Largest aircraft with an A/A kill?

[BQZip01]

All,

What's the largest aircraft in an air-to-air kill. I'm pretty sure it's the B-52D (2 kills in Vietnam during Operation Linebacker II), however I can't find a reference for whether it is the largest aircraft with an A-A kill.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Guest afvandy18]

According to Wikipedia (so it must be true), you are correct about the B-52D being the biggest aircraft with an air-to-air kill.

Air-to-air victories

During the Vietnam War, B-52D tail gunners were credited with shooting down two MiG-21 "Fishbeds". The B-52's first aerial MiG kill occurred on 18 December 1972, when tail gunner SSgt Samuel O. Turner, locked onto an intercepting North Vietnamese Air Force MiG-21 during Operation Linebacker II. Turner's Stratofortress just completed its bomb run and was heading outbound when the enemy interceptor closed in on his bomber.[64] Both the MiG and the B-52 locked onto one another, and when the interceptor was within range, Turner fired a burst of quad .50 caliber machine gun[65] fire into the enemy plane causing a gigantic explosion aft of Turner's bomber.[64] The aerial victory was witnessed by MSG Lewis E. Le Blance flying tail gunner in a nearby Stratofortress. Turner's B-52, tail number 55-0676, is currently preserved and on display at Fairchild AFB in Spokane, Washington.[64]

On 24 December 1972, during the same bombing campaign, A1C Albert E. Moore, flying tail gunner in the B-52 Diamond Lil, acquired a fast approaching target as his bomber was headed to bomb the Thai Nguyen railroad yards.[66] Maintaining target acquisition on the interceptor, Moore opened fire with his quad fifties at 4,000 yards, maintaining fire until the enemy aircraft disappeared from his scope. Moore's aerial victory was observed by TSG Clarence W. Chute, a tail gunner aboard another Stratofortress, who observed the Mig-21 to catch fire and fall away. The Diamond Lil is currently preserved and on display at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.[66] SSG Turner was awarded a Silver Star for his actions[67] and Airman Moore has the distinction of being the last bomber gunner to shoot down an enemy aircraft with machine guns in aerial combat during war time.[65] The last Arc Light mission took place on 15 August 1973 and all B-52s left Southeast Asia shortly after.[53]

The downing of these MiG-21s makes the B-52 the largest aircraft to be credited with an air-to-air "kill" in combat.

It's completely unrelated, but another thing I gathered from the article is that although the Buff folks don't like their current nuclear role, at least they aren't flying 24/7 orbits around the Soviet Union anymore waiting to participate in the impending nuclear holocaust. That sounds like the worst thing ever.

Edited November 14, 2009 by afvandy18

[Butters]

[jango220]

I seem to remember a B-52 fuselage at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patt that has some kills accredited to it. Could just be smoking crack as well. Can anyone who's been there recently confirm?

[HoHum]

In Flying Through Midnight, the author claims to have downed a NVA chopper with chains shoved out the door of a C-123.

[BQZip01]

In Flying Through Midnight, the author claims to have downed a NVA chopper with chains shoved out the door of a C-123.

Interesting tidbit about the C-123. However, it is significantly smaller than the B-52 (it's max takeoff weight is less than our max payload...).

I'm actually trying to improve the Wikipedia article. If you'll notice, every other sentence in the article is referenced (sans the lead which is a rehash of the article itself). This is the only sentence that isn't referenced and I'm trying to fix that.

[Napoleon_Tanerite]

didn't an IL-76 shoot down a chopper in afg during the Russian war there?

[Whitman]

There was a P-3 with one off the coast of China recently.

Pretty sure it was an EP-3, at least that's what Wikipedia said!

[tac airlifter]

In Flying Through Midnight, the author claims to have downed a NVA chopper with chains shoved out the door of a C-123.

Possibly the greatest aviation book ever written.

[Guest afvandy18]

Possibly the greatest aviation book ever written.

Chuck Yeager's autobiography is pretty awesome too. He has no reason to still be alive after all the crazy stuff he's done.

[BQZip01]

didn't an IL-76 shoot down a chopper in afg during the Russian war there?

Couldn't find anything to verify that, but the B-52 is bigger in every respect anyway (payload, wingspan, takeoff weight, length, etc)

[disgruntledemployee]

So, what you're really asking here is if there is a C-5 with a confirmed kill, other than itself?

[BQZip01]

So, what you're really asking here is if there is a C-5 with a confirmed kill, other than itself?

C-5, Huge Russian transport, whatever.

FWIW, the C-5 can launch ICBMs...I'm sure that would result in an air-to-air kill of something if its target was a major metropolitan city...

[brickhistory]

Possibly the greatest aviation book ever written.

Or the worst. His stream of consciousness writing made think of a bad R&R for him in Hong Kong and not a real life accounting of "there I was."

But it's on the best seller list and has been for some time, so what do I know?

[slacker]

In the land of 40 year old vigins living in Mom's basement...

Death Star Destroys Enterprise

Edited November 16, 2009 by M2

[FlyinGrunt]

Not bigger than a Buff, but in Apollo's Warriors, Michael Haas relates the story of an AC-130 getting an air-to-air kill on an NVA helo.

[BQZip01]

Not bigger than a Buff, but in Apollo's Warriors, Michael Haas relates the story of an AC-130 getting an air-to-air kill on an NVA helo.

Yeah, I've heard that one too. Also an interesting story.

[FlyingBull]

Other than the B-36, the Buff is the biggest plane to ever have an air-to-air capability. So barring some unknown incident of a B-36 shooting something down I'd think it safe to say the B-52D will hold the record.

Edited November 15, 2009 by FlyingBull

[tac airlifter]

Or the worst. His stream of consciousness writing made think of a bad R&R for him in Hong Kong and not a real life accounting of "there I was."

But it's on the best seller list and has been for some time, so what do I know?

I'm not a fan of the writing style (or lack thereof) either, however, if 1/3 of what he says actually happened--- wow. And that sortie at the end? I stayed up all night reading it, I literally couldn't stop myself and wait for another time to finish.

[BQZip01]

Other than the B-36, the Buff is the biggest plane to ever have an air-to-air capability. So barring some unknown incident of a B-36 shooting something down I'd think it safe to say the B-52D will hold the record.

I would agree entirely. Do you have a reference for that?