In the afternoon of February 3rd 1968, a MiG21 Fishbed flown by one of the VPAF’s top aces, Phạm Thanh Ngân, ambushed, shot down and killed Captain Wallace Wiggins, who was flying an F102A Delta Dagger interceptor.

This is the only confirmed loss of an American jet interceptor, which makes the story interesting in its own right. In this video I explore how the Deuce, an aircraft essentially unsuitable for fighteronfighter action came to be in Vietnam at all. I also go into a bit of detail on the F102 weapon system, the tactics of both sides and why a much worse outcome for the US was avoided.

I hope you enjoy this one. It was both fascinating to research and tragic to make. Throughout I felt sad for Wallace Wiggins and his family. He was a good pilot put into an impossible situation by tactical demands of the moment and strategic decisions taken two decades earlier.

As ever, if you do find it interesting please consider subscribing.

Notes and Sources:

Story from the US point of view: https://www.vietnamwar50th.com/educat...

Story from the VPAF point of view: https://theaviationgeekclub.com/thes...

Broader context to the F102’s mission in Vietnam and SEA: https://www.keymilitary.com/article/d...

Very detailed look at the roll of the EB66 in Vietnam and other theatres:
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA385...

Preview 1 story and more information about MiG tactics in hunting the EB66 in the comments of this Aviation Geek Club article: https://theaviationgeekclub.com/thes...

Detailed story on the F102, including technical data that I used to calculate wing loading and powertoweight ratio: http://www.airvectors.net/avf102.html

General history of the F102 in Vietnam, including information on basing and a short passage on the shoot down: http://vietnam.warbirdsresourcegroup....

Weather in Vietnam on the day: https://weatherspark.com/h/y/116950/1...

Report on Wiggins’ death: https://www.vietnamwar50th.com/educat...

Deep dive into the F102’s weapons bay and typical load out. The section on Project STOVE PIPE specifies that Lomax shot three AIM4Ds, but the weapons missed because the MiGs moved out of range: https://www.thedrive.com/thewarzone...

Ordnance load out details for South East Asian F102s from ‘F102 In Detail And Scale’ by Bert Kinsey and Rock Roszak

Some pithy notes on flying the F102 on alert. Note comments about turn rate and inability to use the vertical in a dogfight due to climb rate. https://hushkit.net/2023/04/25/interv...

F102 cockpit images: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/202...

Details on the North Vietnamese layered defence network: https://www.allworldwars.com/Tactics...

Vietnam War B52 missions by month and location: http://www.americanwarlibrary.com/vie...