After the end of the Second World War, which radically changed the balance of power in the world, there was an increase in national liberation movements. The peoples of countries that had been colonies of European powers for a long time began to struggle for independence. In states that were not formally colonies, left-wing movements intensified, especially in Latin America.
To combat the armed opposition forces in order to preserve the existing order and prevent "communist expansion", the leadership of these countries actively used the armed forces, including aviation.
At first, these were usually piston fighters and bombers of the Second World War, in significant quantities supplied by the United States and Great Britain to their allies as part of military assistance. These relatively simple aircraft were quite suitable for such tasks and were operated for a long time in the air forces of the third world countries. So the American-made F-51 Mustang fighters took off as part of the El Salvadorian Air Force until 1974.
In the course of the American aggression in Vietnam, it soon became clear that modern jet fighters and bombers created for the "big war" with the USSR did not correspond much to the realities of this conflict.
Of course, the "Stratofortress", "Phantom" and "Thunderchiefs" could destroy objects on the territory of the DRV, but the effectiveness of their action against the Viet Cong units in the jungle was extremely low.
In these conditions, the old piston attack aircraft A-1 "Skyrader" and bombers A-26 "Inveider" were in great demand.
Due to their low flight speed, powerful weapons and a decent bomb load, they could operate with high efficiency just a few tens of meters from the location of their troops. And economical engines made it possible to carry out long patrols in the air.
Skyraders have shown great efficiency in providing direct support to ground forces, but they are most famous for their participation in search and rescue operations.
Piston attack aircraft A-1 "Skyrader"
The low minimum speed and long airborne time allowed the A-1 attack aircraft to escort rescue helicopters, including over North Vietnam. Having reached the area where the downed pilot was located, the Skyraders began patrolling and, if necessary, suppressed the identified enemy anti-aircraft positions. In this role, they were used almost until the end of the war.
Twin-engine A-26s fought in Indochina until the early 70s, operating mainly at night against transport convoys on the Ho Chi Minh Trail and providing support to forward bases.
Upgraded "Vietnamese version" A-26 "Invader"
Taking into account the “night specifics”, new communication and navigation equipment, as well as night vision devices, were installed on the Invaders. The rear defensive firing point was dismantled and the offensive armament was reinforced instead.
In addition to specialized percussion machines, the T-28 Troyan trainer was widely used. Taking into account the experience of combat operations, a light shock AT-28D with enhanced weapons and armor protection was created.
T-28D "Trojan"
The presence of the second crew member on board the Troyan, who was not engaged in piloting, predetermined the use of this aircraft as a reconnaissance spotter and coordinator of the actions of other attack aircraft when striking.
Joint flight of A-1 and T-28
At the initial stage of the Vietnam War, the light O-1 Bird Dog, created on the basis of the civilian Cessna-170, was used as a close reconnaissance and spotter. The aircraft was mass-produced from 1948 to 1956.
O-1 Bird Dog
This light aircraft could land and take off on unprepared sites, for this it required minimum take-off and run distances. In addition to reconnaissance tasks, he was involved in the evacuation of the wounded, delivering reports and as a radio retransmitter.
Initially, O-1 Bird Dogs were used over the line of contact with the enemy as unarmed, purely reconnaissance aircraft, but, given the frequent shelling from the ground, launchers for unguided missiles began to be suspended from them. To mark targets on the ground, the pilots took incendiary phosphorus grenades with them.
Without armor protection, the low-speed O-1 and their crews suffered very serious losses. In the late 1960s, these aircraft were replaced by more advanced aircraft in American reconnaissance squadrons in Vietnam. But as part of the South Vietnamese Air Force, they were actively used until the last days of the war.
Shot down over Saigon O-1
A well-known case of flight on April 29, 1975 from the besieged Saigon, Major of the South Vietnamese Air Force Buang Lang. Who loaded his wife and five kids in a two-seater Cessna O-1 Bird Dog. With the minimum fuel remaining, having found the aircraft carrier Midway at sea, the pilot dropped a note asking them to clear the landing deck. For this, several UH-1 helicopters had to be pushed into the sea.
