FACs During Korea and Vietnam Wars Pt. II
By: Norm Goyer
When the Korean conflict started our new Air Force was in transition from prop driven aircraft to the new jet powered warbirds. Helicopters were also becoming more operational during this time. Remember the great scene in the Bridges of Toko-Ri when Sikorsky helicopter pilot Mickey Rooney smoking a big cigar landed his early chopper to assist downed airmen? Our Air Force and Navy had Lockheed F-80 Shooting Stars, Republic F-94 and Grumman Panthers, all great aircraft, but all lacking in the ability to launch, fly to target, linger over target and then return to base or carrier. The early jet engines were very fuel hungry and time in the air was measured in almost long minutes. In addition their straight wing plan form they did not have the speed or maneuverability of the swept wing Migs. The Air Force had to resurrect World War II aircraft, such as the Mustang, Twin Mustang and Corsairs to provide the air cover our troops on the ground needed. Even the tube and fabric Stinson L-5 Sentinel was used to hunt out the locations of ground targets, mark them and call in the jets to drop their bombs and race home, before they ran out of fuel. The L-5 did work, more or less, so they also called up some L-17 North American Navions, Piper L-21 Super Cubs and North American T-6 Texans for spotting duty. All of these liaison aircraft worked but none were really designed for the job of the newly coined FAC duties, Forward Air Controllers. The best one was the T-6 due to its speed, rugged construction, good rough field performance and excellent maneuverability.
North American T-6G Texans were retrofitted for FAC duties in Korea. Modifications included larger gas tanks, revised cockpit and radio installations and new canopies with more visibility.
During World War II, the Texan was used as an advanced trainer, and as such did not require long legs, as most of the training flights were rather short. North American cranked out T-6s and SNJs like popcorn, they were built by the thousands, and they were excellent aircraft. But, almost all of them had been sold surplus after the war. I had bought two of them. I had experience with the SNJs during Navy flight training and I loved the airplane. I bought two for $450 each. Ground troops in Korea called the T-6s Mosquitos due to the sound they made as they cruised overhead for hours at low throttle looking for ground targets. The Air Force sent out their agents to buy up large numbers of Texans to rebuild into the AT-6G which had been modified to make it an even better FAC aircraft. The planes were ferried to locations in SoCal where they were rebuilt with larger gas tanks, cockpit revisions to hold the more modern avionics and hard points under the wing for smoke rocket launchers. When these “G” models arrived in Korea their missions became even more successful. The Mosquitoes flew through war’s end, amassing 40,354 sorties, two Presidential Unit Citations, and a Korean Presidential Unit Citation. The Mosquitoes lost 33 men and 42 aircraft during the course of the war. The Mosquitoes were disbanded in 1956, as they were considered a wartime expedient. After they were disbanded, the United States once again had no Forward Air Control capabilities.
The North American airframe, Pratt & Whitney engine and Hamilton Standard prop are among the best in the industry. Many pilots walked away from crashes thanks to the rugged construction.
FACs in Vietnam
The United States unleashed a tremendous amount of air power during the Vietnam War. Ground operations would be controlled by the most widespread forward air control in history. Vietnam air operations were restricted by political decisions, that severely cramped the methods of delivering bombs to targets. The most widely used FAC aircraft during the opening years of the war were the Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog. These two passenger aircraft, very similar to a Cessna 170, would fly low and slow over the rugged jungle terrain looking for targets. Many were shot down. More were shot down when the enemy started using SAM missiles, often shoulder fired. At various points during the long war, the Air Force used Cessna O-2s (Cessna 337), North American T-28 Trojans, Grumman F9F Panthers (two place trainer version) with an observer, F-4 Phantoms, when they needed faster aircraft to avoid concentration of ground firepower.
The Bridges of Toko-Ri featured Grumman Panthers in Korea and Navy helicopter pilot Mickey Rooney.
June, 1966 saw the first Australian FAC pilots join the 19th TASS. Before their assignments ended in December, 1971, 36 Australians would have served with the USAF, one of them, Flight Lieutenant Gerry Cooper, being recommended for the Medal of Honor by Major General Julian Ewell. Following the Australians’ lead, New Zealand also placed 14 of its FAC pilots under U. S. command over much the same time span. Meanwhile the Air Force was actively looking for a better FAC aircraft. The O-1 Bird Dog had many shortcomings; its speed made it slow to arrive over target; it was vulnerable to enemy small arms fire; its small size limited its payload; its radio system was makeshift, with only one channel available at a time for any radio. Also, the Bird Dog lacked night flight instruments.
The North American twin-turboprop OV-10 was the most advanced FAC aircraft used in Vietnam. It was specially designed for the mission and was very successful.
An interim solution was the O-2 Skymaster, an adaptation of the civilian Cessna 337. With two engines, the O-2 had greater speed, could carry more equipment and ordnance, and had night instrumentation. Nevertheless, this aircraft also had limited capabilities. In 1968, the Vietnam FACs received the first purpose-built, forward air control aircraft. The North American OV-10 Bronco was armored, was nearly twice as fast as the O-1, and carried its own onboard ordnance for attacking targets of opportunity. Performance wasn’t all; the Bronco had unparalleled visibility; the pilot could lean outboard in the bubble canopy and see directly below the plane. The OV-10 also had self-sealing fuel tanks, all systems had backups, and was equipped with ejection seats.
The Cessna O-2 was used in Vietnam as a FAC aircraft. It was modified from the civilian Cessna 337 Skymaster.
During the Southeast Asian War, FACs participated in every major military action against the enemy except the strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam. Much of the bombing in South Vietnam and Cambodia also used FACs; as was the bombing in southern North Vietnam. A total of 338 USAF forward air controllers were lost in action. Aircraft historians often call the Vietnam War a helicopter war but it was also marked with brave pilots and observers flying small aircraft into heavy fighting.
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