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UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995
1972-Contin ued
copter into NVN since 1968. HC-7 Det 110 continued
its rescue efforts and by the end of 1972 it had suc-
cessfully conducted 48 rescues during the year, 35 of
those under combat conditions.
17 August The Naval Material Command and the
Air Force Systems Command reached an agreement
relating to Navy and Air Force responsibilities for air-
craft engine production at the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft
Divisions, East Hartford, Conn., and West Palm Beach,
Fla. The Memorandum of Agreement provided that an
Air Force Deputy Plant Representative and staff be
assigned to the Naval Plant Representative Office
(NAVPRO) to represent the F-15 Program Director on
F-15 matters and to advise the NAVPRO on the in-
plant management of Air Force engine programs.
29 August John Konrad, Vought Aeronautics test
pilot, made the first flight in a two-place version of the
A-7E that the company had developed to demonstrate
to the Air Force and the Navy the advantages of such
a configuration for use as an advanced trainer or for
such tactical duties as electronics countermeasures.
31 August Although Marine Corps air efforts were
concentrated in SVN, the Marines contributed signifi-
cantly to U.S. efforts in NVN to prevent offloading and
transportation of supplies from Chinese merchant
ships at Hon La and Hon Nieu. HMA-369, with seven
AH-lJ helicopters, using the Cobra weapons system,
operated from Denver (LPD 9) against water transport
traffic in late June, and from Cleveland (LPD 7) in
early August. HMA-369's operations during August
were extended to include night surveillance and
attack. In addition HMA-369 helicopters served as
airspotters for naval gunfire and as airborne tactical
controllers for fixed-wing aircraft attacking lucrative
targets.
The Navy flew 4,819 sorties in August against NVN.
The downward trend of Navy attack sorties in SVN
continued during July and August. The stepped-up
campaign in the Mekong Delta accounted for a sharp
rise in Marine Corps air activity in SVN. The Marine
Corps air effort rose from 8 percent of the total air
effort in SVN during May to 43 percent during August.
11 September VMFA-333 flying off America
downed a MiG-21 near Phuc Yen airfield in North
Vietnam. This was the only MiG kill for the
Navy/Marine Corps during September and brought the
grand total of MiGs downed by Navy/Marine Corps
pilots to 55 since the war began.
30 September During September the number of
Navy tactical air attack sorties decreased from the level
flown in August. There were 3,934 Navy tactical air
attack sorties flown into NVN, down by about 800
from the August total. During July and August, more
than 45 percent of the Navy armed reconnaissance
sorties were at night. However, in September, only 31
percent of the armed reconnaissance sorties were
flown at night. In SVN the Navy flew 1,708 tactical air
attack sorties, a decrease from the level flown in
August. About half of the Navy's tactical air sorties
were close and direct air support sorties in SVN.
Marine Corps activity stayed relatively high during
September because of stepped-up ground activity in
the Mekong Delta. Marine Corps tactical air sorties for
September were 1,296. Carriers operating on Yankee
Station during the month of September were Hancock,
Kitty Hawk, Midway, Saratoga, Oriskany and America.
1 October The first two F-14 Tomcat squadrons
were formed at NAS Miramar San Diego, Calif. The
new squadrons carried the designations VF-l and VF-
2. These squadrons were established to receive the
Navy's first new fighter plane in 14 years, the
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was introduced in
1958.
8 October The first F-14 Tomcat, the Navy's new
sophisticated fighter, was delivered to VF-124. VF-124
was designated the F-14 training squadron for all F-14
fighter squadrons of the Pacific and Atlantic Fleet.
23 October The U.S. ended all tactical air sorties
into NVN above the 20th parallel and brought to a
close Linebacker I operations. This goodwill gesture of
terminating the bombing in NVN above the 20th paral-
lel was designed to help promote the peace negotia-
tions being held in Paris, France. During May through
October, the Navy flew a total of 23,652 tactical air
attack sorties into NVN. U.S. tactical air sorties during
Linebacker I operations helped stem the flow of sup-
plies into NVN, thereby limiting the operating capabili-
ties of North Vietnam's invading army. Carriers
involved in Linebacker I operations were Enterprise,
Constellation, Coral Sea, Hancock, Kitty Hawk,
Midway, Saratoga, Oriskany and America.
31 October During October the total number of
Navy tactical air sorties into NVN was 2,661. Tactical
air sorties into SVN during October were 2,097 and
1,599 for the Navy and Marine Corps, respectively. Air
operations in SVN followed the general pattern of the
ground war. NVN increased their small-scale attacks
throughout SVN in an apparent effort to gain territory
before a possible cease-fire. Thus, the main objective

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