This is an article for the former air force of the now defunct South Vietnam. For the air force of the current Vietnam, go here: Vietnam People's Air Force

History

VNAF Insignia

The VNAF (abbreviation for VietNam Air Force, Vietnamese is "Khong Quan Viet Nam") started off as a a few hand picked men that were chosen to fly along side French pilots during the State of Vietnam era. It eventually grew into the world's 4th largest air force at the height of it's 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, and many members and their children now live in the United States as immigrant Americans. Motto: None Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon First Chief Emperor Bao Dai Last Chief Ngo Dinh Diem Rule Area South Vietnam (1954-) Independence  - Provisional  - Declared  - Recognised  - Dissolved From Franch rule May 27, 1948 June 14, 1949 1954 October 26, 1955 Currency Piastre National anthem Call to the Citizens Caution: The...

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. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) United States of America South Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand the Philippines Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) Strength ~1,200,000 (1968) ~420,000 (1968) Casualties South Vietnamese dead: 230,000 South Vietnamese wounded: 300,000 US dead...

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 H-19 Chickasaw (later UH-19, also widely known outside the US by its manufacturers designation of S-55) was a multi-purpose helicopter used by the United States Army. ... The Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw (also known as the Sikorsky S-58) was a helicopter originally designed for the US Navy for service in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role. ... T-28D Trojan The North American T-28 Trojan was a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the United States armed forces in the 1950s and into the early 1970s. ... The Martin B-57 Canberra was a twin-engine jet bomber and reconnaissance aircraft which entered service the 1950s. ... The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, commonly known as the Huey, was a multipurpose military helicopter, famous for its use in the Vietnam war. ... An AD-4N Skyraider The Douglas AD (later A-1) Skyraider, nicknamed the SPAD after early American fighter ace Eddie Rickenbackers mount of choice, was a US single-seat attack bomber of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s, a propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age with a remarkably... T-37s in formation One of the most prominent of the trainer-attack type aircraft is the Cessna T-37/A-37, known in various forms as the Tweety Bird, Tweet, Dragonfly, or Super Tweet. ... The F-5 Freedom Fighter (or Tiger II) was a low cost entry level supersonic fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop in the United States, beginning in 1962. ... The F-4 Phantom II (simply F-4 Phantom after 1990) is a two-place (tandem), supersonic, long-range, all-weather fighter-bomber built by McDonnell Douglas Corporation. ...

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. The Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II was a light attack aircraft based on the F-8 Crusader. ... The Grumman A-6 Intruder is a US attack aircraft. ...

When the NVA started to install anti-aircraft missles near Khe Sanh, the VNAF lacked the radar jamming gear, and the navigational aids required to attack the missle 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. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was a military component of the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam (commonly known as South Vietnam). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

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. ^[5] The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was a military component of the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam (commonly known as South Vietnam). ... An AD-4N Skyraider The Douglas AD (later A-1) Skyraider, nicknamed the SPAD after early American fighter ace Eddie Rickenbackers mount of choice, was a US single-seat attack bomber of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s, a propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age with a remarkably... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop cargo aircraft and the main tactical airlifter for military forces worldwide. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... NVA is a three-letter abbreviation for North Vietnamese Army (also known as the Peoples Army of Vietnam) Nationale Volksarmee, the National Peoples Army of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany) Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, Belgian political party. ...

Incidents

June 8, 1972: Kim Phúc, center left, running down a road near Trang Bang after an VNAF napalm chemical attack. (©Nick Ut/Associated Press)

Phan Thị Kim Phúc, the girl burned by napalm from a VNAF "strike", whose story has been used for years on end as ammunition against Vietnam War veterans has been proven in fact, very untrue. The true facts of the real story is that the Vietnamese pilot had diverted to hit what he saw to be a threat to the soldiers he was sent to protect. Not only was it an all-Vietnamese operation, with the VNAF dropping the bombs in support of the South Vietnamese Army, but there were also South Vietnamese soldiers killed by the same bombs. Those soldiers, who died fighting to defend Kim's village from the invading Communists, asked and offered no forgiveness. For more information, also read *Debunking the "napalm girl" myth. Image File history File links TrangBang. ... Image File history File links TrangBang. ... June 8, 1972: Kim Phúc, center left, running down a road near Trang Bang after an ARVN napalm chemical attack. ...

Aircraft

• A-1 Skyraider
• A-37 Dragonfly
• C-123 Provider
• UH-1 Huey
• O-1 Bird Dog
• Alouette III
• Beech D18
• B-57 Canberra
• C-130 Hercules
• H-19
• T-28 Trojan
• C-47 Skytrain
• AC-47 Skytrain AC-47 picture
• F8F Bearcat
• H-34
• U-17
• U-6
• T-41
• C-7 Caribou
• T-6 Texan trainer
• O-2 Skymaster FAC
• C-119
• F-5 Freedom Fighter
• CH-47 Chinook Medium lift helicopter
• RC-3 Seabee
• MD Flamant

An AD-4N Skyraider The Douglas AD (later A-1) Skyraider, nicknamed the SPAD after early American fighter ace Eddie Rickenbackers mount of choice, was a US single-seat attack bomber of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s, a propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age with a remarkably... T-37s in formation One of the most prominent of the trainer-attack type aircraft is the Cessna T-37/A-37, known in various forms as the Tweety Bird, Tweet, Dragonfly, or Super Tweet. ... A United States Coast Guard HC-123B Provider The C-123 Provider, originally as an assault glider aircraft for the United States Air Force by Chase Aircraft, was developed into a powered transport aircraft by the Fairchild Company, and went on to serve most notably with US forces in South... The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, commonly known as the Huey, was a multipurpose military helicopter, famous for its use in the Vietnam war. ... The O-1 Bird Dog is a military version of the Cessna 170 used by the United States Air Force, Army and Marines. ... South African Air Force Aérospatiale Alouette III The Aérospatiale Alouette III is a general purpose, single-engined light utility helicopter originally manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale of France, now Eurocopter). ... The Martin B-57 Canberra was a twin-engine jet bomber and reconnaissance aircraft which entered service the 1950s. ... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop cargo aircraft and the main tactical airlifter for military forces worldwide. ... T-28D Trojan The North American T-28 Trojan was a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the United States armed forces in the 1950s and into the early 1970s. ... C-47A USAAF Serial #43-48052 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota was a military transport that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. ... The Grumman F8F Bearcat (affectionately called Bear) was the companys final piston engined fighter aircraft. ... The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou (known in the US military as the C-7 Caribou) was designed as a specialized transport for STOL (short takeoff and landing). ... The T-6 was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft designed by North American Aviation, used to train fighter pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II. The T-6 is known... The O-2 Skymaster is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster. ... The F-5 Freedom Fighter (or Tiger II) was a low cost entry level supersonic fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop in the United States, beginning in 1962. ... A Royal Air Force Chinook A field artillery section slingloading a M-198 howitzer for airlift by a CH-47 Chinook The CH-47 Chinook is a versatile, twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. ...

Notes

1. ^ 1962 Aviation Week
2. ^ http://www.laudpolicesupply.com/Chuck_web/History%20of%20Dust%20Off/HistoryCHAPTER%20V.htm VNAF Dust Off
3. ^ NBC Evening News for Friday, Nov 10, 1972
4. ^ http://www.riciok.com/
5. ^ Last Act in the South

Also see

Vietnam People's Air Force (North Vietnam)

External Links

• The South Vietnamese Air Force 1951-1975] Pictures, stories