Overview
 Understand the historical background
and underlying causes of the Vietnam
War
 Know the significant events which shaped
the outcome of the Vietnam War
 Understand the impact the Vietnam War
had upon the development of aviation
References
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Air_Power/vietnam/AP40.htm
http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/vietnam/airpower/
Early Stages
 June 1964: General Westmoreland is appointed U.S. Commander
 March 2, 1965: Operation Rolling Thunder begins; a gradually intensifying air
bombardment of military bases, supply depots, and infiltration routes in North
Vietnam. However the North is still able to inflict heavy casualties in South
 March 8, 1965: First conventional US Ground Troops arrive. By the end of 1965,
the U.S. has 184,300 troops in Vietnam
 By June 1965, there had been five governments in the South, and the newest
regime, headed by General Nguyen Van Thieu and Air Marshall Nguyen Cao
Ky, inspired little confidence.
Operation Rolling Thunder
 The U.S. Air Force was operating in Vietnam as
early as 1961 first as military advisors and then
directly supporting South Vietnam on a limited
basis
 However as Viet Cong raids against American
installations began to increase. As a result, in
March 1965, Johnson ordered a bombing
campaign, Rolling Thunder, to break the will of
the Communists. Rolling Thunder would
continue for the next three years
 Rolling Thunder was designed as both a gradual
application of American airpower to pressure
North Vietnam to surrender and a means to
interdict the transportation network that
supplied the Viet Cong guerillas along the Ho Ch
Minh Trail
Operation Rolling Thunder
• From the beginning, there were many problems with Rolling Thunder
• The targets were selected during lunches at the White House initially by
President Johnson and his civilian advisors only. Military officers were not part
of these meetings until 1967.
• These advisors chose the targets, tactics, timing, number of aircraft, and
ordnance. Personnel in Vietnam could request targets, but by the time the
request worked its way through Washington, the quick-moving Viet Cong
would have left the area.
North Vietnamese Industrial,
Supply and Military Capabilities
were often not on the approved
target list
Air War Over Vietnam
 In 1965, jet aircraft also began to arrive. The first were the Republic F-105 Thunderchiefs,
large fighter-bombers with limited maneuverability. They were soon replaced by McDonnell
F-4 Phantom IIs.
 The Phantoms were the only equal to the aircraft the Soviet Union supplied to the North
Vietnamese Air Force -the MiG-21 Fishbed.
 Vietnam marked the end of the ace. There were only five aces in Vietnam. This was a result
of the North Vietnamese pilots avoiding situations that might involve dogfighting.
 The rules of engagement also demanded that U.S. pilots have visual confirmation of any
enemy aircraft before engaging, which was too close for air-to-air missiles to be effective, and
until late in the war the fighters were not armed with guns.
Air War Over Vietnam
 Electronic warfare became
extremely important in Vietnam.
 In 1965, the North Vietnamese
began to build a massive surface-
to-air missile (SAM) arsenal. SAM
sites had strict rules of
engagement. U.S. aircraft could
only attack them if their radar was
turned on.
 The American response was the
Wild Weasels that carried
equipment to detect
electromagnetic energy in order to
identify and destroy SAM sites.
Air War Over Vietnam
 For many, the Vietnam War evokes the
sound of helicopter blades whirling.
 Helicopters were involved in all
aspects of the war. Bell, manufacturer
of the Bell UH-1 Huey sold more than
15,000.
 The Huey was flexible enough to be
used for everything from rescuing
downed airmen to cargo to ground
attack. Airmobile units, considered
the most significant ground war
development since tanks, consisted of
ground troops transported by
helicopters.
Linebacker Campaigns
 On November 5, 1968, Richard M. Nixon
became President
 Nixon’s strategy was to be supply South
Vietnam with equipment and advice while U.S.
forces were withdrawn. To aid South Vietnam’s
forces, Nixon authorized the LINEBACKER I
bombing campaign into the forbidden areas of
North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. It was the
largest bombing campaign in the war.
 However after peace negotiations between the
U.S. and North Vietnam broke down in early
December 1972, President Nixon authorized
LINEBACKER II . For the next 12 days U.S. B-52
bombers and other aircraft dropped 36,000 tons
of bombs on North Vietnam, exceeding the
tonnage for the past two years before.
Lessons Learned:
Air Strategy
 Ineffectiveness of Gradualism as a strategy
 Civil – Military relations critical to success
 Micromanagement can derail military
operations
 Tactical Mobility is Key
 Air Combat
 Significant technological advancements
 Need for greater precision and
coordination
 Airpower as a means of coercion?
 Airpower as a substitute for land forces?