“The World’s Leading Distributor of MiG Parts” is this

The McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom acquired many nicknames over its storied career: Snoopy, Old Smokey, St. Louis Slugger, the Flying Anvil, and many more. The best, by far, came from the sheer number of Soviet-built MiGs taken down by the plane.

The F-4 was truly an amazing aircraft. Even at the end of its service life, it was winning simulated air battles against the United States’ latest and greatest airframes, including the F-15 Eagle, which is still in service today. Even though it was considered an ugly aircraft by pilots of the time, it’s hard to argue with 280 enemy MiG kills — which is how it acquired its best nickname, “The World’s Leading Distributor of MiG Parts.”

MjdjOGU2ZTE4OGJlYzUyZGE5M2M3MDZhYTVjMjM2NDQuanBn.png

After being introduced in 1960, it was acquired by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy as an interceptor and fighter-bomber. In Vietnam, the Phantom was used as a close-air support aircraft and also fulfilled roles as aerial reconnaissance and as an air superiority fighter.

U.S. Air Force Col. Robin Olds lands his F-4 Phantom II fighter, SCAT XVII, on his final flight as Wing Commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, Ubon Thailand in Sept. 1967.

OTlhNzEwNDEyNTYyMmQwYmVlMjc2MWJlODgzNGEyZmMuanBn.png

All of the last American pilots, weapon systems officers, and radar intercept officers to attain ace status did so in F-4 Phantom II fighters over Vietnam — against MiGs.

And the MiG fighters flown by the North Vietnamese were no joke, either. The Navy’s Top Gun school was founded because of the loss rate attributed to VPAF pilots — and that’s only the opposition in the air. North Vietnam’s air defenses were incredibly tight, using precise, effective doctrine to thwart American air power whenever possible. Air Force Col. Robin Olds used this doctrine against them in Operation Bolo, the first offensive fighter sweep of the war and a brilliant air victory.

b3JpZ2luXzEud2VicA==.png

Olds found the loss rate to VPAF MiG-21s to be unacceptable when taking command of the 8th TFW in Ubon. With the F-4’s success in Operation Bolo, Olds and the 8th TFW grounded the entire Vietnamese People’s Air Force for months.

The F-4 Phantom II was eventually replaced, but it took a number of different planes to compensate for the absence of this versatile airframe. It was replaced by the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, and F-14 Tomcat. The F-14 was also the most widely produced aircraft, with more than 5,000 built.

Today, the Phantom still out there with the air forces of Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and Iran, and was last seen blowing up ISIS fighters in a close-air support role.

You don’t have to cheer for Iran, but you can cheer for American-made F-4s still kicking ass.

NDI1NzQ5NzIwXzM1OTIwODg1MDIzNzE1NF8xNTg2OTkwNjI0OTMzMzQ0NDYxX24uanBn.png

Related Posts

LATEST: 30 minutes ago, Billionaire Elon Musk and the US President had a fierce conflict and a heated war of words after Elon Musk AND the First Lady had…. more

LATEST: Elon Musk and the U.S. President in Heated Clash After Controversial Encounter With First Lady In a shocking development that has stunned both political insiders and Silicon Valley observers,…

Read more

BBC News informa: ¡Hace 40 minutos! El príncipe Andrés ha desatado la furia mediática tras ser encontrado inconsciente en una habitación privada de su casa en Texas, después de que el rey Carlos ordenara… más

EL REY CARLOS ESTÁ FURIOSO POR EL ESCÁNDALO DE ESPIONAJE CHINO QUE INVOLUCRA AL PRÍNCIPE ANDRÉS: ¡LAS TENSIONES REALES LLEGAN A UN PUNTO ÍNTIMO DE EBULLICIÓN! En un impactante giro…

Read more

He Was Diddy’s Butler/Concubine… It’s HARD To Look at Him Now Freddy said he used to see Diddy straight-up disrespecting Fonzworth all the time. At first, he couldn’t… read more

He Was Diddy’s Butler—or His Mistress. Now He’s a Symbol of Silence. Once seen as the polished, umbrella-holding gentleman who trailed behind Sean “Diddy” Combs like a living accessory, Fonzworth…

Read more

Donny Osmond publica una emotiva imagen en Instagram con su despedida final a la familia……….leer más

Donny Osmond, el querido músico e intérprete, conmovió recientemente a sus fans con una emotiva publicación en Instagram. El artista de 65 años, conocido por su dinámica carrera de seis…

Read more

It’s been a rough few years for Simon Cowell, but he’s now confirmed what we all suspected about his son. I don’t care what you think about the man himself, but this must have been an extremely hard decision…. More

Simon Cowell, the notoriously tough television judge, has recently opened up about a deeply personal decision concerning his son, Eric. Known for his sharp critiques on shows like The X Factor and America’s…

Read more

SAD NEWS: 30 minutes ago, Phil Robertson’s family confirmed that his death was related to him facing some issues related to… see more

Phil Robertson, the bearded patriarch of the Duck Dynasty family, has died at the age of 79, and the shockwaves are rippling across America. Best known as the outspoken, God-fearing…

Read more

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *