What is a combat tree?

Imagine, as a fighter pilot, being able to see your enemy without them knowing you’re even in the area. Called the APX-80, but more popularly known by its codename, “Combat Tree”, this top secret technology was first equipped on McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom IIs, the US Air Force’s primary fighter-bomber aircraft.

What fighter jets were used in the Vietnam War?

10 Best Fighter Jets of the Vietnam War

• Douglas A-4 Skyhawk.
• LTV A-7 Corsair II.
• McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.
• Republic F-105 Thunderchief.
• Vought F-8 Crusader.
• Northrop F-5 Tiger II.
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15.
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17.

How effective is F-4 Phantom?

The Air Force’s Phantoms claimed 107 air-to-air kills for 33 lost to MiGs, and the Marine Corps claimed three. Ground fire shot down 474 Phantoms in all services, as the heavy-lifting Phantom fighters did double duty as ground-attack aircraft.

Where did the US bomb during the Vietnam War?

Between 1965 and 1975, the United States and its allies dropped more than 7.5 million tons of bombs on Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia—double the amount dropped on Europe and Asia during World War II.

What is the “Combat Tree”?

Called the APX-80, but more popularly known by its codename, “Combat Tree”, this top secret technology was first equipped on McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom IIs, the US Air Force’s primary fighter-bomber aircraft. Today, we call the system involved “Non-Cooperative Target Recognition”, after having developed it for years.

How did Vietnam’s “Phantom” use Combat Tree to scan the sky?

Instead of activating the powerful radar scanner in the nose of the Phantom, weapon systems officers (WSOs) in the rear cockpit of the fighter would use Combat Tree to look around the sky for specialized transponders built into enemy aircraft flown by the Vietnamese People’s Air Force (VPAF; North Vietnam’s military aerial element).

What was the F-4 Phantom II used for in Vietnam?

Although the F-4 Phantom II was the most important fighter-bomber to see action with all three American armed services during the Vietnam War, it was essentially a U.S. Navy design, and the carrier-borne squadrons equipped with the jet were the leading exponents of its combat employment.

Why did US forces in Vietnam get close to VPAF MiG fighters?

Prior to the existence and fielding of Combat Tree, all US military fighter pilots operating in Vietnamese skies were forced to get closer to VPAF MiG fighters to gain a positive identification on enemy aircraft before attacking them.