Download or read book The History Of The Airborne Forward Air Controller In Vietnam written by Lt.-Cmdr. Andrew R. Walton and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Department of Defense predicts that ground forces of the future will wage tomorrow’s wars by replacing large numbers of personnel and organic firepower for advanced technology and superior maneuverability. Those forces must be prepared to face an unconventional enemy who will operate in small, lethal units interspersed with the civilian population rather than facing coalition forces with massed formations. This scenario of blurred lines of battle and difficulty determining friend from foe resembles very closely what the U.S. military faced in Vietnam. This paper will address the successes and failures of United States airborne forward air controllers (FACs), particularly in Vietnam, and whether combat lessons learned were passed from service to service or historically from conflict to conflict. The FAC mission has not significantly changed since the end of the Vietnam War, and a thorough study of operational and tactical lessons learned by those aircrew will significantly enhance today’s FACs ability to find and destroy dispersed enemy forces in a wide array of environments.
Download or read book The History of the Airborne Forward Air Controller in Vietnam written by U.s. Army Command and General Staff College and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-08-14 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The US Department of Defense predicts that ground forces of the future will wage tomorrow's wars by replacing large numbers of personnel and organic firepower for advanced technology and superior maneuverability. Those forces must be prepared to face an unconventional enemy who will operate in small, lethal units interspersed with the civilian population rather than facing coalition forces with massed formations. This scenario of blurred lines of battle and difficulty determining friend from foe resembles very closely what the US military faced in Vietnam. This book will address the successes and failures of United States airborne forward air controllers (FACs), particularly in Vietnam, and whether combat lessons learned were passed from service to service or historically from conflict to conflict. The FAC mission has not significantly changed since the end of the Vietnam War, and a thorough study of operational and tactical lessons learned by those aircrew will significantly enhance today's FACs ability to find and destroy dispersed enemy forces in a wide array of environments.
Download or read book The History of the Airborne Forward Air Controller in Vietnam written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Department of Defense predicts that ground forces of the future will wage tomorrow's wars by replacing large numbers of personnel and organic firepower with advanced technology and superior maneuverability. Those forces must be prepared to face an unconventional enemy who will operate in small, lethal units interspersed with the civilian population rather than facing coalition forces with massed formations. This scenario of blurred lines of battle and difficulty determining friend from foe resembles very closely what the U.S. military faced in Vietnam. This paper will address the successes and failures of United States airborne forward air controllers (FACs), particularly in Vietnam, and whether combat lessons learned were passed from service to service or historically from conflict to conflict. The FAC mission has not significantly changed since the end of the Vietnam War, and a thorough study of operational and tactical lessons learned by those aircrew will significantly enhance today's FACs ability to find and destroy dispersed enemy forces in a wide array of environments.
Download or read book The History of the Airborne Forward Air Controller in Vietnam written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Department of Defense predicts that ground forces of the future will wage tomorrow's wars by replacing large numbers of personnel and organic firepower with advanced technology and superior maneuverability. Those forces must be prepared to face an unconventional enemy who will operate in small, lethal units interspersed with the civilian population rather than facing coalition forces with massed formations. This scenario of blurred lines of battle and difficulty determining friend from foe resembles very closely what the U.S. military faced in Vietnam. This paper will address the successes and failures of United States airborne forward air controllers (FACs), particularly in Vietnam, and whether combat lessons learned were passed from service to service or historically from conflict to conflict. The FAC mission has not significantly changed since the end of the Vietnam War, and a thorough study of operational and tactical lessons learned by those aircrew will significantly enhance today's FACs ability to find and destroy dispersed enemy forces in a wide array of environments.
