Viggie "Ass-Bomb"

[Hopeful Hoya]

Oh, no, that'll never happen...

I read Command and Control not too long ago. The author did a very good job of putting most of the bombers-vs-ICBM, faster-higher-lower-invisible-er strategic weps delivery thinking in context and perspective. Plus some really hair-raising shit on how long it took SAC to adopt the idea of multiple safeties on their nukes, and how many accidents and accidental detonation close calls there were over the years.

Like this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_Goldsboro_B-52_crash

Or this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_Palomares_B-52_crash

Like kids playing with fire, it's remarkable that the combination of essentially first generation jet aircraft, 2nd or 3rd generation nukes, and 24/7 airborne nuclear alerts did not lead to an actual disaster.

 

[jmcquate]

I did specify RATE. Of course it had to do with the relative small numbers deployed versus the hazard of the mission. The claim of highest loss rate comes from the Viggie Association web site, the book Vigilantes in Combat, my former DH, and naturally, Wikipedia. The raw data provided by Flash suggests the claim is likely true.

Sorry, my bad.

 

[jmcquate]

Was the A-5 ever deployed as an attack platform?

 

[Flash]

Was the A-5 ever deployed as an attack platform?

Not in wartime, the attack version did deploy for a few short years (2-3 I think) but not to Vietnam. The A-3 did deploy in its original role early in the war briefly but like the Viggie did much more work in support roles than its original one, the KA-3's give would be pretty nice today.

The 'Heavy' designation was for A-3 and A-5 squadrons, 'Light' was used for A-4's and A-7's as Wink mentioned and A-6's were 'Medium'. I remember seeing VAM in the detailer newsletter earlier in my career right after the the sundown and wondered what it was until an Intruder guy told me.

 

[Malo83]

Breakdown of all the VIGGIES and others
http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/A-5.html

 

[WEGL12]

Here is one source that says it dieectly and from Wikipedia page on the losses suffered by all aircraft in Vietnam it is plausible given how few Viggies deployed.

The biggest thing that stood out to me in that link was the number of Army rotary loses. I knew it was bad but 3000 UH-1 and 1000 OH-6/AH-1 loses is very sobering. Also didn't know the US lost close to 10000 aircraft during the war. Figured it would be a third of that number.

 

[Lawman]

The biggest thing that stood out to me in that link was the number of Army rotary loses. I knew it was bad but 3000 UH-1 and 1000 OH-6/AH-1 loses is very sobering. Also didn't know the US lost close to 10000 aircraft during the war. Figured it would be a third of that number.

In a lot of those cases the aircraft were written off vs attempting to recover and restore them to flying status.

Things like a forced landing level event but either due to the damage incurred by the PL'ing in the jungle wherever possible the payoff just wasnt there to try and either fix the aircraft and fly it out or lift it out and bring it back risking another helo and a ground force doing it. DART was often times more DPRT (Down Parts Recovery Team) where you would quickly strip out anything useful like radios and then just blow the thing in place.

 

[Uncle Fester]

In a lot of those cases the aircraft were written off vs attempting to recover and restore them to flying status.

Things like a forced landing level event but either due to the damage incurred by the PL'ing in the jungle wherever possible the payoff just wasnt there to try and either fix the aircraft and fly it out or lift it out and bring it back risking another helo and a ground force doing it. DART was often times more DPRT (Down Parts Recovery Team) where you would quickly strip out anything useful like radios and then just blow the thing in place.

Pops (H-34 guy in '67-'68) told me a story about a write-off in Vietnam. One of his squadron mates got hit with a golden BB in the one exact spot which would disable the helo with the least damage. Hit the oil reservoir, as I recall. HAC auto'ed it to a clearing a few miles short of the airfield. Otherwise no damage. They elected to sling-lift it back to the field. Crew doing the lift misjudged the wind while trying to set it down, wound up dragging the disabled H-34 for about 100 feet on its side down the tarmac. Minor damage by the VC, totally destroyed by the USMC.

 

[Lawman]

Pretty easy to break the "not worth it" mark when your talking about mid 60s/70s helicopters. Now days these things cost millions of dollars so its harder to write them off but back then they were just expensive jeeps as far as the Army was concerned.