113 - Wild Weasels

[@mitubes]

- "So Dan, let's talk about weapons: please give us a brief description of the HARM (AGM-88)". - "It's a waste of a wing station!" LOL!!!!!!!! Didn't expect that! Great interview, both guys very smart, and Lt. Col. Hampton's responses are beautifully crafted and never boring!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

🤩

[@larrybrown638]

I was in the Air Force force10 yrs and I was a weapons Mechanic 1974 to 1985 with the 35th Tactical fighter wing and a wild weasel squadron the 35th Munitions Maintenance Squadron.. F4 and f105s. Loved the planes. Proud to have been in the squadron.

[@whalehands]

I've read Viper Pilot, it's one of the only few books I've sought to read. That opening had my heart beating every sentence. GREAT BOOK!

[@terryboyer1342]

Viper Pilots a MUST READ!

[@whalehands]

@@johnp2110 I literally said I've read it lol

[@deronwilliams338]

Great book from start to finish.

[@wackswax8423]

Check out hunter killers you won’t be disappointed. Vietnam was their genesis

[@SirBrass]

Read all of his books. Operation Vengeance, and Lords of the Sky are both absolutely fantastic. But yeah, Viper Pilot is just absolutely phenomenal and that opening is so good.

[@Viper81]

You can definitely learn something from "Two Dogs", here. He is a legend and really nice guy who has quite some amazing stories to tell. And I mean who could be more qualified than him talking about Wild Weasels, right? Really had a blast listening to this episode...👍👍👍

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Thanks, Tim!

[@vv13346]

The young Indian boy had spent most of his life in a quandry. .. He felt different yet. .. couldn't figure why. .. he was just so depressed. He went to the Chief for answers. .. He asked the chief how his brother Red Deer Running had gotten his name. .. The chief answered in his typically poetic way. .."When Red Deer Running was born, at the moment of his birth, the first thing his mother saw was a beautiful deer running off into the forest. .. and so Running Deer was named. It is the custom of our tribe to name the offspring according to the spirits in nature visiting upon the birth."Then, the boy said to the Chief. .. And how did my sister "Thundering Bird" get her name? The chief described again, how at the moment of her birth Thundering Bird's mother had heard a roar of thunder and looking up, saw a bird flying in the sky. .. The boy asked again, how his cousin "White Crouching Bear" had been given such a name. .. And the chief, looking down once more at the boy, explaining the traditions of their tribe. .. . White Bear's mother had seen a rare white bear crouched over a stream at the moment her baby's birth. Then he asked the boy. .."Why do you ask, Two Dogs Fucking?"

[@louisblackone3980]

One of the best book on combat aviation. It's super amazing how he (and his comrades) maintain the SA. I keep flipping back the page to remember the SA, and he's doing it in heartbeat. Amazing!!!

[@joshuameader8898]

Dan Hampton! Loved Viper Pilot. A true modest American hero.

[@SirBrass]

As far as "Magnum", I'd assumed that the ungodly huge torch behind the missile was why, because if you've shot a Magnum pistol round (like a full power 44mag or 357mag) through a short barrel revolver, you'll remember the fireball.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Plausible.

[@sharizabel2582]

The Prowler also did reactive HARM. In fact my confirmed kill near Mosul in 2000 was a reactive shot in the EA-6

[@drmassey1]

Two Dogs is awesome, sometimes he's my Patron Saint! His book rules, bravo for having him on, what a great show!

[@ChiccinTendies]

What do you mean by patron saint?

[@josefmrtka6431]

Dans books are the best. His engaging story telling gives you the feeling that you are really experiencing the events with the participants.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Still have not read any of them, need to get busy!

[@thunderace4588]

Thank you for making this interesting and informative podcast available on KZbin for us.

[@Fast85FoxGT]

Oh man! I am currently reading Hunter-Killers so this is great.

[@triprussell3]

That's a really good book!

[@soonerfrac4611]

How could we not discuss the B52 In HARMs Way?!?!

[@danb1059]

Two Dogs is a great interview! Yup, bring him back for more.

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

Another great interview. Enjoyed Two Dogs' doctrinal outlook on destroying surface to air threats, he's a man who doesn't mince his words regarding a pragmatic approach.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

The world needs more of that.

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

@@FighterPilotPodcast I suddenly remembered a quote from the Brit' comedy series "Black Adder", where the character of the same name quips, "I have cunning plan, Baldric. So cunning in fact, you could put a tail on it, and call it a weasel."

[@maciejgravite]

Great episode! Amazing that my favorite Hornet pilot met with favorite Viper pilot. Thanks you two! :D

[@wgoulding]

I'm absolutely thrilled you were able to get him on the podcast!

[@rosswhitmore4833]

Thanks!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

You're welcome, Ross!

