Aircraft of Vietnam

By Justin Pinca

Thesis: Many aircraft advancements were based on the conditions of the

Vietnam War.

Air Superiority

• The North Vietnamese air force mainly only consisted of MiGs that were outmatched by the U.S. Air Force

• With the air advantage, bombing runs were frequent

• New ways to bombard areas were produced including for accurate support for when allies are nearby (Baglole)

Need for Faster Speeds

• Needed to outrun opposition for faster strikes• new standard plane of the Navy and Air Force during the

Vietnam War, the F-4 Phantom II, flew at record-breaking Mach 2.2 at new heights and with new climbing speeds (Boeing)

Provide Support for the Ground• A need for close air support for

the forces in Vietnam that often were at disadvantages at infantry to infantry

• AC-130 gunship, a cargo plane fitted with many weapon systems described as “A Legacy that Began in Vietnam”, destroyed more than 10,000 enemy ground vehicles and thousands of enemy aircrafts in Vietnam alone (Baglole) AC-130 Gunship

Issue of Oppositing Air Defense

• America heavily relied on helicopters, which aren’t resistant to small arms, to transport troops in which Anti-Airs became an issue in Vietnam

Anti-air Gun

Air Defense Suppression

• F-4 Phantom (and other higher altitude planes) was capable of – intercepting and shooting down enemy

Vietnamese MiGs – destroying anti-airs guns (Boeing)

Air Mobility

• “The Vietnam War was the first real helicopter war.” (Day)

• the use of helicopters was extensive with multiple advantages

• ability to transport troops and small vehicles quickly

• Ability to provide fire support, being able to dodge enemy fire from below and attacking targets deep in enemy territory

Need for Safer Take-offs

• “the early Hueys were, you know, a lot of machine and small engine” (Cirincione)

• standard UH-1 Huey Helicopter had issues quickly lifting off with all the troops piling in when a simple engine failure could cause immediate crashing making flight even more difficult

• “You need a lot more skill as a pilot to fly them safely. You really had to watch what you were doing” (Cirincione)

The Answer for Safer Take-Offs

• UH-1N Twin Huey was produced in response in Vietnam with two engines (Day).– An additional engine made it that a single engine

failure does not cause the death of an entire crew

UH-1 Huey UH-1N Twin Huey

Improve Reconnaissance

• If the terrain and circumstances permitted it, air support gave a bird’s eye view (Price 10)

• Easier to spot installations and enemies with helicopters

OH-58 Kiowa Helicopter

Additional Firepower: Air to Ground

• UH-1H HueyCobra Attack Helicopter was the Huey transport copter fitted with weapons (Day)– Could provide 40mm

missiles accurately (Price 11)

– Provides suppressive fire with 20mm machine gun

UH-1H Cobra

Multipurpose Fighters• F-4 Phantom entered

service providing ground with quick bombing runs with explosives that can weigh up to 16,000 pounds (Boeing)

• F-4 Phantom was the first multipurpose serving as a bomber and fighter fighting other planes– Also capable of fighting in

almost any weatherF-4 Phantom II

Improving Escorts• Lift Helicopters would

previously rely on planes to provide support as the lift helicopters picked up or dropped off vehicles and infantry (Price 10)

• 7 to 10 armed helicopters took the escorting role, the amount of lift helicopters hit by ground fire dropped by a drastic amount (Price 11)

Troop Deployment• War was originality

fought with two sides slowly closing in on each other

• Troops were moved by helicopters to strategic positions, allowing them to be inserted into the battle from different parts of the front including behind the enemy (Day)

Work CitedBaglole, Joel. “The AC-130 Gunship Fire in the Sky.” About.com. New York

Times Co., n.d. Web. 10 June 2012. <http://usmilitary.about.com/ od/ afweapons/ a/ ac130.htm>.

Cirincione, Dominick. Interview by Stephen Maxner. Vietnam Archive. Texas Tech U, n.d. Web. 10 June 2012. <http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/ star/ images/ oh/ oh0096/ OH0096.pdf >.

Day, Dwayne A. “Helicopters at War.” U.S. Centennial of Flight. NASA, n.d. Web. 10 June 2012. <http://www.centennialofflight.gov/

essay/ Rotary/ Heli_at_War/ HE1 4.htm>.- - -. Rev. of Bell UH-1 “Huey.” U.S. Centennial of Flight. NASA, n.d. Web. 10

June 2012. <http://www.centennialofflight.gov/ essay/ Rotary/ Huey/ HE11.htm>.

“F-4 Phantoms Phabulous 40th.” Boeing. Boeing, n.d. Web. 10 June 2012. <http://www.boeing.com/ defense-space/ military/ f4/ index.htm>.

Price, David H. “Part XI: The Mid-1960s.” Army Aviation Story: 8-11. Print.