Major Buang Lang's O-1 Bird Dog is currently on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida.
To replace the O-1 Bird Dog by the American company Cessna, the O-2 Skymaster reconnaissance and target designation aircraft was developed on the basis of the Cessna Model 337 Super Skymaster civilian aircraft. Serial production began in March 1967 and ended in June 1970. A total of 532 aircraft were built.
O-2 Skymaster
The O-2 Skymaster was a two-girder monoplane with a six-seat cockpit, a high wing and a retractable three-post landing gear with a nose strut. It is equipped with two engines, one of which drives the bow pulling propeller, the second one drives the tail pushing propeller. The advantage of such a scheme is that in the event of a failure of one of the engines, there is no thrust asymmetry and no turning moment (which happens if the engines are located on the wings).
The aircraft was equipped with underwing pylons for NUR, bombs, napalm tanks and rifle caliber machine guns. The tasks of the O-2 included target detection, designation with fire and adjustment of fire on the target. Some of the aircraft with loudspeakers installed on them were used for psychological warfare.
The O-2 Skymaster performed well, compared to the predecessors of the O-1 Bird Dog, they had a higher flight speed and more powerful armament.
The presence of two engines on the plane made the flight safer. At the same time, the aircraft created on the basis of a civilian model was very vulnerable to shelling from the ground. Since the end of the 60s, the air defense of the Viet Cong detachments has significantly increased due to the large-caliber DShK machine guns, ZGU installations and Strela-2 MANPADS.
However, the O-2 Skymaster fought until the end of the war and was in service with the United States until 1990. A significant number of these aircraft were transferred to the Allies.
Another aircraft of a similar purpose that took part in the hostilities in Vietnam was the OV-1 Mohawk, created by the Grumman company, taking into account the experience of operating reconnaissance spotters.
Its development began after the end of the Korean War. The armed forces needed a well-protected, two-seater, twin-engine turboprop instrumental reconnaissance aircraft, equipped with the most modern reconnaissance equipment, with the ability to shorten takeoff and landing.
OV-1 "Mohawk"
The aircraft received the official designation OV-1 "Mohawk" in accordance with the tradition of assigning the names of the American Indian tribes to the aircraft of the US Army. A total of 380 aircraft were built from 1959 to 1970.
The appearance of "Mohauk" was determined by three main requirements: providing a good overview, high protection of the crew and main systems, good takeoff and landing characteristics.
"Mohawk" was equipped with four underwing pylons, allowing the use of a wide range of weapons, weighing up to 1678 kg.
In 1962, the first OV-1 Mohawk arrived in Vietnam, and a year later, the results of tests in combat conditions were summed up, showing that the Mohauk is excellent for counterinsurgency operations. High speed, low noise level and modern photographic equipment contributed to the successful implementation of reconnaissance flights. The maximum number of Mohaukes simultaneously deployed in Vietnam reached 80 units, and they were used mainly over the territory of South Vietnam, without crossing the demarcation line. Suspended containers with side-looking radar and infrared sensors made it possible to open targets that were not visually observed, greatly increasing the effectiveness of reconnaissance.
The intensive use of Mohawks in Vietnam also led to rather high losses. In total, the Americans lost 63 OV-1s in Indochina.
Unlike other types of aircraft, the Mohawki were not transferred to the South Vietnamese, remaining in service with only American squadrons. In the US armed forces, these aircraft were operated until 1996, including in the version of radio intelligence.
Back in the early 60s, the Pentagon announced a competition under the COIN (Counter-Insurgency) program to develop an aircraft for use in limited military conflicts. The assignment provided for the creation of a two-seat twin-engine aircraft with a shortened takeoff and landing, capable of being operated both from aircraft carriers and from improvised unpaved sites. The low cost and protection of the vehicle from small arms fire were especially mentioned.