Download or read book History of the Airborne Forward Air Controller FAC Mosquito Aircraft Joint Air Tasking Doctrine World War I and II Korea Vietnam War Marine Corps Kosovo War on Terror A 10 F 16 F 14 F 18 written by U. S. Military and published by . This book was released on 2017-05-07 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two excellent reports provide an excellent history of the FAC: The History of the Airborne Forward Air Controller and Rebuilding the Joint Airborne Forward Air Controller: Analyzing Joint Air Tasking Doctrine's Ability to Facilitate Effective Air-Ground Integration. The US Department of Defense predicts that ground forces of the future will wage tomorrow's wars by replacing large numbers of personnel and organic firepower for advanced technology and superior maneuverability. Those forces must be prepared to face an unconventional enemy who will operate in small, lethal units interspersed with the civilian population rather than facing coalition forces with massed formations. This scenario of blurred lines of battle and difficulty determining friend from foe resembles very closely what the US military faced in Vietnam. This paper will address the successes and failures of United States airborne forward air controllers (FACs), particularly in Vietnam, and whether combat lessons learned were passed from service to service or historically from conflict to conflict. The FAC mission has not significantly changed since the end of the Vietnam War, and a thorough study of operational and tactical lessons learned by those aircrew will significantly enhance today's FACs ability to find and destroy dispersed enemy forces in a wide array of environments. CHAPTER 1 - AIRBORNE FACs AT WAR * Airborne Observer History * World War I: The Birth of a Concept * The Interwar Years * World War II: Lessons Learned and Forgotten * Korea: Mosquitoes Take Flight * CHAPTER 2 - THE ADVISORY YEARS * US Air Force Counterinsurgency Operations * Farm Gate * O-1 Birddog * CHAPTER 3 - THE SLOW-FAC AIR WAR * FAC Aircraft in Vietnam * USAF FAC Involvement in Vietnam * US Navy FAC Involvement * US Marine Corps FAC Involvement * FAC Operations 1965-1970 * Out-of-Country Operations * Visual Reconnaissance * CHAPTER 4 - THE FAST-FAC AIR WAR * US Marine Corps Fast-FAC: F9F Panther and OA-4 Skyhawk * Operation Commando Sabre: The Misty FAC * Stormy, Wolf, Tiger, and Night Owl: Phantom FACs * Vietnam Lessons Forgotten * CHAPTER 5 - BEYOND VIETNAM: THE DEATH OF LARGE-SCALE AIRBORNE FAC * Marine Corps FACs After Vietnam * New FACs Emerge: Air Force A-10 and F-16 * New FACs Emerge: Navy F-14 and F-18F * Special Operations Forward Air Control * The Next Test: Kosovo 1998 * The Global War On Terror * Where Do We Go From Here? * The Mission of Forward Air Control * The People of Forward Air Control * The Aircraft of Forward Air Control * Conclusion * BIBLIOGRAPHY Book Two: Lessons learned from Operation Anaconda point to deficiencies in current joint FAC(A) air-ground integration. The primary purpose of this thesis is to determine if current joint air tasking doctrine allows the FAC(A) to effectively integrate into supported ground operations. This study examines potential modifications to joint air tasking doctrine that will allow FAC(A)s to integrate with their supported ground units more effectively. Based on this study, there are two primary methods to successfully integrate the FAC(A) into supported ground operations. The first method is through detailed pre-mission coordination, currently called for in joint doctrine. Consequently, this analysis compares the integration opportunities available in current joint air tasking doctrine to the established requirement for effective FAC(A) integration to determine if current joint air tasking doctrine facilitates effective air-ground integration. Consequently, the analysis also compares current joint air tasking doctrine to the successful models illustrated in the Vietnam War TASS system and the USMC MAGTF to identify potential avenues for improved FAC(A) integration. Finally, the study recommends modifications to joint air tasking doctrine to help improve FAC(A) integration.