[@cryptolicious3738]

jello, two dogs, that was awesome, what an episode, those stories, the towed decoys! one of my all time favs. he could make a movie

[@briandomian852]

The EWO who coined YGBSM was Jack Donovan, not Ray. Just wanted to keep the record correct.

[@bollewillem1]

Great guest. I read his book a while ago.

[@sharoncassell9358]

I read a book about a Russian pilot who defected to Japan and abandoned the family and Russian life named Mig 31. It was great. Older version 1996.

[@johnb7490]

Great guest and topic. Brave people.

[@lawrencegabrieln.fabula2380]

I enjoyed reading Hampton's book, "Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat"- am enjoying this episode even more.

[@SirBrass]

This is an excellent companion to the book, too.

[@orgeebaharvin6284]

I'm listening and got excited! Two Dogs was stationed in my hometown and I live right behind Shaw, home of the 20th TFW!

[@mynd1125]

I've got Viper Pilot on audiobook, I think I'm on my 3rd listen, good for walks.

[@EnhanceRaptor]

Looking forward to the episodes on the 320 and 737.

[@deathraylabs_nature]

i really enjoyed this interview! stories were great and you guys got into the really nerdy details just the way I likes it!

[@randysearle2702]

you can hear the warrior ethos all over Dan, people think that to find real savages you have to go to the SEALS, DELTA, Marine Corps Infantry etc etc.....people dont really think you're going to find that mentality in the officer corps, or in the Air Force, but men like Dan prove them wrong. I loved hearing it.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Thanks, Randy.

[@eriktruchinskas3747]

The naval equivalent was iron hand, though it was the name of the mission not a title....not sure if they gave it a name after vietnam

[@pontiacGXPfan]

I have Dogs' novel Viper Pilot....I ran into one of his former wingmen, Chester Toogood, and he not only autographed my copy and gave me his squadron patch. damnedest most bizarre experience

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

I’ll say

[@briantoplessbar4685]

Great show two dogs is the man

[@BKetch]

Thanks for the tail end of the podcast. That should be clipped and posted on its own.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

It's an annual burden.

[@tonyrun5802]

Yayyy, first podcast since I'm subbed!

[@D5Pasadena]

- [ ] The authoritative wild weasel interview. Funny, action packed and at times, soberingly honest (“People are always fighting the last war. “). Really good, Jell-O. Wikipedia should honestly start linking their articles to your episodes. The towed decoy story was really helped me understand its employment. Enjoyed the raptor attack story too. His critical thinking, flexibility and lack of ego to getting the mission the completed were on display. Exemplary.

[@nickforster748]

Another great episode! I loved Hunter Killers & will hunt out Viper Pilot. Despite having worked with CJs on ONW & OSW I still learnt great stuff from today. QUALITY! Good luck with your refresher training Jell-O, I was 4th from bottom on the seniority list for 6 months but in is still IN! 😎

[@bluesgt380]

What does CJ stand for?

[@davidralph8250]

@@bluesgt380 Correction, F-16 Block 50 CJ is the Wild Weasel equipped version of the Block 50 F-16. commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F-16_CJ_Fighting_Falcon.jpg

[@sharoncassell9358]

Right. Never downplay your skill or position. Just do your best . The janitor did a good job and got noticed for promotion. I'm proud of all of your missions and successful training.

[@dongraf1222]

Quick notes: That is the best interview you have done, imo. LtCol. Dan Hampton is THE subject matter expert on WW. But having read Viper Pilot and seeing him on a few segments on CNN and FOX, I found him to be somewhat arrogant to the point of not liking him originally. My attitude towards him personally takes nothing away from his astounding accomplishments. However, THIS interview and after reading Hunter-Killers and the reverence he has for his predecessors I have completely changed my mind about him. Terrific episode. Great job all around, and LtCol. Hampton has to have one of the best modern combat aviation careers ever.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

That's good of you to say, don graf, thanks. 🤩

[@briantoplessbar4685]

An arrogant fighter pilot??

[@startrekmike]

@@briantoplessbar4685 His book 'Viper Pilot' was full of moments where he genuinely looked down on non-pilots serving around him. It is played off as a source of humor but when you actually think about those events from the perspective of the other guy, it is hard to side with Hampton. He openly and quite enthusiastically shows little (if any) respect for anyone who isn't a pilot in that book. He might not feel the same now but after reading that book and comparing it to other books (like 'Vipers in the Storm' by another Viper pilot, Keith Rosenkranz), Hampton does come off as exceptionally arrogant.

[@SirBrass]

Oh hell yes! I was hoping y'all would do an episode with Dan Hampton! I loved his book. 😁

[@spacebear49]

Read and very much enjoyed Viper Pilot, and just starting to read Operation Vengeance. So far it is excellent and very thorough. Lt Col Hampton is a very talented writer IMO.

