One of the darndest things I’ve seen was while flying the wing of a squadron mate who was armed with a pair of AIM-4 Falcon missiles, intent on shooting down a Bomarc missile cruising at 65,000 feet and at Mach 2.5.
We were over the Gulf of Mexico waiting for this thing to launch from near Elgin AFB. We were at loiter speed of 280 kts in our F-106s trying to save fuel. Lead had briefed the GCI controller to give us warning before it launched so we could accelerate and be over the Mach before starting a fly up to shoot the Bomarc. We were orbiting about a 100 miles south of the beach with our noses pointed south, when, you guessed it. The GCI controller excitedly screamed over the radio “IT JUST LAUNCHED!” So, as lead goes to full AB, I follow suit and crank around with him to point north. As we get a view north, still subsonic, and accelerating as fast as possible, we see this contrail coming off the beach, climbing like a home sick angel, and accelerating faster than anything I’d ever seen. Lead calls a radar contact, and starts the nose up just as we hit Mach 1. I’m hanging on the wing and following with my radar as lead calls a Judy. Shortly thereafter, his weapons bay doors slam open, the Falcon rails snap down in the supersonic wind stream, and the two missiles launch with gusto toward the Bomarc, now traveling at near warp speed…………
