US special operations aircraft shot down in Vietnam

Some special operations support aircraft were photographed very clearly before they were shot down and caused many casualties, the last image of it is therefore highly commemorative.

One such example is the Douglas EF-10B Skynight (F-3D-2Q) electronic warfare aircraft number 127041 of the 1st Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadron, 11th Marine Air Group (VMCJ-1, MAG-11) at the Da Nang base in early 1966.

On March 18, 1966, this plane was shot down by an S-75 missile of Battalion 61, Missile Regiment 236 in the sky over Tan Ky, Nghe An while flying at an altitude of 8,000 m, killing all 2 crew members.

Next to it is a photo capturing the case of Douglas KA-3B Skywarrior tanker aircraft number 142653 belonging to Heavy Attack Squadron 4 (VAH-4) of the US Navy.

The photo below captures the moment it was refueling North American RA-5C Vigilante reconnaissance aircraft No. 149278 of Reconnaissance Heavy Attack Squadron 13 (RVAH-13) US Navy on February 20, 1965.

Both of these planes suffered a miserable fate when they fought in Vietnam.

Specifically, the KA-3B 142653 aircraft was shot down by a J-6 fighter piloted by Ly Lai Hi of the 76th Air Regiment, 26th Air Division of the Chinese Army on April 12, 1966 when it strayed into Hainan airspace, killing the entire crew of four.

Meanwhile, the RA-5C 149278 was shot down by Vietnamese anti-aircraft fire in the Dia Loi ferry area, Huong Thuy, Ha Tinh on May 5, 1968. Both pilots were taken prisoner, a much luckier outcome than the crew of the KA-3B.

The above photos captured the almost final moments before these US special operations support aircraft were shot down, so some people said that they were actually "memorial photos", it is unclear who took the above photos because they brought too much bad luck.