Download or read book The Point of the Spear written by Calvin C. Anderson and published by . This book was released on 2003-07 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The unparalleled true story of the "Covey" Forward Air Controllers (FACs) will unfold before your eyes as you absorb their personal stories about the Covey mission in the undeclared war over Laos, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and Cambodia. The Covey acquired an unprecedented "out-country" mission, in contrast to the "in-country" FAC mission in Southeast Asia. The Covey FAC sometimes carried a partner to assist in the complex Covey mission. The FAN (Forward Air Navigator) and the Covey "Rider" (a U.S. Army SOG team leader) both helped carry out the Covey mission. The out-country Covey mission was considerably different from the in-country FAC mission. In-country FACs acted as aerial observers, collected intelligence, and, where needed, controlled tactical air power in support of friendly ground forces. Coveys operated as part of a larger-scale quasi-strategic effort to interdict the flow of North Vietnamese battle supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Covey FACs, on a daily and nightly basis, flew in the sights of hundreds of anti-aircraft guns bent on knocking them from the sky. Covey's fought to destroy enemy units and their logistic support moving south through Laos and North Vietnam, into Cambodia and South Vietnam. Coveys also provided air cover for U.S. Army Special Forces "SOG" teams as they infiltrated behind enemy lines into the Trail network. Often, the Covey was the sole link between life and death for an out-numbered SOG team under attack. You will enjoy this book of personal accounts of combat action in Vietnam by the men themselves. Each story brings to life a by-gone era of personal sacrifice, honor, excitement, and life-and-death decisions. Covey FACs were decorated with every medal for bravery possible, including the Medal of Honor, the Air Force Cross, the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal. Coveys flew low, slow, and extraordinarily vulnerable in antiquated aircraft ill-suited to survive the hazard laden, anti-aircraft filled skies over Laos and the border areas.
Download or read book Naked in Da Nang written by Mike Jackson and published by Zenith Press. This book was released on 2010-11-10 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FACs (forward air controllers) in Vietnam flew low and slow, searching for signs of an elusive enemy. Often they trolled themselves as bait for the NVA troops to try to shoot down. When a friendly unit made contact, having a FAC overhead made their day because the FACs controlled the bomb-, rocket-, and napalm-laden fast movers, fighter jets and attack aircraft whose ordnance often made the difference between life and death. They were regarded by many of their airforce and naval aviator brethren as insane, suicidal, or both. In addition to the perils of enemy fire which ranged from lucky AK-47 shots to .51 caliber machine guns and SA-7 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, you had to watch out to keep from being blown up in a B-52 Arc-Light strike or knocked down by friendly artillery. As the title suggests, however, Naked in Da Nang is not an angst ridden account of mortal combat. Following in the footsteps of Richard Hooker's classic M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, author Jackson has a keen eye for the absurdities that abound in a combat zone. That the humor is often dark only serves to sharpen its comic edge.- These pilots were considered the "Guardian Angels" of the Vietnam ground soldier- Refers to the "unarmed" nature of FAC (Forward Air Controllers) aircraft- Low-tech aircraft that survived combat on pilot skills only
Download or read book The History of the United States Air Force Airborne Forward Air Controller in World War II the Korean War and the Vietnam Conflict written by Charles D. Hightower and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Hit My Smoke written by Jan Churchill and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Lonely Kind of War written by Marshall Harrison and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2010-12-15 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From retired Air Force pilot Marshall Harrison comes a remarkable memoir of aerial warfare in Vietnam. In his third combat tour, Harrison found himself converted from the high performance world of jets to the awkward-looking OV-10 Bronco and assigned as a FAC forward air controller. A captivating tale of valor, brotherhood, and patriotism unravels in the pages of A Lonely Kind of War, Forward Air Controller, Vietnam, a posthumous release by this published author through Xlibris. Harrison is a born story teller. There is excitement, suspense, and humor in this account of the life of a FAC. They were a small group of dedicated pilots flying lightly armed prop-driven aircrafts in South Vietnam. Considered to be the eyes and ears of the attack aircraft, their job was to fly low and slow, find, fix, and direct airstrikes against an elusive enemy concealed by the heavy rainforest and jungles, an area the FACs referred to as the Green Square. The flying scenes are riveting: learning to fly the maneuverable Bronco, clearing in the fast-movers to drop massive 750-lb bombs without causing injury to the friendlies, and conducting covert operation into Cambodia---over the fence with the mad men in the green beanies. On one of these secret missions, he is shot down and spends a harrowing night in the jungle. FACs lived with the troops in the field and flew from unimproved airstrips; they virtually controlled the aerial battlefields of South Vietnam. Their losses were staggering and they usually died alone.
