Enroute to South East Asia, Colonel Franklin completed training in the OV-10 Bronco at Hurlburt Field, Florida and in 1971, was assigned to the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron, Nakhom Phanom Royal Air Force Base, Republic of Thailand, performing duty as a Pave Nail Forward Air Controller and Instructor Pilot, logging over 700 combat hours. In early 1972, he returned to Nellis Air Force Base, and became recurrent in the F-111A. In September 1972 he was assigned to the 430th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Nellis, and deployed with the squadron to Takhli Royal Air Force Base, Republic of Thailand as an F-111A aircraft commander. Colonel Franklin returned to Nellis Air Force Base in September 1973, and was in the instructor pilot upgrade course when he departed to attend graduate school at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Following his graduate studies in laser physics at AFIT, he was assigned to the Air Force Materials Lab at Wright-Patterson in December 1975. During this assignment, he served as an electro-optical engineer and assistant division chief of the Electromagnetic Materials Division.
In 1979 Colonel Franklin was selected to attend Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Following graduation from ACSC, Colonel Franklin transferred to RAF Lakenheath, England, arriving in October 1980. During his six years at Lakenheath, Colonel Franklin performed duty as the chief of the wing’s aircrew Replacement Training Unit, operations officer of the 495th Tactical Fighter Squadron, and in December 1984 became the commander of the 493rd Tactical Fighter Squadron. While serving as the commander of the 493rd Colonel Franklin was selected to lead the USAF portion of Operation El Dorado Canyon, the US strike on Libya on 15 April, 1986.