June 18

What happened on June 18 in aviation and space history.

• June 18, 1965

  First Arc Light mission: the B-52's combat debut in Vietnam

  Milestone — On 18 June 1965, B-52Fs of the 9th and 441st Bombardment Squadrons (7th and 320th Bomb Wings), operating out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, flew the first Arc Light mission of the Vietnam War, bombing a suspected Viet Cong staging area near Bến Cát, about 40 miles north of Saigon. Of the 30 sorties dispatched, 27 completed the mission after two aircraft were lost in a mid-air collision and a third was diverted.

• June 18, 1981

  First flight of the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk

  First flight — The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk flew for the first time on 1981-06-18.