[@nicolaeionescu6538]

I've read lt. col. Hampton's book about the wild weasel program and I can tell you it was the greatest thing I've ever read.

[@andrewchr]

41:13 haha. A waste of wing station. Poor HARM missiles. The man has a point though.

[@mobius7089]

Yeah, but you can make up for it if you use the cursed double-ugly Viper...

[@Anderson_Hwang]

The Air Force did not have the AGM-88E AARGMs that are capable of destroying radar sites even if they're turned off.

[@soonerfrac4611]

@ Mobius 708 You take that back! No variation of the Viper will ever be ugly, much less uglier than the best looking Hornet of any varieties.

[@Anderson_Hwang]

@@soonerfrac4611 Do you even know what “Double Ugly” is? Its also known as assymetrical loadout

[@mobius7089]

@@soonerfrac4611 Viper looks good when it's clean not doing anything. Once you add stuff to make it useable it becomes more and more grotesque. Hornets actually look good while they work. (And are just better)

[@wgoulding]

I've probably listened to Viper Pilot on audiobook 4-5 times. Amazing book!

[@RaidsEpicly]

Jello, have you thought about doing an episode on private operators of military aircraft? I thought companies like Draken mostly did work as red air for training, but at 25:09 Dan is saying he was flying lots of combat missions as part of MVI international? I bet that'd make a fascinating episode. Or is it a bit too "hush-hush" to get a guest to talk about?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

We have considered it, yes, just have not gotten to it yet.

[@jdizzy01]

I love that you used the audio from Strike Package Q

[@Rex-ii2yz]

I was there in 2003 flying Hawks out of Speicher with 4ID. Those Haboobs were no joke. Ah "Two Dogs" Named after the first thing his parents saw after he was born, if memory servers. A great Native American tradition. :P

[@finixhawkeye3213]

Two Dogs.... A double on the Bar Tab Sir! Big Fan!

[@patrickcallahan9599]

This is one area where old pilots and bold pilots developed a new weapon 🥊

[@WarDucc]

What if you don't survive are your wingmen just going to be like: "Eh...didn't like him anyway."

[@cbzgn38]

From Wikipedia--Operation Iron Hand was a joint United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Navy (USN) operation conducted from 1965 to 1973 during the Vietnam War. It was a type of Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) mission, primarily intended to suppress Soviet-supplied surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems in North Vietnam, although neutralizing radar-directed anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) was important as well. "Iron Hand" refers both to the development of the tactics and equipment, and the numerous individual "Iron Hand missions" that generally accompanied strike packages of the USAF and USN. The "Iron Hand" is a metaphor to the steady hand and nerves of steel it took for pilots to fly directly at the radar-emitting anti-aircraft missile sites while the radar-seeking missiles flew down to destroy the target. The tactics employed on the Iron Hand missions were primarily designed to diminish the threat of SA-2 missiles to a bombing strike force.

[@earlyprimate]

Great interview. Read Viper Pilot last year and remember the story about breaking out over the lake.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Thanks! Looking forward to reading his stuff.

[@DJones476]

Hell, yeah! 'Two Dogs'!!! I own two of Dan's books.

[@sjpga]

Great books (plural). Question. How confident are fighter pilots when they are NOT in their comfort zone in life? IE; around other professionals of different vocation?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

I'd say they usually do a good job holding their own.

[@sharoncassell9358]

It depends on the person. Most have big egos and are confident but on uncertain ground they shake like anyone else.

[@dekksherton6824]

wonder if there is anyone from the Growler community that would provide a counterpoint to the AF pov

[@Rodz88]

Amazing episode!!!

[@lancet.346]

The audio from Package Q makes my palms sweat.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Right? I can't imagine what that must have been like.

[@michaelmulligan0]

Fascinating that HARM isn’t the primary weapon. Must mean tactics and EW are vital

[@SDsc0rch]

love love LOVE his attitude

[@jeremy782]

Thanks Crew Chiefs!

[@SDsc0rch]

this was incredibly entertaining and informative thx jello :)

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Sure thing, Eric!

[@oldfashionedwrx3574]

new harm tracks Radars/SAMs even when theyre off, AARGM /agm - 88G drones can do sead/SEAD lol videos of them attacking s300s in ukraine, i think any super threats that are specific against say one thing, for example an S400 should be taken out by drones or ground if possible. and a saturation attack would be last resort from air nice video ive gotta read that viper book those towed decoys are nuts

[@montrose699]

Love Dan's books!

[@CallsignJoNay]

Viper Pilot is one helluva book and Two Dogs is a character. If Hollywood and/or the USAF had any brains they'd option it for a film and make a true rival to Top Gun. It would do wonders for recruitment and that whole pilot shortage thing. Just sayin'.

[@sharizabel2582]

The F/A-18G is the aircraft that has the Wild Weasel mission of the Navy. Not the single seat 18 nor the F version.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Actually there is no such thing as an F/A-18G, it's the EA-18G.

