The 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (TRS) flew combat reconnaissance missions operating the RF-4C Phantom II aircraft out of Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand.
The squadron was organized and activated on April 3, 1967, at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, before moving to Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in October 1967. They replaced the outgoing 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron’s RF-101 Voodoos and flew the unarmed RF-4C Phantom II, a dedicated photo-reconnaissance version of the F-4 fighter jet.
Known as “Tac Recce” (Tactical Reconnaissance), their mission was to gather critical intelligence by flying unarmed over hostile territory to perform pre-strike and bomb damage assessments, and monitor enemy movements, particularly surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites. Aircrews often described flying these dangerous missions “alone, unarmed and unafraid”.
The 14th TRS handled all Seventh Air Force reconnaissance tasking over South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Tasking over North Vietnam was a shared responsibility with the U.S. Navy and Strategic Air Command assets.
For a period in 1971 and by 1972, the 14th TRS was the sole U.S. tactical reconnaissance squadron in Southeast Asia.
The squadron continued combat operations until August 1973 and was eventually inactivated on June 30, 1975, as part of the USAF withdrawal from Thailand after the Paris Peace Accords.
14th TRS Photos
14th TRS Patches
