Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base is a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) facility in central Thailand, approximately 144 miles (240 km) northwest of Bangkok in Takhli District, Nakhon Sawan Province.
Units Takhli is the home of the Royal Thai Air Force Wing 4, 3d Air Division. Squadrons assigned are:
401 Light Attack Squadron, flying T-50 TH Golden Eagle 402 Reconnaissance Squadron, flying DA 42 MPP 403 Fighter Squadron, flying F-16A/B MLU Fighting Falcon 302 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron, flying Aerostar and Dominator UAVs
History Takhli RTAFB was established in the 1950s. In the late 1950s, the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) used Takhli as operating base for CIA resupply of Tibetan freedom fighters. CIA-operated C-130A Hercules transports flew men and supplies over Indian airspace, with the consent of Prime Minister Nehru, for parachute drops into Communist Chinese-occupied Tibet.
Political considerations with regards to Communist forces engaging in a civil war inside Laos and fears of the civil war spreading into Thailand led the Thai government to allow the United States to covertly use five Thai bases beginning in 1961 for the air defense of Thailand and to fly reconnaissance flights over Laos.
Under Thailand's "gentleman's agreement" with the United States, RTAF bases used by the USAF were commanded by Thai officers. Thai air police controlled access to the bases, along with USAF Security Police, who assisted them in base defense using sentry dogs, observation towers, and machine gun bunkers. All USAF personnel were fully armed after 1965.
The USAF airmen at Takhli were under the command of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). Takhli was the location for TACAN station Channel 43, and was referenced by that identifier in voice communications during air missions.
The APO for Takhli was APO San Francisco, 96273.
United States Advisory Forces The initial squadrons and units deployed to Takhli were placed under the command and control of the Thirteenth Air Force, headquartered at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. Thailand-based aircraft flew missions mostly into Laos until the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which expanded the air war into North Vietnam.
In 1962, the U.S. Military Assistance Group in South Vietnam was upgraded to Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), a promotion which gave it authority to command combat troops. Shortly thereafter, the Military Assistance Command, Thailand (MACT) was set up with a similar level of authority in order to aid Thailand in resisting communist aggression and subversion.
The USAF component of the U.S. Pacific Command was PACAF. Seventh Air Force, another Numbered Air Force of PACAF was headquartered at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, although the Seventh controlled many units based in Thailand. Thai sensitivities about units based in Thailand reporting to a headquarters in South Vietnam caused a shift whereby the Seventh Air Force was ostensibly subordinate to Thirteenth Air Force for administrative matters (and therefore referred to as Seventh/Thirteenth Air Force). The commander, Seventh Air Force, played a dual role as MACV's deputy for air operations.
In July 1962, the 6011th Air Base Squadron was organized, the first "host" unit at Takhli RTAFB.
F-100 Super Sabre deployments
The first USAF personnel began arriving at Takhli RTAFB on 10 February 1961 when the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) from Cannon AFB, New Mexico began deploying F-100D Super Sabres to the base to attack the Pathet Lao who were overrunning most of northwestern Laos. At Takhli, base support for the rotating Tactical Air Command (TAC) F-100 squadrons was provided by the 6011th ABS. In an organizational change, the 331st Air Base Squadron replaced the 6011th ABS at Takhli in July 1963 as the host unit at Takhli. The 331st ABS came under the command and control of 35th Tactical Group at Don Muang Royal Thai Air Force Base, near Bangkok.
The 27th TFW kept a rotational Temporary duty assignment (TDY) of three squadrons of F-100s in Takhli until November 1965 when F-105 Thunderchiefs began to arrive on a permanent basis. During February 1963, the rotational squadrons of F-100s from Cannon was reduced to six aircraft, with the deployments from Cannon ending in March 1964 and the squadrons deploying instead to Da Nang Air Base in South Vietnam.
In response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident 10 F-100s from the 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 405th Fighter Wing at Clark Air Base were deployed to Takhli. The first recorded combat loss was an F-100D (56–3085), shot down on 18 August 1964 over Laos. The Clark F-100s remained at Takhli until 20 August 1965 on a rotating basis.
F-100 Super Sabre squadrons deployed to Takhli were: 522d Tactical Fighter Squadron (27th TFW) Deployed: 13 February-c. 7 March 1961; 5 February-15 June 1962; 12 December 1962-c. 15 February 1963; 16 March-6 May 1964; 8 August-15 November 1964; 15 August-25 November 1965 523d Tactical Fighter Squadron (27th TFW) Deployed: 5 September-20 November 1961; 12 October 1962-c. 15 January 1963; 17 September-20 November 1963; 12 June-4 September 1964; 22 March-30 June 1965 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron (27th TFW) Deployed: 10 February-16 June 1961; 30 October-14 November 1961; 9 June-c. 27 June 1963; 21 January-19 March 1964; 1 December 1964 – 28 March 1965 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron (405th TFW) Deployed: 11 May – 8 June 1962
In November 1965 the last rotating F-100 squadron departed Takhli, to be replaced by the F-105D Thunderchief.
F-105 Thunderchief deployments
In May 1964 Takhli became a forward deployment base for rotational F-105 Thunderchief squadrons. The 35th Tactical Fighter Squadron was deployed to Takhli from Yokota AB, between May 1964 – June 1964 and between 26 August–28 October 1965. The 80th Tactical Fighter Squadron, deployed to Takhli between 26 June–26 August 1965 from the 6441st TFW, at Yokota AB, Japan.
