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      • Dave Lovelady
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    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
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Fast Jet Defoliation (Mar 1969)

The use of UC-123 Providers in Ranch Hand defoliation operations was becoming increasingly dangerous, especially in high-threat areas such as the Ho Chi Minh Trail in southern Laos. In an effort to increase survivability the use of fast jets as spray aircraft was proposed and experiments were conducted in the field. It was thought that the use of fast jets would not require escort or suppression aircraft to accompany the spray aircraft as was necessary with the Providers. The 390th TFS was chosen to perform trials and at least three of the Squadron’s F-4Ds were fitted with modified underwing tanks fitted with spray nozzles. The first spray test mission took place over Da Nang on 17 January 1969 and the first of only seven combat spray missions was flown on 25 January. The missions involved three spray aircraft flying in a V-formation at 500 knots and 100-200 feet above the jungle. The area to be sprayed was marked by a FAC and a 10-mile swath some 300 feet wide could be sprayed in 70 seconds. Several tank failures occurred and when an aircraft was shot down on 29 March the programme was terminated. Attempts to revive the fast jet spray project later in the year eventually came to nought. All Ranch Hand defoliation operations in Southeast Asia came to an end on 9 May 1970 after which the C-123-equipped 12th SOS devoted its efforts to psychological warfare and flare dropping missions in support of the Cambodian incursion.

 

 

 

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© Chris Hobson and David Lovelady. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
      • Chris Hobson
      • Dave Lovelady
    • About the Book
    • About the Data
    • About this Site
  • Sidelines
    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
    • 1966: Rolling Thunder Gets into its Stride
    • 1967: Rolling Thunder - The Peak Year
    • 1968: Tet, Khe Sanh, and the End of Rolling Thunder
    • 1969: Interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
    • 1970: The Year of Withdrawal
    • 1971: A Much Reduced Presence
    • 1972: The Spring Invasion/Linebacker Campaigns
    • 1973: Winding Up the War
  • Statistics
    • Loss Statistics
    • Losses Due to Air Base Attacks
    • Losses Due to Accidents on the Ground or Aboard Ship
    • US Air Force Loss Statistics
    • US Navy Loss Statistics
    • US Marine Corps Loss Statistics
  • Details
    • Order of Battle
    • Index of Names
    • Abbreviations and Glossary of Operations, Code Names, and Projects
    • Bibliography
  • Searching the Database
    • Hints on How to Search
    • Notes and Caveats
    • Search Forms
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contact Us
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