Trying to compile a list of some of the more common Vietnam era AC and have the U.S. pretty much done.
Q: Besides the MiG-21, what did the VC use as far as AC?
Thanks!
Josh
Trying to compile a list of some of the more common Vietnam era AC and have the U.S. pretty much done.
Q: Besides the MiG-21, what did the VC use as far as AC?
Thanks!
Josh
The VC had no aircraft. North Vietnam had Mig 17s, 19’s and 21s, as well as some Mig-15 UTI trainers. They also had some use of Il-28s light bombers, Mi-4 and Mi-26 helicopters. The Mig-17 was probably the longest serving and most numerous aircraft of the NVAF during the war.
Hey, sorry about that.
Been reading a book called “Full Throttle”. Amazing book. All first had aviation experiences from Vietnam. All they seemed to worry about are the 21’s though, haven’t even a single mention of the other AC.
Thanks for the list though, couple more AC i’ll have to buy … oops [:D]
look for the book titled “Route Pac Six”
gary
Some other great reads on the air war and its aspects: “Going Downtown” and “Thud Ridge” by Jack Brougton. In fiction I have enjoyed, “Rolling Thunder”, “Flight of the Intruder”, and “Bat-21” (a fictionalized account of that incident). I have read many other books on this subject, but these are the ones that stand out.
I have a large reference and library relating to the Vietnam Air War and many accounts paint the Mig-17 as a more difficult opponent because of its superior turning manueverablilty to US fighters. The Mig-19 saw only linited use during the air war, mainly in the Spring of 72 during the Linebacker I operations.
I forgot to add one other aircraft to the list, the An-2 biplane saw a limited amount of combat action as well.
if my memory is right I think the author speakes of Mig 23’s in the book “Thunder Ridge”, but then again I may well be wrong as usual.
As for Linebaker raids; nothing with end all ability to function as a human being as well as a sixty second visit from three B52’s at two AM.
gary
A good reference book on the subject would be welcome, in particular in the post-french pre-us major involvement era. Doubtless the French left a lot of a/c that were probably useful; was there ever an NVA Bearcat or Corsair? C-119?
Then there’s the surrogate airforces that operated for the western powers, C-46s, Trojans. There was a Trojan used in attack missions, apparently.
more info would be welcome, and don’t forget that there’s more to it than the US/ NVA.
Vietnam Air War Debrief is an excellent refernce source I have. it covers from the French/Vietminh battles until the fall of Saigon. There were all sorts of aircraft used during that time period. I think the actual first NVAF aircraft was a T-28 that defected from the Royal Laotian Air Force.
Like I said, not sure on many of the other AC other than what was just listed but as for U.S. AC this is what i’ve got:
Cessna O-2A
B-26K
F-105
A-4E
F-4B
OV-10A
T-28
F-100
RF-101C
A-6A
U-1
C-123
F-8E
A-1J
AC-47
AC-119G/K
AC-130
Josh
you can add:
F-102
F-104
F-111
A-7
A-3
RA-5
EA-6
EB-66
B-52
U-2
SR-71
HH-3
HH-53
UH-1
OH-6
OH-58
OH-13
CH-46
CH-47
CH-54
And many more I am sure…
And a few more:
F-4 C/D/E/J
B-57
Cessna A-37
OV-1
C-141
EDIT:
Add the Mighty F-14A during the last days of the conflict…
I never saw any French plane wreckage all the time I was there, but did happen upon a Japanese steam roller on the Tam Key Road.
I never saw a Bearcat or even it wreckage anywhere; let alone a Corsair. The U.S. Airforce did fly AC119’s down south from late 1968 onward. T28’s were fairly common early on, but the only ones I ever saw were just parked and decaying. The were out of use just about the same time as the B26K’s were. Also they did fly regular DC-3’s as well as C47’s.
By the spring of 1968 we started to see newer planes come into the inventory. I well remember the first A6 we saw that had holes in it big enough to put your fist thru. Ugliest plane in Chu Lai!! (we didn’t know they were a flying dump truck). Later someothers started to show up like OV1’s and the little twin engined Cessnas.
It seemed like the only old planes that just kept on going were Skyraiders and F100’s, and even they were not all that common.
gary
there were no F-111’s, U-2’s, SR-71’s, and B-52’s parked in RVN; even though they over flew the place all the time (except for the two recon planes). But you can add the B-66 (not the EB-66), as I saw a couple of them.
gary
C141’s were never based there as most runways were not big enough. There were no F14’s, and if they’d been around we’d had gotten A-10’s to really make a lasting impression.
gary
U-2’s operated out of Bien Hoa for a number of years before moving to Utapao in Thailand.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
I think USAF is gonna break the bank here. Airman Jim dropped in in his C-124, try making room for that.
I’d do a few representative types of all of the other allies, and you can build a VNAF Bearcat, I’d post the pic but my photobucket got hacked again.
Yes, U-2`s were stationed at Utapoa Thiland…Harv
Let’s not forget aircraft such as the Beechcraft QU-22
WB-47
RC-135
RB-47
F-102
P-2
P-3
SP-5
T-39
C-133
C-118
I think just about anything in the US inventory was either deployed or employed in Vietnam. A great book that I have which shows just about every aircraft used in VN is:
History of the Vietnam War
An Illustrated History of the War in South East Asia
by Charles T. Kamps Jr.
ISBN 0517662205
I picked mine up at Barnes and Noble a few years ago for $9.99…it is a very good resource.
I didn’t know that. I do know that virtually all the recon flights took place over Laos, NRVN, and Cambodia.
gary
most of those planes I’ve never heard of. The Neptunes were on the flightline the second time I visited Cam Rhon Bay, but the first time I remember seeing a handfull of B-26K’s and A37’s. Where did the B47’s fly out of? And what’s an SP-5?
you can also add the real workhorses in that theater: The C121, and the C123. The C123 was everywhere on a daily basis.
gary