Introduction
Since the beginning of modern warfare, controlling the high ground has been a key strategy to military success. With the advent of aerial warfare, this philosophy remained true, however the new high ground became airborne supremacy. Early uses of close air support, during World War II and Korea, utilized fixed forward weapon systems, primarily through strafing roles. While these aircraft were very effective during their conflicts, a new issue arose out of the dense foliage jungle canopies of Vietnam. Many of these newer aircraft utilized jet engine propulsion, which led to pilots struggling to identify targets, especially during multiple engagement on the same target (Ballard, 1982). Given the vital successes of previous conflict impacts on enemy logistics, and the apparent shortcomings during the early years of Vietnam, a new methodology had to be developed, refined and implemented.
Two early pioneers of the side mounted gunship
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However, by Vietnam, the C-47 was significantly older and tired, additionally, it was considered a vulnerable aircraft due to its age and speed. While these limitations were known, the aircraft was still being used in country, specifically by special operations units. Capt. Ronald Terry, a research pilot for the gunship program, capitalized on these limitations and current users of the aircraft to suggest the C-47 to conversion to the AC-47. Critics of the program pointed out that such a slow aircraft would be susceptible to enemy fire, however Terry countered their argument that helicopter were much more vulnerable to these threats and operate daily within the Vietnam theater. In November of 1964 his petition was heard by the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Curtis LeMay, who approved the project for combat testing in Vietnam, giving birth to Gunship I, the AC-47 Ballard,
For as long as most of the world can remember aviation has played a major factor in how wars are fought. Starting in World War I the worlds fighting forces began using aircraft to conduct surveillance missions over enemy territory. While these aircraft were not the masters of stealth that todays aircraft are there was no technology to take down these planes at the time. Air-to-air combat was an event that rarely happened and was almost never effective.
In 1968, the United States Army activated the 123rd Aviation Battalion, creating a remarkable unit that was comprised of several Army assets. The design of the battalion revolutionized how assets could be combined to complete many missions by mixing infantry, signal, aviation, and support units. The 123rd’s mission ranged from was to collect intelligence, deliver supplies, insert and extract infantrymen, and provide air support. In addition to their primary mission they also participated in medical evacuation, an invaluable asset on the battlefields of Vietnam.
In today’s world, the use of airplanes in wars or in everyday life has become a part of how we live as human beings. Removing the air forces of the world is like taking a step back in time when wars were only fought on land or sea. WWI began only eleven short years after the Wright brothers achieved powered flight in 19031 and yet aircrafts were being used for surveillance and eventually combat purposes. It is understood that these aircrafts were primitive, but they laid down the foundation for what we know today as fighter jets. The Fokker Eindecker “revolutionized air combat by successfully employing a synchronized forward -firing machine gun mounted on the engine cowling”2. Because this airplane became the first to successfully use a synchronized machine gun, it allowed its pilots to become the first aerial combat tactitions3.
In the early 1960s the U.S. began sending military advisors to South Vietnam beginning the Vietnam War, arguably the most controversial war in United States history. This incident followed Vietnam gaining its independence from the French Empire’s Indochina in 1954. The nation soon split, creating a communist North Vietnam, and a noncommunist South Vietnam. In fear of communism spreading the U.S. supported South Vietnam and sent troops. As the incident dragged on it caused a huge anti-war movement and a lot of political turmoil.The troops were withdrawn in 1973, the whole country fell to communism, and the U.S. failed. How did a superpower such as the U.S. take defeat from a small country like Vietnam? Many have wondered and continue to wonder
Thesis. Air War College, 1987. http://www.airwar.edu//a>. Maxwell, Alabama: United States Air Force, 1987. DTIC Online -.
Ignorance and Air Power: The Failure of U. S. Leadership to Properly Utilize Air Power in Vietnam
...h Americans used planes and helicopters to deploy sustained heavy bombardment over Vietnam. During this one operation there were more bombs dropped than in the entire WW2 – 864,000 tonnes in total.
The Vietnam war, also called the Indochina War , may be said to have started in 1957 when Communist-led rebels began mounting terrorists attacks against the government of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). The rebel forces, commonly called the Vietcong, were later aided by troops of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). American combat personnel were formally committed to the defense of the South in 1965. An agreement calling for a ceasefire was signed in January 1973, and by March the few remaining U.S. millitary personnel in Vietnam were withdrawn. However, the war between the two Vietnamese sides persisted inconclusively for two additional years before South Vietnamese resistance suddenly and unexpectedly collapsed. Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, fell to the Communists on April 30, 1975. A prisoner of war is traditionally a member of a belligerent's armed forces who has been captured by the enemy. The complexities of modern warfare, however, have led to the extensions of prisoner-of-war status to persons of other categories. International law identifies the categories of persons who should be classified as prisoners of war (POW) is to be treated humanely and is to be detained for no purpose other than to prevent his further participation in combat. The Vietnamese tortured the American soldiers beyond unimmagineable boundries. Torture isn't always bad as it is made out to be. Not getting mail, may not seem that bad to you, but what if somebody parents died and they received a letter telling them that and they never got it. The Vietcong or Vietminh would withold all the incoming mail. Lot of soldiers parents died or something really important happened and they were not t...
This paper will briefly discuss or attempt to discuss the evolution of Aerial Reconnaissance. I will talk about what reconnaissance is exactly and why it is important to every aspect of conflicts; before, during and after. Early methods of reconnaissance will be discussed and then lead to how aerial reconnaissance came about. I will talk about what platforms were used for aerial reconnaissance and what their missions were in the beginning. World War I forces aircraft technology to start advancing out of necessity, reconnaissance starts moving further and further out front as capabilities improve. During World War II cameras are being used on aircraft as that technology improves. During World War II we see aerial reconnaissance mainly
- - -, dir. “Tactical Air Control Party Specialist (TACP).” U.S. Air Force. U.S. Air Force, n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2012. .
It is understandable that some Americans strongly opposed the United States getting involved in the Vietnam War. It had not been a long time since the end of World War II and simply put, most Americans were tired of fighting. Mark Atwood Lawrence is one of the people who opposed our involvement in the Vietnam War. In his essay, “Vietnam: A Mistake of Western Alliance”, Lawrence argues that the Vietnam War was unnecessary and that it went against our democratic policies, but that there were a lot of things that influenced our involvement.
Lawson, Robert L., and Barrett Tillman. U.S. Navy Air Combat: 1939-1946. Osceola, WI: MBI Pub., 2000. Print.
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
The United States of America has participated in over seven wars, and currently participating in three ongoing wars. Many of these wars have been fought overseas, one of the most widely protested wars, was that of the Vietnam war. During the Vietnam War, the United States military decided to not only fight from the ground but also in the clouds. With the Presidents command the United States Air Force created bombing campaigns over Southeast Asia hoping that it would help with defeating the guerilla fighters and cutting off supplies from those aiding them in the North. From what was the start and first appearance of the war for the United States, to those who made the decision, to the operations, and what they wanted to do to help in ending
Tice, Brian P. (1991). Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – The Force Multiplier of the 1990s. Airpower Journal.