MC-130P that participated in Sơn Tây raid going to Castle air museum

The MC-130P #66-0212 that took part in the special forces raid on Sơn Tây, Vietnam will be retired to become a permanent display at Castle air museum.

California Air National Guardsmen assigned to the 129th Rescue Wing conduct an initial pre-flight check on a MC-130P Combat Shadow, Moffett Federal Airfield, Calif., Oct. 3, 2014. The aircraft and its crew are taking part in Soaring Angel 14, a multi-day joint operation that satisfies the unit’s tactical training and readiness requirements through multiple live scenarios in a simulated deployment environment. (U.S. California Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Kim E. Ramirez/Released)

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60th anniversary of the surface-to-air missile’s combat debut

On this day 60 years ago, a S-75 surface-to-air missile was fired by China’s 2nd surface-to-air missile battalion in Beijing and it shot down a Martin RB-57D Canberra high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, #5643, over Tong County Zhangjiawan. It was the first time that a surface-to-air missile had brought down an aircraft.

03 SA-2 Guideline
AMB Brescia [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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