[@sharizabel2582]

@@FighterPilotPodcast copy that.

[@sharizabel2582]

When I was in the EA-6 and working the integration and ergonomics from an operational viewpoint of the upcoming system they were at times including the F/A nomenclature. By the way I was USAF in the Expeditionary VAQ-128 having flown F-4Es, F-111G/F, EF-111s, and afterwards the F-15E.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

@@sharizabel2582 Very cool. 👍

[@USNRaptor]

I really like Dan's no holds barred truth telling of stories. He's not afraid to point out things about the military/flying that are messed up. If you enjoyed this interview, you'll really like Viper Pilot.

[@fluff_ruff]

My final attempt to convince the boss to let me sign a contract was for Army wirly bird the day before the 32 year old cutoff 4 years ago. Shot down lol. Much envy and respect for all you guys getting it done.

[@dkoz8321]

Whats a tripple digit SAM. 1st Gen SAM single digirt SA-2, SA-3, SA-4, SA-5, SA-6, SA-7, SA-8, SA-9 2nd Gen SAM double digit SA-10, SA-11, SA-12, SA-20, SA-22, SA-23 3rd Gen. Tripple digit???? Which ones are those?

[@raylauderback5126]

Jell-O, Boats, and Two Dogs...doesn't get much better! Thanks to all!👍

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Thank you Ray!

[@briandomian852]

One other incorrect fact in the interview, there was also an F4-C WW. Its sort of a footnote as not many were built and only hung around for a short time.

[@finixhawkeye3213]

Indipendance Day Strategy..... " Warheads on Alien Foreheads" 😂😂😂😂😂

[@finixhawkeye3213]

The much awaited ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@dillonwoolley5262]

I have a follow up question that I'm pretty sure will get lost but here goes: Two Dogs tells a lot of these stories and uses "I" a lot, which may be just a style of speaking when telling these stories, but I can't help to think: was he truly alone during these scenarios? Was his wingman with him strafing the armored column in the sand storm? Or when he went below the clouds and found the Guard division?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Good question. It's possible his wingman was getting gas at that time. Or maybe he was there but 2D kept the retelling simpler. Don't know for sure.

[@sharizabel2582]

Get your facts straight about the warhead supersonic titanium cubes do a hell a lot of damage. The Capt and two Sargents in the system I targeted were a pile of pink goo afterwards.

[@3rdlegracing250]

I would have LOVED to have heard about the exploding EWO incident from Dan himself!!! 🤣🤣

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Maybe we’ll have to get him back on?!

[@ardemartini]

Episode on the chinook?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

It’s on the list.

[@michaelmulligan0]

Interesting about the HARM being inaccurate. Wonder is that why the U.K. went with ALARM

[@gurugo666]

Sick!

[@deantait8326]

An F-35 and a Tic-Tac go into a bar. The bartender says to the Tic-Tac......

[@manuelgreil4306]

F-15 EX....pfft. Where is my F-14E Super Tomcat II? :)

[@navyreviewer]

I saw one once, in my dreams..... :(

[@mikel1062]

F16CJ is the Mild weasel

[@babychuma1]

He def should have told the two dogs joke.

[@franesmolic]

Only one problem, f16 should fire HARM not Maverick

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

There’s a bunch of weaponry used in SEAD, but HARMs are the most recognizable for sure!

[@잼덱스]

you want me to fly in the back of a little tiny fighter aircraft, with a crazy fighter pilot who thinks he is invincible, home in on a SAM site over north vietnam and shoot it before it shoots me..... YOU GOTTA BE SHITTIN ME!!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

That's the one.

[@SDsc0rch]

for those unclear on the concept... DEAD > SEAD

[@startrekmike]

Depends on the needs to the mission. Obviously a DEAD focused pilot is going to have a HEAVY, overt bias towards DEAD as a role but it is important to take other viewpoints into account.

[@pogo1140]

Dan Hampton sounds like Bruce Campbell.

[@ethaneverhart8218]

yes!!! finally

[@gb7418]

Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@SpypilotSR-71]

Forget the USAF just send in Dan Hampton to get the job done! What an Alpha pilot! Alpha pilot: someone who destroys 5 or more SAM sites. Yes I made that up.

[@patrickcallahan9599]

Good stuff 🏴‍☠️🇺🇸

[@appa609]

DEAD ace

[@rajeshbt8146]

Still no flankers 🤤🤤🤤

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

And no current plans, but it's on the list. Patience.

[@mdshaker4111]

SA=Saiful Azam... The 🦅..

[@mikebunner3498]

Informative, Thank you both. Insightful. America at her best. Poke the bear, get mauled.

[@Void304]

YGBSM :)

[@Mike41919]

First wohoo

[@paulcosma4584]

Second