Robert F. Titus

Korean War Titus served as an F-51 and F-86 pilot with the 40th Fighter Interceptor Squadron and 39th Fighter Interceptor Squadron in Korea from September 1951 to September 1952. Titus flew 101 missions during the war. He then spent six years as test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base, California, flying the North American F-100 Super Sabre, McDonnell F-101 Voodoo, Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, F-106 Delta Dart, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, and Republic F-105 Thunderchief. Titus took part in the zero-length-launch tests, in which an F-100 was launched from a truck by a 300,000-pound thrust booster attached to the aircraft. In 1959, he participated in an historic trans-polar flight from United Kingdom to the United States in the F-100 Super Sabre, for which he received a second Distinguished Flying Cross. He later took command of the 389th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Da Nang Air Force Base flying the F-4 Phantom II. On May 20, 1967, while leading a mission over Yen Bay, North Vietnam, Titus' flight encountered numerous North Vietnamese Air Force MiG-21s. Engaging them in three encounters, Titus shot down one MiG-21, while his flight destroyed another MiG-21. For his heroism in the mission, Titus received the Silver Star.

On May 22, Titus and his flight were leading a cover for a strike group of F-105s in operations near Hanoi. During the mission, they encountered two MiG-21s which fired missiles and continued straight past the formation. Titus and his flight chased the MiG-21s, with Titus shooting down one of the MiG-21s with an AIM-9 Sidewinder. Titus continued to chase the second MiG-21 and engaged in series of rapid maneuvers from to about until they reached the vicinity of Hòa Lạc Air Base, where they encountered enemy flak and surface-to-air missiles. As the MiG-21 rolled wings level and started a high-G pullout at about , Titus managed to shoot it down with an externally mounted M61 Vulcan in his F-4, thus crediting him with one of the few aerial gun victories during the war. For shooting down two MiG-21s in a single mission, Titus was awarded the Air Force Cross, the second only to the Medal of Honor.

After his retirement from Air Force, Titus moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he resided. In 2007, Titus appeared on an episode of the History Channel series Dogfights. In the episode titled 'Gun Kills of Vietnam' features May 22, 1967 mission, where he shot down two MiG-21s. The episode also featured an appearance by Col. Milan Zimmer (USAF, ret.), who served as Titus' Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) during the mission. The episode was the fifth episode of the second season of the series, which recreated historical air combat campaigns using modern computer graphics.

During the Commemorative Flight of The Last USAF Mustang on April 18, 2015, Titus flew in the rear seat of Darryl Bond's P-51D Mustang “Lady Jo” at Petaluma Municipal Airport.

Titus died in Colorado Springs, Colorado on September 8, 2024, at the age of 97. He was buried with full military honors at the United States Air Force Academy Cemetery.

Awards and decorations

During his lengthy career, Titus earned many decorations, including:

Air Force Cross of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, a member of the Order of Daedalians, American Fighter Pilots Association, Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association, and an honorary member of the American Fighter Aces Association.