Air Defense In Vietnam War Essay

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Air Defense of the Vietnam War The Vietnam War both demonstrated the excellence of air defenders, and helped America learn lessons in order to evolve into an era with even better air defense than ever thought possible. The American military did not shoot down a single aircraft with air defense weapons during the Vietnam War. There were many operations which air defenders made a difference in Vietnam. Several of these operations occurred on Route 9. The events on Route 9 proved very difficult and brutal, however Sergeant Stout and other air defenders demonstrated the excellence still expected of air defenders today. The success of the North Vietnamese forced the United States (U.S.) to become better equipped as well. During operation …show more content…

air combat losses were split almost evenly between aerial combat (46%) and air defenses (54%). By the Korean and Vietnam wars however, combat losses due to enemy air defenses had risen to approximately 90 %”( Bolkom, 2004). During the Vietnam War, the enemy air defense outshined that of the U.S. Army. Soviet Union forces helped in both equipment and workers. Surface to air missile sites, teaching air defense tactics and strategy to Vietnamese soldiers, and funding played a large factor in the capabilities they …show more content…

Initially designed as an anti-aircraft system, Patriot became operational in 1985. (Patriot, 2013) Patriot fires a missile from its launching station to engage an aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicle, cruise missile or a tactical ballistic missile. In 1991, Operation Desert Storm had kicked off and Patriot added missile-interception. Patriot anti-tactical ballistic missile capability phase 2 (PAC-2) had the first wartime engagement of a tactical rocket by an anti-tactical ballistic missile in history. Patriot upgraded to the PAC-3 missile that utilizes hit-to-kill technology making it over ninety percent success rate on engagements. Patriot is constantly undergoing improvements and remains one of the most sophisticated air defense technologies in the world today. (Kraus, 2000; Patriot,

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