Covert sites of the Laotian Civil War
Covert Sites of the Laotian Civil War were clandestine U.S. military installations for conducting covert paramilitary/combat operations in the Kingdom of Laos. Airstrips within the Kingdom of Laos were originally designated by Air America as "Site XX" (with XX being a number). In September 1961, the designation changed to "VS XX", meaning "Victor Site XX". On 16 May 1964, the airstrips received their final designation; the site names then used the abbreviation "LS"—Lima Site—for unimproved strips, or "L"—Lima—for paved runways. The terms "Victor" and "Lima" were taken from the existing military phonetic code.[1]
These sites typically were centered on a dirt landing strip for STOL aircraft such as the Air America Helio Courier or Pilatus Porter. These strips were often carved out along ridge lines, and were seldom flat, straight, or of sufficient length. However, they were crucial for resupply and personnel transport, including medical evacuations. To quote one source: "Some of these defied all the safety rules even of military aviation."[2] A U.S. Air Force inspection team noted that even the best of the Lima strips was inferior to any air strips in Vietnam.[3] Listing follows.
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Lima Sites of the Laotian Civil War | |||||||
No. | Name | Width/length | Elevation | Latitude | Longitude | Remarks | |
LS2 | San Tiau | 100 x 800 ft. | 5,000 ft. | 192830N | 1033405E | Used as base for Kou Kiet[4] | |
LS03 | Nong Het | 100 X 1,200 ft. | 4,700 ft. | 192940N | 1035935E | ||
LS05 | Ban Pa Dong | 70 X 1,670 ft. | 4,600 ft. | 190613N | 1030703E | Original site of Operation Momentum | |
L08 | Vientiane | 561 ft | Air operations center for Military Region 5 | ||||
L11 | Pakse | 330 ft | Air operations center for Military Region 4 | ||||
LS15 | Ban Na | 75 X 1,200 ft | 5,050 ft | 191954N | 1025735E | ||
LS19 | Phou Khe | 6,200 ft | 191852N | 1031556E | |||
LS20 | Sam Thong | 50 X 1,900 ft | 3,800 ft | 191102N | 1025221E | Center for USAID refugee relief | |
LS20A | Long Tieng | 60 X 4,450 ft | 3,250 ft | 190630N | 1025531E | Air operations center for Military Region 2 | |
L25 | Ban Huoeisay Airport | 1,380 ft | |||||
LS26 | Xieng Dat | 150 X 4,000 ft | 2,350 ft | 192457N | 1024243E | ||
LS30 | See LS20A. | ||||||
LS36 | Na Khang | 4,400 ft | 195836N | 1033822E | |||
L39 | Savannakhet | 509 ft | Air operations center for Military Region 3 | ||||
L54 | Luang Prabang International Airport | 997 ft | Air operations center for Military Region I | ||||
LS69 | Ban Xieng Lom | 1,900 ft | |||||
LS85 | Phou Pha Thi | 4,500 ft | 202555N | 1034327E | TACAN was overrun on 11 March 1968 | ||
LS88 | Bouam Long | 40 X 800 ft | 5,000 ft | 194532N | 1031953E | Used as base for Operation Kou Kiet[4] | |
LS98 | Long Tieng | 3,120 ft | 190630N | 1025531E | |||
L108 | Moung Soui | 3,600 ft | |||||
L118A | Nam Yu | 1,900 ft | |||||
LS178 | Phou Saly | 3,200 ft | |||||
LS189 | Ban Houei Sane | 480 ft | |||||
Online sources:
- Chance FAC website:
http://www.chancefac.net/A-cs_pgs_rebuild/Lima_Sites/LS_Pg1.htm
http://www.chancefac.net/A-cs_pgs_rebuild/Lima_Sites/LS_Pg2.htm
http://www.chancefac.net/A-cs_pgs_rebuild/Lima_Sites/LS_Pg3.htm
- Laos List website
http://www.angelfire.com/home/laoslist/limasitelistweb.html
- All webpages retrieved 26 December 2014.
- Textual sources as noted.
See Also
- Vietnam War
- Kingdom of Laos
- North Vietnamese invasion of Laos
- People's Army of Vietnam
- Hmong people
- Lao Veterans of America
- Laos Memorial
- Lao Veterans of America Institute
Notes
Bibliography
- Ahern, Thomas L. Jr. (2006). Undercover Armies: CIA and Surrogate Warfare in Laos. Center for the Study of Intelligence. Classified control no. C05303949.
- Conboy, Kenneth and James Morrison (1995). Shadow War: The CIA's Secret War in Laos. Paladin Press, ISBNs 0-87364-825-0, 978-1-58160-535-8.