TOPGUN

•In 1969 at the height of the Viet Nam war, nine instructors from the tactics phase of VF-121 (the F-4 Phantom R.A.G.) were tasked to write a

syllabus and establish a training course in advanced air-to-air combat. In the process they rewrote the history of tactical aviation. In March of 1969 the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School was established. The pilots called

it “TOPGUN”.

TOPGUN

Fight to FlyFly to FightFight to Win

•August 2, 1964 - The U.S.S. Maddox is attacked by three North Vietnamese Soviet built P-4 Patrol boats.

Photo of Maddox

U.S.S. Constellation & U.S.S. Ticonderoga Take The Conflict To The Enemy

August 7, 1964 – Congress passes the Tonkin Gulf Resolution

•June 17, 1965 – F-4 Phantom from U.S.S. Midway flown by CDR. Lou Page and Lt. J.C. Smith down MIG-17 to record the first air-to-air victory of the war.

U.S. Forces Trained For This Threat “We’ll Never Dogfight Again”

U.S. Forces Were Engaged By This Threat

The Rules of Engagement handicapped U.S. forces and were exploited by our adversaries:

“Fight to Win”

“Only One Will Go Home”

The War Drags On, Our Fighter Pilots Feel Frustration.

An unacceptable trade-off U.S.N./U.S.A.F. vs. N.V.A.F. 2:1

Brig. Gen. Robin Olds USAF Says It Best

A convergence of factors creates the critical mass for the formation of TOPGUN.

•Performance in combat: An unacceptable trade-off•Combat experience of tactics phase instructors•The Ault Report (gave combat pilots a voice)

“An Urgency Beyond Anything We Have Ever Done” Dan Pedersen

The Genesis Of U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School

Jerry Sawatzky ( Ski)Mel Holmes (Rattler)Jim Laing (Hawkeye)Darrell Gary (Condor)

Insert Photo

J.C. Smith (Mississippi 2-5000)Jim Ruliffson (Ruff)Steve Smith (Rebel )John Nash (Smash)

THE U.S. NAVY COMMAND STRUCTURE RESPONDS:Dan Pedersen (Yank)

Maj. John Boyd U.S.A.F.Theory of Energy

Maneuverability

T – D Ps = W xV

Have Drill / Have Donut

“SECOND BEST IS DEAD LAST”

“THE BATTLE MAY BE WON OR LOST BEFORE YOU EVER MAN THE AIRCRAFT”

PROOF OF CONCEPTTHE CRUCIBLE OF COMBAT

•March 28, 1970 a VF-142 Phantom off CVA-64 shoots down a MIG-21. Lt. Jerry Beaulier and Lt. Steve Barkley were TOPGUN graduates.

•April 15, 1972 President Nixon in an effort to force the North Viet Nam leaders back to the Paris Peace Talks orders a resumption of bombing north of the 20th parallel.

•The U.S. Navy kill ratio climbs to 13:1 while the U.S.A.F. remains unchanged. The difference is credited to aircrew training and tactics implemented at TOPGUN. All but two of the kills are made by TOPGUN graduates.

BUILDING THE LEGACY

DEDICATED FACILITIES

“May 1996”

TOPGUN Moves to N.A.S. Fallon Nevada

CDR. Dan “Undra” Cheever

NSAWC / N7 (TOPGUN)

TOPGUN: THE LEGACY IS IN GOOD HANDS

Q & A

R.O.E. Responded To Third Party Involvement

LESSONS LEARNED

•Don’t turn in the horizontal•Exploit the superior climb and roll capability of the F-4…use the vertical.•Maintain nose-tail separation and HCA to maneuver into missile cone…lag roll.•Maintain a high energy fight•Fight in pairs (Werner Molders Luftwaffe 1938) Loose Deuce maneuvering.•Utilize combat spread formation to enter the fight on the offensive.