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The first thing we learn from the introduction is that the F-8 was relatively rarely involved in air combat with enemy fighters over Vietnam, claiming 18 victories for three losses in combat in a decade, just under two victories per year. Of course not every fight ended in a victory claim, and the In Battle chapter includes an account of a ten minute fight against six MiGs which ended with the US pilot retiring because of low fuel without scoring any hits. Of those 18 victories, 14 came in 1967-68.
Path to Combat looks at the training of US Navy aviators, and in particular their training in dog fighting. We also look at the high level of operational losses of the F-8, which suffered twice as many accidents as the F-4 Phantom.
We then move onto a look at the F-8 itself, starting with its development as the F8U Crusader, designed as a day superiority fighter. At the time the Soviet MiG-15 outclassed the early US Navy jet fighters, so a new aircraft was badly needed. The Vought design was more complex and larger than the original specification had called for, but selected because it was also the most likely to outperform the Soviet aircraft. However even early on we see the high accident levels, with the 1st, 7th and 14th production aircraft all lost in accidents. The weapon systems were also problematic, with its 20mm cannon prone to jamming and not carrying enough ammo, and the early Sidewinder missiles rather hard to use (although later versions were better).
We also get a look at the main opponents faced in the air by the F-8 - the MiG-17 and MiG-21. Tests with captured examples of both aircraft shows that the MiG-17 was more agile but slower than the F-8, while the supersonic MiG-21 had quite similar performance to the F-8. However no F-8s were shot down by either MiG.
The Art of War chapter looks at the sort of missions carried out by the F-8 units. Technically the majority of these missions were classified as CAP missions by the US Navy, but the definition of a combat air patrol appears to have been so wide as to be fairly meaningless – it included the classic carrier protection CAP, TARCAP which appears very similar to escort missions and MiGCAP, to intercept MiGs detected attacking US ground attack aircraft. There is a good section on US Navy fighter tactics, how the missions were controlled, and how the Vietnamese tried to use their MiGs. There is also a look at the risk from anti-aircraft guns and SAMs, which accounted for 94% of F-8 losses to known causes, making them far more dangerous than the MiGs.
The Combat chapter looks at the key dogfights of the late 1960s period where the majority of victories were achieved. We don’t just look at US victories – the Vietnamese successes are also covering. This includes Cdr Dick Bellinger, CO of VF-162, who had to eject from his aircraft after it was damaged by gunfire from a MiG preventing it from returning to the carrier and Capt Wilfred Abbott whose aircraft was shot down, and Abbott forced to eject. The most succesful day for the F-8 was 19 May 1967, where four victories were scored, during attacks on Hanoi. One of the most interesting thing about this section is that these fights are a combination of classic dogfighting, with the skies full of weaving aircraft, and guided missiles, of an early generation that needed to be fired at relatively close range.
Chapters
1 – In Battle
2 – Setting the Scene
3 – Path to Combat
4 – Weapon of War
5 – Art of War
6 - Combat
Author: Peter E. Davies
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 80
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 2023