Download or read book Vietnam Above the Treetops written by John F. Flanagan and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 1992-02-10 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is 1966, the war is escalating, and a young Air Force Academy graduate's assignment is to patrol unfriendly territory with six-man hunter-killer teams. As a Forward Air Controller, flying single engine spotter planes, Flanagan is the link between fighter-bomber pilots and ground forces. This autobiographical account recreates the period when Flanagan, assigned to Project Delta, was plunged into major operations in key combat areas. Spectacular airstrikes, team rescues, lost men, thwarted attempts to save comrades--all are recounted here with raw honesty. A factual combat history from one man's perspective, this is also a thoughtful look at the warrior values of bravery, honesty, and integrity. Flanagan examines the influences that help build these values--educational institutions, the military training system (including the service academies), and religion--and reflects on the high cost of abandoning them. In Vietnam Above the Treetops, Flanagan traces his life from adolescence through the training period, combat missions of all kinds, and re-entry into the everyday world. His war tales take us to key regions: from the Demilitarized Zone, south through the Central highlands, and into War Zone C near Cambodia. Flanagan tells the absolute truth of his experience in Vietnam-- call signs, bomb loads, and target coordinates are all historically accurate. He offers observations on the Vietnamese and Korean forces he worked with, comparing Eastern and Western cultures, and he vents his frustrations with the U.S. command structure. Determined to reconstruct the past, Flanagan re-read old letters from Vietnam, examined maps, deciphered pocket diaries, interviewed former comrades, and let his own long-buried memories surface. Flanagan did not find this book easy to write, but he wanted to pay tribute to his fellow warriors, especially those still missing in action; he wanted to exorcise his war nightmares and further understand his experience. Even more important, he needed to communicate the values he and his comrades lived by, in distant jungles where they faced some of the toughest circumstances known to human beings.
Download or read book Da Nang Diary written by Tom Yarborough and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2013-11-05 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “[An] intimate account of a Forward Air Controller working with the Special Forces on their secret operations in South Vietnam and Laos . . . Don’t miss it!” (John Prados, author of Storm Over Leyte). Originally published in 1991, this classic work has now been revised and updated with additional photos. It is the story of how, in Vietnam, an elite group of Air Force pilots fought a secret air war in Cessna 0-2 and OV-10 Bronco prop planes—flying as low as they could get. The eyes and ears of the fast-moving jets who rained death and destruction down on enemy positions, the forward air controller made an art form out of an air strike—knowing the targets, knowing where friendly troops were, and reacting with split-second, life-and-death decisions as a battle unfolded. The expertise of the low, slow FACs, as well as the hazard attendant to their role, made for a unique bird’s-eye perspective on how the entire war in Vietnam unfolded. For Tom Yarborough, who logged 1,500 hours of combat flying time, the risk was constant, intense, and electrifying. A member of the super-secret “Prairie Fire” unit, Yarborough became one of the most frequently shot-up pilots flying out of Da Nang—engaging in a series of dangerous secret missions in Laos. In this work, the reader flies in the cockpit alongside Yarborough in his adrenaline-pumping chronicle of heroism, danger, and wartime brotherhood. From the rescuing of downed pilots to taking out enemy positions, to the most harrowing extended missions directly overhead of the NVA, here is the dedication, courage and skill of the fliers who took the war into the enemy’s backyard.
