Operation Iron Hand
Encyclopedia
Operation Iron Hand was a US military operation conducted during the Vietnam War
. It was intended to suppress Soviet-supplied surface-to-air missile
(SAM) systems in North Vietnam
before they became operational. Operation Iron Hand was in conjunction with Wild Weasel I. Iron Hand was to suppress and Wild Weasel I to destroy. The tactics employed on the Iron Hand missions are primarily designed to suppress the SA-2 missiles and gun-laying radar defenses of North Vietnam during the ingress, attack and egress of the main alpha strike force.
With the gathering momentum of Operation Rolling Thunder
and the increasing frequency of American air strikes, it was only a matter of time before the North Vietnamese took strong defense measures. On April 5, 1967 an RF-8A from the USS Coral Sea (CV-43)
brought back photography of the first SAM site to be positively identified. Soviet installations had a distinctive six-pointed star arrangement that made them easy to identify, and the installations in Viet Nam were being built to the same arrangement. Over the next several months more SAM sites were discovered but permission to mount a strike on these sites was refused. Not until several American planes had been shot down–-the first Navy losses were VA-23 A-4s from the USS Midway (CV-41)
in August--that official sanction was given to anti-SAM missions.
Operation Iron Hand began on August 12, 1966, but the first actual strike against a SAM site was not accomplished until the morning of October 17th. Four A-4Es from the USS Independence (CVA-62), with an A-6 Pathfinder, found a site near Kep Airfield, north of Hanoi, and destroyed it.
The A-4 Skyhawk
and A-3 Skywarrior’s
played pivotal roles during Iron Hand anti-SAM missions; the two aircraft were armed with anti-radiation ("beam-riding") Shrike missiles, which could be launched against SAM sites. A typical “Iron Hand” mission involved an F-8 fighter escorting a slower A-4 ahead of the main Alpha strike force of 20 aircraft and would attempt to eliminate enemy SAM sites; first the A-4 would launch the anti-radar Shrike missile at the SAM site and then the F-8 would strafe the site with 20-millimeter cannon fire.
A more common application of Iron Hand was thus: an A-4 Skyhawk or A-6 Intruder, armed with Shrikes, would fly low-level ("above deck"), detectable by SAM search radar while still having ready access to much lower, radar-free altitudes ("hard deck"). The pilot's avionics would detect a SAM radar's acquisition ("lock") onto his aircraft; then the pilot would dive for the hard deck, choose another approach track, suddenly pitch 15 degrees up without re-entering the SAM radar field ("cone") and launch the Shrike into the cone. The Shrike would then acquire the SAM radar's location, fly to it and destroy it, thus disabling SAM missiles associated with the particular radar, allowing American aircraft to conduct their missions unharassed.
North Vietnamese forces eventually became wise to this tactic and attempted to defeat it by using SAM radar intermittently or shutting off radar entirely if they felt threatened; however, their attempts were largely ineffective, since the en-route Shrike would often 'remember' the location of the enemy radar source, even if the radar was turned off suddenly. In spite of the Shrike's ability to remember, it was not a true "fire-and-forget
" missile.
Because most of the losses that occurred during the bombing raids into North Vietnam were caused by SAMs, Iron Hand missions continued to be of vital importance throughout the war.
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. It was intended to suppress Soviet-supplied surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
(SAM) systems in North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
before they became operational. Operation Iron Hand was in conjunction with Wild Weasel I. Iron Hand was to suppress and Wild Weasel I to destroy. The tactics employed on the Iron Hand missions are primarily designed to suppress the SA-2 missiles and gun-laying radar defenses of North Vietnam during the ingress, attack and egress of the main alpha strike force.
With the gathering momentum of Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was the title of a gradual and sustained US 2nd Air Division , US Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force aerial bombardment campaign conducted against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 2 March 1965 until 1 November 1968, during the Vietnam War.The four objectives...
and the increasing frequency of American air strikes, it was only a matter of time before the North Vietnamese took strong defense measures. On April 5, 1967 an RF-8A from the USS Coral Sea (CV-43)
USS Coral Sea (CV-43)
USS Coral Sea , a , was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Battle of the Coral Sea. She earned the affectionate nickname "Ageless Warrior" through her long career...
brought back photography of the first SAM site to be positively identified. Soviet installations had a distinctive six-pointed star arrangement that made them easy to identify, and the installations in Viet Nam were being built to the same arrangement. Over the next several months more SAM sites were discovered but permission to mount a strike on these sites was refused. Not until several American planes had been shot down–-the first Navy losses were VA-23 A-4s from the USS Midway (CV-41)
USS Midway (CV-41)
USS Midway was an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class, and the first to be commissioned after the end of World War II...
in August--that official sanction was given to anti-SAM missions.
Operation Iron Hand began on August 12, 1966, but the first actual strike against a SAM site was not accomplished until the morning of October 17th. Four A-4Es from the USS Independence (CVA-62), with an A-6 Pathfinder, found a site near Kep Airfield, north of Hanoi, and destroyed it.
The A-4 Skyhawk
A-4 Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a carrier-capable ground-attack aircraft designed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The delta winged, single-engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated the A4D...
and A-3 Skywarrior’s
A-3 Skywarrior
The Douglas A-3 Skywarrior was originally designed as a strategic bomber for the United States Navy and was among the longest serving carrier-based jet aircraft in history. It entered service in the mid-1950s and was retired in 1991...
played pivotal roles during Iron Hand anti-SAM missions; the two aircraft were armed with anti-radiation ("beam-riding") Shrike missiles, which could be launched against SAM sites. A typical “Iron Hand” mission involved an F-8 fighter escorting a slower A-4 ahead of the main Alpha strike force of 20 aircraft and would attempt to eliminate enemy SAM sites; first the A-4 would launch the anti-radar Shrike missile at the SAM site and then the F-8 would strafe the site with 20-millimeter cannon fire.
A more common application of Iron Hand was thus: an A-4 Skyhawk or A-6 Intruder, armed with Shrikes, would fly low-level ("above deck"), detectable by SAM search radar while still having ready access to much lower, radar-free altitudes ("hard deck"). The pilot's avionics would detect a SAM radar's acquisition ("lock") onto his aircraft; then the pilot would dive for the hard deck, choose another approach track, suddenly pitch 15 degrees up without re-entering the SAM radar field ("cone") and launch the Shrike into the cone. The Shrike would then acquire the SAM radar's location, fly to it and destroy it, thus disabling SAM missiles associated with the particular radar, allowing American aircraft to conduct their missions unharassed.
North Vietnamese forces eventually became wise to this tactic and attempted to defeat it by using SAM radar intermittently or shutting off radar entirely if they felt threatened; however, their attempts were largely ineffective, since the en-route Shrike would often 'remember' the location of the enemy radar source, even if the radar was turned off suddenly. In spite of the Shrike's ability to remember, it was not a true "fire-and-forget
Fire-and-forget
Fire-and-forget is a third-generation method of missile guidance. The military uses the term for a type of missile which does not require further guidance after launch such as illumination of the target or wire guidance , and can hit its target without the launcher being in line-of-sight of the...
" missile.
Because most of the losses that occurred during the bombing raids into North Vietnam were caused by SAMs, Iron Hand missions continued to be of vital importance throughout the war.