Tactical Air Command began deploying F-105 squadrons in March 1965 as follows: 563d Tactical Fighter Squadron 7 April 1965 – August 1965 562d Tactical Fighter Squadron August 1965 – Dec 1965 334th Tactical Fighter Squadron August 1965 – February 1966 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron November 1965 – December 1966
On 2 March 1965 Takhli-based F-105s participated in the first airstrike of Operation Rolling Thunder.
In May 1965 the 6441st TFW (Provisional) became the host unit at Takhli. On 8 May the 6235th Combat Support Group was organized at Takhli. On 8 July 1965 the 6235th Tactical Fighter Wing was activated to join the 6441st TFW at Takhli.
The F-105 was destined to become a major participant in the war in Vietnam, and the primary aircraft flown from Takhli during the Vietnam War. The permanent assignment of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing to Takhli in December 1965 ended the temporary squadron rotations from continental US bases.
On 31 October 1965 Takhli-based F-105s conducted a joint operation with the US Navy to attack North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites. A specially equipped Navy A-4E Skyhawk accompanied a group of F-105s on an airstrike near Kép. The A-4 detected the Fan Song radar and then observed the launch of SA-2 SAMs nearby. The F-105s attacked the launch site, while the A-4 attacked the radar site, being shot down in the process. More Navy jets attacked both sites and a third launch site.
Air refueling mission
In order to support the buildup of US airpower in Southeast Asia as a result of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, in early August 1964, 8 KB-50Js of Detachment 1, 421st Air Refueling Squadron, was deployed at Takhli from Yokota AB, Japan. The 421st stayed at Takhli until 15 January 1965 when it was inactivated. The aerial refueling mission was taken over by a detachment of the 4252d Strategic Wing from Misawa Air Base with KC-135s replacing the KB-50s.
In September 1965, increasing demands for aerial refueling in Southeast Asia led to the deployment of Strategic Air Command (SAC) KC-135 tankers to Takhli under the designation of King Cobra to supplement those at Don Muang RTAFB in refuelling the Thai-based fighters.
In January 1967, the SAC 4258th Strategic Wing assumed full responsibility for the Takhli KC-135 tankers formerly belonging to the 4252d SW at Kadena AB, Okinawa. At years end, the tanker force numbered 5 at Takhli. In February 1968, the KC-135s were transferred to Ching Chuan Kang Air Base Taiwan.
Air rescue In early August Detachment 4, 36th Air Rescue Squadron equipped with HH-43Bs deployed to Korat on TDY from Osan Air Base, South Korea to provide base search and rescue. In November the Detachment returned to Osan AB and was replaced with HH-43Bs transferred from Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam.
In mid-1965 the rescue detachment was redesignated Detachment 2, 38th Air Rescue Squadron.
Airlift In June 1965 a TDY unit of 2 C-130s from E Flight, 21st Troop Carrier Squadron began airlift operations from Takhli into Long Tieng, Laos in support of the CIA and the army of Major General Vang Pao. The demand for flights increased with daily flights into various locations in Laos by 1967.
355th Tactical Fighter Wing
On 8 November 1965 the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing made a permanent change of station from McConnell AFB to Takhli without personnel or equipment as the host unit at the base. The provisional 6235th TFW was inactivated and the equipment and personnel at Takhli were absorbed into the new wing structure. Previously, all of the 355th's squadrons at McConnell had been deployed to various bases in Southeast Asia, two of which were reassigned to Takhli (357th, 354th TFS) and brought back under its control.
Squadrons of the 355th were: 333d Tactical Fighter Squadron: 8 December 1965 – 15 October 1970 F-105D/F (RK; reassigned from 4485th Composite Wing, Eglin AFB, Florida) 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 28 November 1965 – 10 December 1970 F-105D/F (RM; reassigned from 8th TFW, Kadena AB, Okinawa) 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 29 January 1966 – 10 December 1970 F-105D/F/G (RU; reassigned from 6234th TFW, Korat RTAFB)
The rotational TDY 334th TFS and 335th TFS squadrons transferred their aircraft to the newly assigned permanent squadrons at Takhli.
Operation Rolling Thunder Under Operation Rolling Thunder the 355th TFW participated in major strikes against North Vietnamese logistics. During this time, the wing flew 11,892 sorties, downed 2 MiGs, and damaged 8 more. Although the F-105 was not designed to be primarily a dogfighter, the aircraft was successful in downing at least 27.5 confirmed North Vietnamese MiGs in aerial combat. On 10 March 1967 Air Force Captain Max C. Brestel, flying from Takhli, became the only F-105 pilot to shoot down two MiGs during the Vietnam War.
On 10 March 1967 355th TFW F-105s took part in the first attacks on the Thái Nguyên ironworks, Captain Merlyn H. Dethlefsen won the Medal of Honor for actions including destroying two SAM sites during a mission from Takhli. His back-seater, Captain Kevin A. Gilroy was awarded the Air Force Cross for this mission. 4 355th TFW F-105s were shot down in attacks on the ironworks on 10 and 11 March.
On 19 April 1967, Major Leo K. Thorsness earned the Congressional Medal of Honor on another F-105 mission from Takhli. Thorsness destroyed one SAM site with a missile, bombed another, shot down a MiG, damaged another, and repeatedly chased or lured other MiGs away from an ongoing rescue mission for his wingman, who had been shot down by AAA fire. Thorsness' back-seater, Captain Harold E. Johnson, was awarded the Air Force Cross for the mission. Less than two weeks after this mission, the two were shot down and became prisoners of war.
In May 1967, the 355th TFW received its first Presidential Unit Citation for actions from 1 January 1966 to 10 October 1966.