The Navy’s F-4 and F-8 squadrons were the main `distributors of MiG parts’ during the Vietnam War, but Lt Cdr T. R. Swartz and his A-4C contributed their share on May 1, 1967, during a trip to the large VPAF base at Kep, near Hanoi.
Throughout much of the 1960s, particularly during the early years of the Vietnam War, the A-4 served as the primary light attack aircraft for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
A-4 pilots launched mission after mission against heavily fortified targets across Southeast Asia, frequently suffering significant losses in both personnel and aircraft. Facing dense anti-aircraft fire and powerful surface-to-air missiles demanded exceptional bravery and skill, and doing it again and again throughout a carrier deployment reflected a remarkable level of commitment and character.
In May 1967, the formidable Scooter even succeeded in bringing down a North Vietnamese MiG.
As Peter Mersky explains in US Navy and Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk Units of the Vietnam War, despite its compact size, agility, and relatively strong defensive armament of two 20 mm cannon, the A-4 was fundamentally a bomber. Although its pilots were trained in aerial maneuvering, this was largely for self-defense in case they were engaged by enemy fighters. At their core, Scooter pilots were attack aviators—specialists in striking ground targets and carrying out bombing missions. Even though the A-4 later found success as an adversary aircraft and famously appeared in the 1986 film Top Gun, its primary identity remained that of a bomber.
Still, attack pilots often shared much with fighter pilots: they were aggressive, resolute, and quick to seize opportunities. The two communities frequently overlapped, with pilots sometimes moving between them. One example was Lieutenant Commander T. R. Swartz, an experienced F-8 Crusader pilot who decided that the real action in the expanding war was in the cockpit of an A-4. He was eventually assigned to VA-76 aboard USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31). The squadron had previously completed one combat deployment, serving aboard USS Enterprise (CVAN-65) in 1965.
With support from the Soviet Union and communist China, North Vietnam gradually strengthened its air force. The Vietnamese People’s Air Force (VPAF) operated several MiG fighters, most notably the MiG-17 and the more limited-number MiG-21, and these aircraft at times posed a serious challenge to American crews. Any time a US pilot shot down a communist fighter, the achievement was celebrated by both the squadron and higher command, and the successful aviator was often flown to Saigon for press interviews. While Navy F-4 and F-8 units accounted for most MiG kills, Swartz and his A-4C also made their mark on May 1 during a mission against the major VPAF air base at Kep, near Hanoi.
Lt. Cdr. ‘TR’ Swartz took off in A-4C BuNo 148609, marked ‘NP 685’, accompanied by seven other VA-76 Skyhawks. The full 22-aircraft strike group also included VF-24 F-8 Crusaders and VA-212 A-4s. Two of the F-8s had to return because of mechanical issues, while the remaining aircraft continued toward Kep. As the formation neared the target, two MiG-17s appeared, prompting a pair of VF-24 F-8s to break away and engage them. Swartz, who was leading the flak-suppression element, was armed with Zuni rocket pods, each loaded with four large rockets that had already proven highly effective against ground targets.
While the bombers attacked the airfield and reportedly destroyed up to 30 MiGs on the ground, Swartz and his wingman, Lt. John Waples, moved toward anti-aircraft positions on the eastern side of Kep. As Swartz dove in on his target, he noticed two MiG-17s taxiing onto the runway in preparation for takeoff. He and Waples launched their Zuni rockets, destroying both enemy aircraft.
As Swartz and Waples pulled out of their dive, they were suddenly attacked, with tracer fire streaking past their cockpits. Banking their Skyhawks, they spotted two MiG fighters that had slipped in behind them. Waples shouted a warning, and Swartz responded with a quick snap roll into a left turn. The MiGs tried to stay with him, but when Swartz hauled the stick back hard, pushing the A-4 into an almost vertical climb, the VPAF pilots broke off and headed back toward their base. Waples fired his cannon at the retreating aircraft and appeared to hit one before running out of ammunition.
Swartz still had a few Zuni rockets left. He moved in behind the MiGs and launched one, but it missed. He fired a second rocket, though he could not stay to see the result because Waples warned him that a third VPAF fighter was moving in behind him. Swartz immediately threw his A-4 into a sharp maneuver to spoil the MiG’s attack. Meanwhile, Waples saw one of the earlier MiGs drop behind a hill, followed moments later by a tall plume of black smoke.
After shaking the enemy off his tail, Swartz turned after the second MiG and opened fire with his cannons, but he also exhausted his ammunition. The A-4’s twin guns were never designed to serve as its main air-to-air armament, and they carried only a limited supply of rounds. That ammunition load had recently been reduced even further to allow room for extra electronic countermeasure equipment. For his achievement, T. R. Swartz was awarded the Silver Star, and his victory remained the only air-to-air kill ever credited to an American A-4.
US Navy and Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk Units of the Vietnam War is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force
