Time was running out for the US soldiers, Marines, and their allies in Vietnam. The war in Indochina was raging on, and the US Air Force was struggling to develop a new aircraft that could replace the aging World War 2era fighters used for close air support.

Without proper CAS support, the men on the ground were barely able to fight the North Vietnamese and come out of the thick jungles unscathed.
As the situation reached crisis proportions, the Air Force finally launched an ambitious program to develop a new close air support platform: the AX program.

Only two prototype aircraft were chosen for the tight competition, with Northrop's YA9 coming out victorious. Time was now of the essence to have it ready on time and help the ground troops in Vietnam push back the Communists…



Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, topsecret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.

As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.

All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.