What has made the Weasels so different and effective is the combination of advanced avionics (including jamming pods) with A to A and A to G missile capabilities, moving them from hunter-killer roles to suppression-interdiction especially against enemy G to A attack. The Weasels and EWOs became close partners.
In July 1965 an F-4 fighter was shot down by SAM, representing a new and extremely serious threat to USAF activities in support of ground troops. By December that year the first Weasel F-100s had been put in play under the operational code "Iron Hand". The F-100 was relatively "slow" however (760 knots), and much faster US fighters were overtaking it on missions. By July 1966 they had been replaced by the F-105 (1480 mph). The Weasel preceeds conventional fighters into a zone to clear out the SAM and related opposition.
Here is a troubling squib related to why the Weasel came to life:
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"During the first few years of the war, the Soviet Union and China were basically staying out of the war in Vietnam. However, once the U.S. committed to total war the Soviets and Chinese began arming the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) with advisors and equipment. At first this was limited to anti-aircraft (AAA) guns and small arms, but eventually the NVA acquired advanced SAM's to defend against the relentless U.S. airstrikes. The system the NVA was provided was the SA-2 Guideline radar guided surface to air missile system. This missile was designed as a medium range, medium altitude surface to air missile by the Soviets, who then began equipping the NVA with the missiles and its FAN SONG guidance radar. Additionally the Soviets provided the NVA with deadly radar directed AAA. This development spelled big trouble for the U.S. and its aircraft.
One of the more frustrating aspects of the introduction of the SAM's into North Vietnam was the fact that the U.S. Air Force watched them being built but were powerless to do anything about it. President Lyndon B. Johnson, and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara absolutely prohibited the Air Force from attacking the sites. Because the SAM's were Soviet made, McNamara was sure there were Soviet advisors at the sites and he did not want to chance infuriating the Soviets and possibly draw them into the conflict, so he ordered the sites to be left alone. The U.S. Air Force watched helplessly as hundreds of the deadly SAM sites were constructed and became operational. This micromanagement of the air war would continue throughout the conflict, much to the chagrin of the Air Force and its pilots, who battled the SAM's on a daily basis.
Now that the SAM threat in North Vietnam was a reality, the U.S. Air Force was forced to come up with a solution to the SAM problem. As the war dragged on, aircraft and pilot losses to the SAM's were mounting, and something needed to be done to deal with the problem. The solution was a dedicated anti-SAM aircraft, whose sole mission would be to take out the SAM sites. The project was called Project Weasel or Wild Weasel 1, and thus the "Wild Weasels" were born."
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In DESERT STORM it was the F-4 platform that was first into Iraq, effectively pre-empting enemy missile strikes.
Today in-theatre it is the F-16 and one other craft who have assigned Weasel work.
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