Vietnam Air Force

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This article is about the air force of the former country the Republic of (South) Vietnam. For Vietnam's current air force, see Vietnam People's Air Force.

4400th CCTS T-28 wearing South Vietnamese markings flies over Vietnam.

1 History
2 Analysis
3 Combat
4 Attack Aircraft
5 Transport and Utility Aircraft
6 Helicopters
7 Training Aircraft
8 Other Aircraft
9 Photos
10 Notes
11 See also
12 External links

[edit] History

VNAF insignia

The VNAF (abbreviation for Viet Nam Air Force, Vietnamese is "Khong Quan Viet Nam") started off as a few hand picked men chosen to fly aloo the world's 6th last air force at the height of its power, in 1974. It is an often neglected chapter of the history of the Vietnam war as they operated in the shadow of the world's largest air war machine. Many members now live in the United States.

[edit] Analysis

In contrast with the North Vietnamese Air Force, most allied air operations in the Vietnam War were conducted by the US armed forces. The South Vietnamese forces operated at a fairly basic level compared to the US Forces, which carried the bombing campaigns in the north.

VNAF F-5C Bien Hoa Air Base, 1971

O-1 observation aircraft of the 112th Liason Squadron / 23rd Tactical Wing - VNAF South Vietnamese Air Force - Bien Hoa Air Base - 1971

The United States in May 1956 had started to train and advise the South Vietnamese Air Force. VNAF was supplied with H-19 helicopters, and later H-34's. Initially they employed simple T-28 Trojan^[1] prop powered trainers which could carry a small bombload. The first jets were B-57 Canberra bombers arriving in 1965. In October of the same year the VNAF received its first modern UH-1 Huey turbine powered helicopters. Later, the US released more powerful light attack A-1 Skyraiders and jet light attack A-37 Dragonfly, and the lightweight F-5 Freedom Fighter that was unwanted by US forces. By the end of 1972, the VNAF operated 18 squadrons with 500 new helicopters, organized in eighteen squadrons, one of the largest helicopter fleets in the world.^[2] In 1972, President Thieu asked for, but did not receive the F-4 Phantom with its massive bombload and speed that was widely used for all roles by US air services. ^[3]

The VNAF lacked not just the Phantom, but the sophisticated AC-130 gunships, air tankers, heavy attack fighters such as the A-7 and A-6. They lacked any capability or training for offensive air operations against North Vietnam, and of course, they did not operate the B-52s which held a massive amount of bombs and was used by the US on many occasions in the war.

When the NVA started to install anti-aircraft missiles near Khe Sanh, the VNAF lacked the radar jamming gear, and the navigational aids required to attack the missile sites^[4]. The VNAF primarily flew close support as communist forces did not fly aircraft over US-held territory, so they never had the opportunity to fight MiGs or "go downtown" in heavy fighter bombers. Consequently, the ARVN was at a significant disadvantage once the US air force left Vietnam due to the lack of the bombings and air support provided by the US. Many think that this is reason why the Communist offensive succeeded so rapidly when compared to other offensives, such as the ones in 1968 and 1972.

[edit] Combat

During the final 1975 offensive, it wasn't just a case of a massive collapse. The ARVN in Long Khanh were fighting to the death. A cooperative effort between the ARVN and the VNAF enabled ARVN troops there to hold on. CH-47 helicopters brought in 193 tons of artillery ammunition over two days. A-1 Skyraider prop fighters flew in and a C-130 Hercules transport drop massive 15,000-pound daisy cutter bombs on enemy positions. Flying against intense antiaircraft fire, they took a heavy toll of the NVA divisions around Xuan Loc. Last combat was held by a AC-119 gunship to protect Tan Son Nhut airbase two days before the surrender of South Vietnam government on April 30, 1975. After two hours, the aircraft was shot down by an SA-7 portable missible, first time use during the Vietnam conflict. ^[5]