I retired from the USAF in 1978 and the DOD/Treasury/State Departments Federal Law Enforcement Divisions (GS-13) in 1998.
Since then I have been enjoying flying, boating, and building 1950's style hot rods. I also have some muscle/antique/classic cars, a Harley and a boat. In my spare time I enjoy woodworking projects. I also am doing a total remodel on my Lady friends house. That's not as much fun as the other stuff though.
I stay in touch with comrades I was stationed with from 1960 to 1963 at RAF Sculthorpe, England and the 7108 TFW NJ ANG, (called-up during the Berlin Crisis) in France.
In 1962 many of the 47th Special Weapons personnel deployed to the four ANG bases in France (Chaumont, Chambley, Phalsburg and Etain) to relieve the ANG of their aircraft and send them home. The active duty unit was then designated the 366TFW and re-deployed to Holloman AFB, NM in 1963. Many of the old 47th A&E personnel remained being assigned together well into the mid-sixties.
1959-1968, AIM-4 Falcon Missile
From Year 1959
To Year 1968
Personal Memories
Not Specified
Image
AIM-4 Falcon Missile Details
Aircraft/Missile Information
The USAF deployed AIM-4 during the Vietnam War on F-4D Phantom II, which carried it on the inner wing pylons. The missile's combat performance was very poor. The Falcon was designed to be used against bombers and its slow seeker cooling times requiring as much as 6 to 7 seconds to obtain a lock on a target rendered it largely ineffective against maneuvering fighters. Limited coolant supply meant that once cooled, the missile would expend its supply of liquid nitrogen in two minutes, making it useless. The missile also had a small warhead, and lacked proximity fusing. As a result, only five kills were scored, all with the AIM-4D version [1]. The Falcon was also experimentally fired by the F-102 Delta Dagger against ground targets at night using its infrared seeker. The weapon was unpopular with pilots and was withdrawn in 1969, to be replaced by the Navy-designed AIM-9 Sidewinder.
An effort to address the limitations of AIM-4D led to the development in 1970 of the XAIM-4H, which had a laser proximity fuze, new warhead, and better maneuverability. It was cancelled the following year without entering service.
The AIM-4F/AIM-4G Super Falcon remained in USAF and ANG service, primarily with F-102 Delta Dagger and F-106 Delta Dart interceptors, until the final retirement of the F-106 in 1988.
Specifications AIM-4C/D
* Length: 78 in (1.98 m) / 79.5 in (2.02 m) * Wingspan: 20 in (508 mm) * Diameter: 6.4 in (163 mm) * Weight: 119 lb (54 kg) / 135 lb (61 kg) * Speed: Mach 3 * Range 6 miles (9.7 km) * Guidance: semi-active radar homing / rear-aspect infrared * Warhead: 7.6 lb (3.4 kg) high explosive