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The Only RF-101 ever Downed by a North Vietnamese MiG
In 1961 the RF-101 was the first USAF combat aircraft to see action during the Vietnam War, remaining until 1970 when it was replaced by the slower but more sophisticated RF-4C Phantom II.
Voodoo’s supersonic speed and camera suite enabled it to conduct vital low-altitude photo-reconnaissance missions over heavily-defended target areas.
The northwest railway line supplying North Vietnam from China was under almost constant surveillance and attack during the conflict, and RF-101Cs had to perform most of the photo-reconnaissance required to monitor the incoming traffic.
As told by Peter E Davies in his book RF-101 Voodoo Units in Combat, Maj Bobby Ray Bagley, regarded as one of the most skilled RF-101 pilots, was tasked with photographing a section of the rail route during a Sep. 16, 1967 Route Package (RP) 6 mission. Flying RF-101C 56-0180 of the 20th TRS/432nd TRW from Udorn RTAFB, although opposed by AAA on his photographic passes he completed his photo runs near Thanh Son and Nghia Lo before commencing his climb up to 24,000 ft for the return journey to Udorn.
Ace status
With the pictures safely aboard, but probably slowed down by ECM pods, he headed for home. By then Bagley’s Voodoo had been detected by Vietnamese Peoples’ Air Force (VPAF) radar, and two 921st Fighter Regiment MiG-21F-13s were scrambled from Noi Bai AB to intercept him at 1055 hrs. Nguyen Ngoc Do and Pham Thanh Ngan accelerated to Mach 1.4 behind the RF-101C cruising some 4000 ft above them, over Son La. Ngan fired an R-3S missile that hit Bagley’s aircraft, giving the VPAF pilot ace status.
Maj Bagley, who had asked to extend his Southeast Asia tour so that he could fly the RF-101C, ejected from the crippled aircraft and landed in hills 60 miles southwest of Yen Bai where he was soon captured, being repeatedly tortured by NVA troops and villagers prior to being incarcerated in Hanoi.
Following his release in 1973, Bagley returned to Shaw AFB and eventually retired as a colonel.
Another Voodoo mission on the same day
Another Voodoo mission had to be mounted on the same day to take the photos that had been lost with Maj Bagley’s jet, and Capt Patterson (who had already been shot down once by an SA-2 on Jun. 21, 1967) was given that task. His aircraft (56-0181) suffered substantial damage by AAA over the railway target area and he had to eject near Ban Ban, in northern Laos, 150 miles from Udorn, where a SAR helicopter again came to his rescue shortly thereafter. Although Patterson stated that his aircraft was hit by ground fire, MiG-21F-13 pilot Nguyen Ngoc Do claimed that he shot the Voodoo down with an R-3S missile, giving him ace status.
Even though Bagley’s aircraft was the only Voodoo ever downed by a MiG, it resulted in the withdrawal of RF-101Cs from most missions into the high threat areas of RP 6 in North Vietnam, which included Hanoi, Haiphong, Thai Nguyen and a handful of MiG bases.
A total of three USAF reconnaissance aircraft were lost on Sep. 16 as, aside from the two RF-101Cs that were destroyed, 16th TRS/460th TRW RF-4C Phantom 1164-1037 from Tan Son Nhut AB failed to return from a night mission over southern North Vietnam. Both crew remain listed as Missing in Action.
RF-101 Voodoo Units in Combat is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo credit: U.S. Air Force
