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cd001633(at)mindspring.co
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 Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:36 pm Post subject: Skyhawk Killing Mig-17 |
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Hi Mark,
Unless this amazing ty[e of a kill actually happened earlier in Vietnam, the documented kill of an A-4 Skyhawk that shot down a Mig-17 with a salvo of Zuni rockets was by an Israeli pilot Col. Ezra "Babban" Dotan over Syria/South Lebanon border on May 12th, 1970.
Please check www.skyhawk.org/2e/israel/israeli-skyhawk-combat.htm
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-4_Skyhawk (Scroll down to section discussing the A-4 combat history in the Israeli Airforce)
Col. Dotan shot down two Mig-17s that day... one with his Defa 30mm Cannon and than he ran out of ammo while in perfect close range and 6 O'clock position behind the second Mig-17. Had to be quite frustrating! He still had 2 pods of Zuni rockets... the first salvo fell well below the Mig-17. He raised his nose quite high, "guestimating" the trajectory of the rockets and fired the second salvo. The Mig exploded - he had no chance to avoid the debris and flew right through them causing damage to the tail surfaces and engine. He was able to nurse the Skyhawk back for a safe landing.
The reason I know the story is that he told it to me in person. His total career score was 5 kills (Ace)- his other three Kills were all in Mirage III. Unfortunately, he died of Cancer not an old man.
FWIW,
Sam Sax
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MarkWDavis
Joined: 03 Jan 2007
Posts: 104
Location: Syracuse, KS
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 4:05 am Post subject: Skyhawk Killing Mig-17 |
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Sam,
From Yahoo Search "On May 1, 1967, VA-76 "Spirit" A-4C Skyhawk, BuNo.
148609, side number NP-685, from USS Bon Homme Richard CVA-31, was piloted
by Lieutenant Commander Ted "T.R." Swartz. "T.R." was about to make an
air-to-ground missile attack on North Vietnam's Kep Airfield, north of
Hanoi.
The Skyhawk was armed with 5" ZUNI rockets designed for beating up ground
targets. An unguided weapon, the ZUNI, when fired, went more or less where
the pilot aimed it. As "T.R." began his roll-in to attack the target, his
wingman alerted him to a pair of enemy MiG-17 Fresco fighters, moving in to
attack at Swartz's 6 o'clock position. The intrepid Skyhawk driver wanted
nothing to do with THAT game, so he aborted his target run and pulled his
aircraft into a defensive high "G" barrel roll. The unexpected maneuver
caused the attacking MiGs to over-shoot and Swartz slid into their 6 o'clock
position.
WHOOOOOOOM!!; Swartz pickled a salvo of ZUNI rockets from beneath his
Skyhawk wings and, seconds later, was amazed to see one of his ZUNIs hit one
of the MiGs, which disintegrated in a ball of flame. SPLASH ONE MIG! T.R.
Swartz retured safely to USS Bon Homme Richard that day, his action marking
the first, and only, shoot-down of an enemy aircraft by a Skyhawk during the
Vietnam War."
As for shooting one's self down Doc, my favorite is "The F-11 Tiger is
noted for being the first jet aircraft to shoot itself down. On 21 September
1956, during a test firing of its 20 mm cannons, pilot Tom Attridge fired
two bursts mid-way through a shallow dive. As the velocity and trajectory of
the cannon rounds decayed, they ultimately crossed paths with the Tiger as
it continued its descent, disabling it and forcing Attridge to crash land
the aircraft. The pilot survived." My question is: Had Attridge already
had four kills, would he have become an Ace for shooting himself down?!?
After all don't they say "A kill is a kill"?
Mark Davis
N44YK
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cd001633(at)mindspring.co
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:48 am Post subject: Skyhawk Killing Mig-17 |
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This is amazing that pretty much the same scenario occurred in both cases - great testimonial to the pilots resourcefulness!
Thanks for the information,
Sam Sax
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