RF-4 reconnaissance crews in Vietnam supported a variety of
organizations. Gathering photo intelligence was the name of
the game for our multi-sensor twin-engine jets. We were equipped
to get daytime or night time photo's from high, medium or low
altitudes in good weather or bad. We carried infrared and radar
sensors that could penetrate darkness, smoke, haze or clouds,
but mostly we depended upon optical cameras. We carried a whole
lot of film.The word for crews came down the chain of command from Military Assistance Command - Vietnam (MACV) and 7th Air Force in the form of a daily "frag" order. This standard format written instruction was the basis for all routinely scheduled missions and served as the authority for launching crews and airplanes to go to specific targets throughout North and South Vietnam, Laos, and even (unofficially) Cambodia.
When the Frag Order came down to our level at the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron ( 12th TRS), it initiated the mission planning and briefing processes serving as a necessary prelude to takeoff. Contained in that order were the description information about the targets to be photographed, their precise coordinates (if known), the specific photo coverage requirements and the time when the targets were to be "hit". Special intelligence information about the threats in the target area might also be included, though more often a separate set of documents described the regional threats in greater detail.
The squadron scheduler and operations officer would meet to discuss what targets should be assigned to which crews, for some might be especially problematic and selected crews might or might not be qualified to fly into certain target areas. Newly arrived flight crews, for example, would not be targeted into high threat areas or expected to get safely in and out of difficult, well-defended or mountainous spots. And then again, crews that had been recently sent into high risk areas more than their share of times might be scheduled for less hazardous targets for a few days. The dangers were shared, as well as the "milk runs". Sometimes, however, the scheduling officer's efforts were not always appreciated.
Detailed flight or mission planning usually took place just a few hours before the scheduled take-off times. The pilot and high navigator, usually a regularly crewed pair, got together in the mission planning area to draw up their charts, get briefed on the specifics of their targets and the configuration of their airplane, aerial refueling details, and review the threat situation and communications procedures in and around the target(s). Then they would annotate the flight charts with navigation and photographic requirements data. This process usually took a couple of hours.
Before heading out across the flight line to their airplane, the crew would stop by the personal equipment section to get survival vests, g-suits, flight helmets and other essentials. That was also the best time to "hit the can" before climbing aboard their loaded and ready birds out in the revetment area. The crew chief was there to report on the status of the plane, its configuration for the mission, and to assist in the preflight checks by both the pilot and navigator.
Soon it was time to start engines, perform systems checks and taxi out toward the runway. The missions typically lasted but two to three hours, unless an aerial tanker was scheduled. For missions from Saigon to the DMZ, Laos or North Vietnam tankers were often required to give the planes the necessary fuel. Vietnam is about the same size and shape as California, so it's a long way to the north and back again.