Download or read book Mosquitoes to Wolves the Evolution of the Airborne Forward Air Controller FACs Emerge in the Korean War with Mosquito Operations Use in Close Air Support in the Vietnam War with F 100 Aircraft written by Air University Press and published by . This book was released on 2017-09-11 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comparable to twentieth century cavalry, early forward air controllers (FAC) probed, observed, and reported enemy activity. Flying rickety, underpowered, and unarmed aircraft, they operated on the leading edge of ground combat. The efficient use of airborne FACs never developed in a meaningful way in World War II, with the possible exception of their use in Marine amphibious operations in the Pacific. But the rugged terrain of Korea and the jungle mazes of Vietnam restricted the capabilities of ground controllers to identify targets, thus expanding the need for "eyes in the air." FAC roles changed from those of probing, observing, and reporting, to those of locating targets, marking them for air strikes, and taking an active role in their destruction. This expanded mission resulted in the inevitable evolution of FAC equipment and responsibilities.Interservice differences regarding the definition of close air support (CAS) caused controversies which clouded ground-support operations in both Korea and Vietnam. The Navy and the Marines saw CAS as the primary mission for airpower. The Air Force and the Army saw CAS as the last priority, to be employed after air superiority has been gained and maintained, supplies have been interdicted, and the enemy's infrastructure has been damaged.Contents * PREFACE * 1 EVOLUTION OF CLOSE AIR SUPPORT * World War I * Between the Wars * The American Experience, 1918-42 * World War II * Notes * 2 CLOSE AIR SUPPORT DOCTRINE * Early Navy-Marine Close Air Support * Close Air Support in Korea * Air Force Philosophy in Korea * Navy/Marine Air in Vietnam * Notes * 3 KOREA: FORWARD AIR CONTROLLERS EMERGE * The Fight for Air Superiority * Phase One--Retreat to Pusan * Phase Two--Advance to the Yalu * Phase Three--Second Retreat * Phase Four--Main Line of Resistance Stabilized * Phase Five--Air Pressure for Peace * A Substitute for Artillery * Close Air Support in Korea * The Extemporized Air War * The Need for Airborne FACs * Command and Control Support * 6132d Tactical Air Control Group * 6147th Squadron Organized * Immediate Air Requests * Mosquitoes Assigned to Divisions * Mosquito Mission Expands * The 502d Tactical Control Group * Notes * 4 MOSQUITO OPERATIONS IN KOREA * The Role of the Mosquito * Forward Air Controller Equipment * Visual Reconnaissance * The Tactical Air Control System * Mosquito Mellow * Strike Control Procedures * Problems Encountered * Forward Air Controller Training * Notes * 5 KOREA: THE STAGNANT WAR * The Argument for Interdiction * CAS along a Stabilized Front * Radar-Controlled Air Strikes * Communications Upgrades * T-6 Upgrades * Operation Thunderbolt * Operation Ripper * Communist Losses in the First Year * Strategy Changes * Pathfinder Operations * The Truce Ceremony * 6147th TCG Deactivated * Joint Air-Ground Doctrine * Post Korea * Notes * 6 VIETNAM: THE ADVISORY YEARS * Wars of National Liberation * Developing the Counterinsurgency Force * Farm Gate * Command Structure * Air Operations in 1962 * Air Operations in 1963 * Air Operations in 1964 * The Gulf of Tonkin * New Demands * Notes . * 7 VIETNAM: SLOW FAC OPERATIONS * FACs Come of Age * FAC Aircraft * Personnel Requirements * Seventh Air Force * 504th Tactical Air Support Group * Increased Manning Requirements * Qualifications * Rules of Engagement * Locating the Enemy * Visual Reconnaissance Process * In-Country Operations, 1965-72 * Employing the FAC Force * Navy Participation * The Battle of Khe Sanh * The Tet Offensive * Cleared in Wet! * Notes * 8 EXPANDING MISSIONS * Night Operations * Air Operations in Laos * USAF Controllers in Cambodia * Notes . * 9 THE FAST FORWARD AIR CONTROLLERS * Out-Country Operations, 1964-65 * Commando Sabre * F-4 "Phantom" FACs * Notes * 10 VIETNAMIZATION AND AMERICAN WITHDRAWAL * Vietnamization and Close Air Support * The South Vietnamese Air Force * Cambodia * Lam Son 719 * Interdiction in Route Packages I and II * The 1972 Spring Offensive * Linebacker * Notes
Download or read book Da Nang Diary written by Tom Yarborough and published by Saint Martin's Paperbacks. This book was released on 1991-11-01 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Forward Air Controller (FAC), flying low and slow, was a key player in virtually every battle of the Vietnam War. This true story of the Prairie Fire FACs describes the impossible rescues and harrowing day-long missions these courageous fliers experienced as they took the war into the enemy's backyard. Photographs. Martin's.
Download or read book The Airborne Forward Air Controller written by John W. Ellis and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Air Force heroes in Vietnam written by Donald K. Schneider and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1979 with total page 101 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Cleared Hot written by Peter Condon and published by Forward Air Controller Association. This book was released on 2010 with total page 570 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: