Slow FACs
This picture shows the Air
Force’s three slow FAC aircraft over the jungles of Southeast Asia.
The O-1 Bird Dog in the
foreground was the basic FAC aircraft and served the Air Force, Army, and VNAF
throughout the War in Southeast Asia. Note
the large numbers on the vertical stabilizer and the large star on the
fuselage. These are markings of the in-country O-1s and not the 23rd
TASS. The O-1’s single engine and slow speed made it more vulnerable on
missions deep over enemy territory in Laos and North Vietnam. In addition, a
loss rate of about one per week meant the USAF needed a follow-on FAC
aircraft.
The OV-10 started out as the LARA, a light attack
reconnaissance aircraft being developed under the DoD’s concept of saving
money through multi-use aircraft. Unfortunately the initial design to
accommodate the Air Force, Navy, and Marines included the two extremely
powerful turboprop engines and stubby wings that could put the aircraft out of
control if an engine was lost immediately after takeoff.
While the DoD designers went
back to the drawing board, the Air Force still needed a follow-on FAC bird.
The USAF bought the O-2A Skymaster from Cessna for FAC missions and for
PsyOp (loudspeaker platform and leaflet delivery). The O-2s were flown across
the Pacific using island hopping and extra fuel bladders in the cockpit to
make the 2,000-mile leg from California to Hawaii.
The first O-2s were assigned to the 20th TASS, headquartered
at Danang AB, South Vietnam in 1966. The
23rd TASS at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Thailand started receiving the
O-2s in the summer of 1966.
The redesigned OV-10 began
phasing into combat over Southeast Asia in late 1968.
