The first confirmed MiG-killing F-4 of the Vietnam War
The F-4 (F4H) Phantom II was designed as a high-altitude interceptor, but it soon proved to be a unique aircraft, setting more than a dozen world records for speed, altitude, and time-to-climb. The F-4 was unique because the aircraft had no internal cannon, relied on radar-guided missiles for offense, and required a Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) to manage its sophisticated weapons systems and sensors.
Commander Lou Page, pilot, and Lieutenant JC Smith, RIO, piloted a US Navy F-4 Phantom II that recorded the first confirmed US air-to-air kill of the Vietnam War. Using an AIM-7 air-to-air missile, the Phantom II of Fighter Squadron 21 (VF-21) from the carrier USS Midway (CV-41) shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-17.
F-4B buno 150646 — not 151488
On their MiG-killing mission on Jun. 17, 1965, Page and Smith were flying F-4B bureau number (BuNo) 150646—not 151488, as sometimes reported. The aircraft modex was NE101.
I uncovered this information while researching a magazine article about the flight. I confirmed the correct BuNo by phone with JC Smith and a photo of Smith’s logbook from June 1965.
On the MiG kill mission, 150646 was designated NE101. There is a photo of this aircraft in the book “MiG Killers of Yankee Station” by Michael O’Connor. In this photo, the front canopy rail bears the name of VF-21’s commanding officer, Commander Bill Franke, but the name on the rear canopy isn’t legible.
Many sources in print and on the Internet erroneously report that Page and Smith flew 151488 for their MiG kill. The confusion could be attributed to developments in the months after the historic kill. First, 150646 was lost on Jul. 28, 1965, just a few weeks after the MiG kill. The loss of 150646 is detailed in the www.vietnamairlosses.com database: The aircraft suffered engine and electrical power failure; both crewmen ejected and were rescued.
After 150646 was lost, VF-21 designated 152219 as NE101. Interesting note: 152219 was the jet flown on the Jun. 17 mission by the wingman, Batson/Doremus, who also scored. And then, just before Midway’s return from deployment, 151488 was designated NE101. Navy squadrons occasionally change aircraft modex for a variety of reasons, so these changes are not unusual, while the BuNo remains with the airframe throughout its life.
Additional events
There were additional events of interest after the Jun. 17 mission. On Aug. 24, 1965, VF-21 CO Commander Franke was shot down and became a POW. Commander Page, who had been a VF-21 executive officer, became the commanding officer per standard Navy procedures. When Page became CO, the names on NE101 were changed to Page and Smith, and their MiG kill was painted on the aircraft. There are photos of both 152219 and 151488 as NE 101 with a MiG kill on the intake splitter. It was there because the aircrew, Page, and Smith, scored a kill. In addition, Franke’s RIO when he was shot down was Lieutenant Commander Rob Doremus, who had been Lieutenant Dave Batson’s regular RIO and shared the MiG kill with Batson on Jun. 17 as Page’s wingman. Franke and Doremus were released in 1973 after 7½ years in captivity.
The correct BuNo is reported in “MiG Killers of Yankee Station” and explained in endnote #21.
The article had been published in Aviation History magazine in the summer of 2020.
Bio wrote two books, Topgun Days and Before Topgun Days. His latest book, Tomcat RIO, was published in 2020.
Photo by U.S. Navy and Carol Smith
