Air Superiority Gives US a Fighting Chance.

More so in this war, than in any other in the US military history, strategic air support is giving US troops an edge over the NVA.

The terrain of Vietnam is very different from anything the US troops have faced before. The thick jungles and humid atmosphere is disorienting and debilitating. While the US troops attempt to advance through the jungle, Vietcong snipers and guerrilla forces can ambush and kill thousands. To solve the problem of finding the enemy, air reconnaissance began to take place.

Very shortly, however, the USAF realized that the jungle was too dense to spot enemy encampments through. To provide adequate visibility, herbicides were sprayed over the jungle to kill the concealing plant life.

One powerful herbicide which was developed goes by the name of Agent Orange. Containing the powerful toxin Dioxin, it is able to wipe out huge amounts of foliage and plant life when sprayed over the land. The 11,000 gallons used in Vietnam destroyed 1/7 of the countryside, and destroyed crops which could have aided the opposition.

The main aircraft used for spraying the chemicals were the propeller driven, piston engine A-26 bombers, the T-28 ground attack/trainer aircraft, and the larger C-123 transports. Ordered by President Kennedy, the airplanes were retrofitted with the equipment needed to spray herbicides, and also upgraded and improved to better fit the harsh Vietnamese climate.

In addition to the use of airplanes for spraying of herbicides, major bombing was performed on enemy targets. Operation Rolling Thunder was an operation which consisted of heavy bombing of the NVA forces. The use of giant B-52 bombers devastated the NVA forces. The first targets were the air bases. With all but one air base destroyed, the USAF was able to dominate the skies.

With each tactical movement by infantry forces, the “Air Cavalry” paved the way. Included in the air cavalry were the F-100 Super Sabres, the F-105 Thunderchiefs, and the F-4 Phantoms. The F-4 Phantoms were the largest of the aircraft. With twin jet engines fitted with after-burners, the craft could reach speeds of 1,400, approaching mach two. The F-105 was a powerful craft, fitted with a Pratt & Whitney turbine that produced 24,500 lbs of thrust and could carry over five tons of bombs. The F-100 was a more agile craft fitted for the task of air-to -air combat. With 4 20mm cannons, the F-100 was also able to attack enemy troops through ground strafing. Without the air support, the tens of thousands of casualties could have been tripled.

All in all, nearly 120 Vietnamese planes were shot down, 182,000 NVA civilians were killed, and approximately 20,000 Chinese support personal were killed. While these are significant numbers, they took their toll on the USAF. 900 US aircraft had been destroyed at a huge cost, and 818 pilots were dead of MIA. In addition to the 818, hundreds more are in captivity as POW.