the AIM-9B had to fired from directly behind the enemy plane to score a hit, if a MiG-17 sideslips it can easily avoid an AIM-9B Sidewinder. The Soviet reversed engineered AA-2 Atoll was better than the AIM-9B Sidewinder.

[Iffy350]

F-100D's are awesome but very slow, they're barely supersonic and the guzzle petrol. F-100's are terrible escort fighters and unusable in a dogfight against MiG-17's and MiG-21's.

[cyberarmy007]

On 4 April 1965 an F-100 shot down a North Vietnamese Air Force MiG-17, using cannon fire. This represented the first aerial victory "kill" by US forces in Vietnam.

[Iffy350]

Its still shit; the A-1 Skyraider got two MiG-17 kills with its 20mm cannons and the A-4 Skyhawk shot down one MiG-17 with a Zuni Rocket!

[cyberarmy007]

Why shit? No savvy!

[Iffy350]

Because it flies like shit; turns like shit; crashes all of the time; gets brought down by small arms fire frequently; has one engine; cannot go supersonic with wing tanks and two 750 lb bombs; is from 1960 but was designed in the late 1950's.

[THUD086]

Iffy350, it was actually designed in the early 50's. It was never designed for ground combat in Vietnam, or anywhere, but was used in that role because the AF needed "low and slow" planes for ground support in Vietnam, something they did not have early on.

And the reason for the crashes, was because of a design flaw, which made the plane difficult to land at it's stalling speed. That was overcome by the pilot just landing faster than what the initial landing speed was, to keep it from stalling.

[THUD086]

And Iffy, any plane flying 'low and slow" in the ground support role is susceptible to ground fire, especially in jungle warfare where the enemy has the advantage of a jungle canopy for cover.

[Iffy350]

Good, vote me down. . . its because you don't no jack shit!

[THUD086]

I'm not out to vote anyone down, only offering any facts and viewpoints on the subject.

First, the initial AIM-9 was designed to shoot down Soviet bombers, where it would get behind the bomber anyway.

Second, we don't know how the "Delta" fighters would respond in combat, because they weren't used in Vietnam, although the F-102 was used for ground alert against any advancing MiG towards So. Vietnam or Thailand.

Don't say I don't "no" (know) shit.

Erich didn't have an n his first name.

[1z1q]

Yeah the EE Lightning was a great point fighter , but the 106 had F-15 Pilots pulling their hair out along with the beat Navy Top Gun pilots as well.. something no Foxbat would ever do..

[kerrayz]

I have a Zippo lighter, bought about 10 years ago from a market stall. It has the inscription PHAN-RANG on the front and a name "Kieu-Oanh" 70/4 BH is written after the name. It has a crest of double wings with a bird above it. And on the back it says HIIYA 310-TH AIR COMMANDOS. Any information on my lighter would be much appreciated.

[1z1q]

I also seem to recall the French operated F-100's.. Maybe not, I know they flew F-8's too. Cool stuff!

[cyberarmy007]

You're right. I have looked up!

French Super Sabres flown combat missions, strikes flown from bases within France against targets in Algeria.

[THUD086]

Aaaah, brings back memories. In tech school at Sheppard AFB in 1966, the 100 was the first plane I trained on. We had those, 101's, and 102's.

[1z1q]

I sure wish I could have been around to see all of those silvery and loud century series THUD086.. There is just some things a book cant tell you like the real thing can.. Too cool buddy!

[1z1q]

The "HUN" has returned.. way to go Cyberarmy.. more incredible footage and information on one of my favorite planes.. great carrer for the F-100.. Thunderbirds, Wild Weasel, recon bird ,etc etc etc

[BlueBoy11035]

Great JET and cool VID

Dennis

PEACE AND FREEDOM FOR ALL MANKIND

'~*@-_-@*~'