A sobering statistic: Out of 1,419 Loaches built, 842 were destroyed in Vietnam, most shot down and many others succumbing to crashes resulting from low-level flying. In contrast, of the nearly 1,100 Cobras delivered to the Army, 300 were lost.
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How many Cobra helicopters were shot down in Vietnam?
But like any other aircraft, helicopters were vulnerable to ground fire. According to the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, a total of 11,846 helicopters were shot down or crashed during the war, resulting in nearly 5,000 American pilots and crew killed.
How many b52s were shot down in Vietnam?
30 B-52s
Only one other B-52 tail gunner had scored a successful kill against a Vietnamese fighter, though more than 30 B-52s had been shot down throughout the conflict.
How many phantoms were shot down?
By war’s end, the U.S. Air Force had lost a total of 528 F-4 and RF-4C Phantoms. When combined with U.S. Navy and Marine Corps losses of 233 Phantoms, 761 F-4/RF-4 Phantoms were lost in the Vietnam War.
How many MiGs were shot down in Vietnam?
American airmen shot down 196 MiGs—137 by the Air Force, 59 by the Navy and the Marine Corps—and sustained 83 losses.
How many MiG 21 shot down in Vietnam?
From April 1965 to November 1968, over 268 air battles occurred over the skies of North Vietnam. North Vietnam claimed 244 downed U.S. aircraft while admitting to the loss of 85 MiGs. Of these, 46 air battles conducted between F-4s and MiG-21s – the losses were 27 F-4 Phantoms and 20 MiG-21s.
Were F 15s used in Vietnam?
The F-15 can trace its origins to the early Vietnam War, when the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy fought each other over future tactical aircraft.This point was reinforced after the loss of two Republic F-105 Thunderchief aircraft to obsolete MiG-17s on 4 April 1965.
Were there dogfights in Vietnam?
The Vietnam War saw a move away from cannon fire to air-to-air missiles. Although US forces maintained air supremacy throughout the war, there were still occasional dogfights and US and North Vietnamese aces.
What was the life expectancy of a helicopter pilot in Vietnam?
between 13 and 30 days
The life expectancy of a helicopter pilot in Viet Nam was between 13 and 30 days.
How many helicopter pilots served in Vietnam?
They estimate that over 100,000 helicopter pilots and crew members served during the Vietnam War. Helicopters were used in more than 850,000 medical evacuation missions and were responsible for boosting survival rates for the wounded.
Why did the US lose so many aircraft in Vietnam?
By mid-1965, several manned aircraft were lost due to ground fire, lack of fuel, mishaps, and other causes, and many aircrews were already prisoners of war. The increasing pace of flights provided a target-rich environment for North Vietnam. On June 20, 1965, a USAF F-4C based at Ubon RTAB, Thailand, was shot down.
Was the F 4 Phantom a good plane?
It served in the first line of more Western air forces than any other jet. The F-4 established 16 speed, altitude and time-to-climb records.According John Chesire, F-4 US Navy combat pilot during the Vietnam War, the mighty Phantom was nearly a perfect machine.
Were any POWs rescued in Vietnam?
No POW ever escaped from Hanoi. More than 80 percent of POWs held in North Vietnam were aircrew personnel of the U.S. Air Force (332 POWs), Navy (149 POWs), and Marine Corps (28 POWs). POWs held in North Vietnam were used for propaganda, psychological warfare, and negotiating purposes.
How many fighter jets does Vietnam have?
| Vietnam People’s Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | Communist Party of Vietnam |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 35,000 personnel (2009) est. 280+ active aircraft |
Was the A 10 Warthog used in Vietnam?
The A-10 was designed for close support in low intensity conflicts during the Vietnam War, yet it came to be seen as a dedicated anti-armor platform by the early 1970s.Although the A-10 was never exported, it was redesignated OA-10 for the Forward Air Control role.
Is the f15 still a good fighter?
The F-15 has long been a legendary fighter, but NASA’s ACTIVE program aimed to make it even better.Today, the twin-engined F-15 remains the fastest fighter in the American stable — with a top speed of Mach 2.5 that eclipses both its super-computing younger sisters, the F-22 and F-35.
How many f16s have been built?
4,600 aircraft
Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,600 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976.
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.
| F-16 Fighting Falcon | |
|---|---|
| Produced | 1973–2017, 2019–present |
| Number built | 4,604 (June 2018) |
| Variants | General Dynamics X-62 VISTA |
What Jet has the most kills?
F6F Hellcat. The F6F was designed to improve on the Wildcat’s ability to counter the Mitsubishi A6M Zero and help secure air superiority over the Pacific Theater. Hellcats were credited with 5,223 kills, more than any other Allied naval aircraft.
Which aircraft scored the most gun kills of the Vietnam War?
Although both Air Force and Navy F-4s were eventually equipped with guns, the nickname stuck. By the end of Vietnam, F-8 pilots claimed the highest kill ratio of any aircraft of the war: 19 MiGs downed to only three F-8 losses.
When was the last aerial dogfight?
Final Dogfight – May 8, 1945: Who scored the last aerial victory of the air war in Europe? Messerschmitt Bf 109 ace Erich Hartmann chalked up an impressive 352 victories in two and a half years flying on the Eastern Front of World War Two.
What was the average life expectancy of a door gunner in Vietnam?
between 13 and 30 days
From there, they were taken to a base at Da Lat in the central highlands of that nation. Vlach served with the 54th General Command as a door gunner on an UH1 “Huey” helicopter. “They were short of gunners on helicopters, because the life expectancy was somewhere between 13 and 30 days,” he said.
