Today in 1965, in the skies over Vietnam

The EF-105F Wild Weasel made its first kill in the Vietnam War. 

Republic EF-105F Thunderchief (aka "Thud")

The EF-105F was a variation on the Republic F-105 Thunderchief, a supersonic fighter-bomber used by the United States Air Force capable of achieving Mach 2.  Originally designed as a single-seat, nuclear-attack aircraft, the F-105, or “Thud” as it was affectionately known by pilots, conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War and it was the only U.S. aircraft to be removed from combat due to high loss rates.  The Wild Weasel version was a two-seater later developed for the specialized Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role against surface-to-air missile sites.

F-105's and F-4's during refueling oepration

In Vietnam, the single-seat F-105D was the primary aircraft delivering the heavy bomb loads against the various military targets. The F-105F and F-105G Wild Weasel variants became the first dedicated Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) platforms, fighting against the Soviet-built S-75 Dvina (NATO reporting name: SA-2 Guideline) surface-to-air missiles. In fact, two Wild Weasel pilots were awarded the Medal of Honor for attacking North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile sites, with one shooting down two MiG-17s the same day. The dangerous missions often required them to be the "first in, last out", suppressing enemy air defenses while strike aircraft accomplished their missions and then left the area.

During the Vietnam War, over 20,000 Thunderchief sorties were flown, with 382 aircraft lost including 62 operational (non-combat) losses (out of the 833 produced), and tthey were credited with 27.5 kills.  The Thud was later replaced as a strike aircraft over North Vietnam by both the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and the swing-wing General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark. However, the "Wild Weasel" variants of the F-105 remained in service until 1984 when they were replaced by the specialized F-4G "Wild Weasel V."

[December 22, 1965]