The Obsolete Jets That Attacked the Most Powerful Navy on Earth

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On April 19, 1972, two specially trained pilots strapped themselves into old MiG-17s. They took off from a secret airfield, in the jungle. Beneath their wings hung two 250-kilogram bombs each. It was all they had. Their target was USS Oklahoma City, flagship of the 7th Fleet, bristling with guided missiles and protected by layers of escorts with state-of-the-art air defenses. She was leading the bombardment that had been pounding the North Vietnamese coast for weeks. Her crew knew they were within range of shore batteries, maybe patrol boats. But no one worried about aircraft. The U.S. Navy hadn't been hit by enemy aircraft since World War 2.