Your Source for NPR News & Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

PERSPECTIVES: The Hunter Killers

Vietnam, 1965: On July 24, a US Air Force fighter jet was suddenly blown from the sky by a mysterious and lethal weapon launched by Russian "advisors" to North Vietnam. Three days later, six more pilots were brought down trying to avenge their fallen brother. Stunned and desperately searching for answers, the Pentagon ordered a top secret program called Wild Weasel I to counter the problem—fast.  Today’s interview focuses on Dan Hampton's THE HUNTER KILLERS, based on unprecedented firsthand interviews with Wild Weasel veterans and previously-unseen declassified documents from both sides of the conflict, as well as author Dan Hampton's own experience as a highly decorated F-16 Wild Weasel pilot.

https://www.facebook.com/DanHamptonAuthor/

Aired May 22, 2016.

Related Stories