The main tasks were determined to strike at ground targets, direct air support for their troops, reconnaissance, and escort helicopters. It was envisaged to use the aircraft for forward observation and guidance.
The winner of the competition in August 1964 was the project of the North American firm. According to the test results, in 1966 the aircraft entered service with the US Air Force and Marine Corps. In the armed forces, the aircraft received the designation OV-10A and its own name "Bronco". A total of 271 aircraft were built for the US armed forces. Serial production of the aircraft was completed in 1976.
OV-10 Bronco
Small arms include four 7.62 mm M60 machine guns mounted in containers. The choice of infantry, rather than aircraft machine guns, is explained by the desire to avoid problems with replenishing ammunition in the field. 7 suspension nodes could accommodate: suspended containers with guns, missiles, bombs and incendiary tanks with a total weight of up to 1600 kg.
The main operator of the Bronco in Southeast Asia was the Marine Corps. A number of aircraft were used by the army.
OV-10 showed very high efficiency in combat operations; it distinguished itself favorably from its predecessors in armor, survivability, speed and armament. The aircraft had good maneuverability, excellent visibility from the cockpit, it was almost impossible to shoot it down with small arms. In addition, the OV-10 had a very fast response time to a call.
For a long time, "Bronco" was a kind of standard of light anti-guerrilla attack aircraft. As part of the air forces of other countries, he took part in anti-insurgency operations and military coups.
Venezuela: Participated in an attempted military coup in 1992, with the loss of a quarter of the Venezuelan Air Force OV-10 fleet.
- Indonesia: against guerrillas in East Timor.
- Colombia: participation in the local civil war.
- Morocco: against the POLISARIO partisans in Western Sahara.
- Thailand: in the border conflict with Laos, and against local guerrillas.
- Philippines: participation in the attempted military coup in 1987, as well as in anti-terrorist operations in Mindanao.
In the United States, OV-10s were finally decommissioned in 1994. Some of the retired aircraft were used by government drug control organizations and firefighters.
In 1967, the American light two-seater attack aircraft A-37 Dragonfly "debuted" in Vietnam. It was developed by the Cessna firm on the basis of the T-37 light jet trainer.
A-37 Dragonfly
In the design of the A-37, there was a return to the idea of an attack aircraft as a well-armored aircraft for direct support of troops, which was later developed with the creation of the Su-25 and A-10 attack aircraft.
However, the first modification of the A-37A attack aircraft had insufficient protection, which was significantly strengthened on the next A-37B model. During the years of production from 1963 to 1975, 577 attack aircraft were built.
The design of the A-37B differed from the first model in that the airframe was designed for 9-fold overloads, the capacity of the internal fuel tanks was significantly increased, the aircraft could carry four additional tanks with a total capacity of 1516 liters, and equipment for air refueling was installed. The power plant consisted of two General Electric J85-GE-17A turbojet engines with a thrust increased to 2, 850 kg (12.7 kN) each. The aircraft was equipped with a 7, 62-mm GAU-2B / A Minigun machine gun in the bow with easy access and eight underwing external hardpoints designed for various types of weapons with a total weight of 2268 kg. To protect the crew of two people, armor protection made of multilayer nylon was installed around the cockpit. Fuel tanks were sealed. The communication, navigation and sighting equipment was improved.
Placement of 7.62 mm GAU-2B / A Minigun machine gun in the bow of A-37
The lightweight and relatively cheap Dragonfly proved to be an excellent aircraft for close air support, combining high accuracy of strikes with resistance to combat damage.
There were practically no losses from small arms fire. Most of the 22 A-37s shot down in Southeast Asia were hit by anti-aircraft heavy machine guns and MANPADS.
After the surrender of Saigon, 95 A-37s of the South Vietnamese Air Force went to the winners. As part of the Air Force of the DRV, they were operated until the end of the 80s. In the spring of 1976, one of the A-37B aircraft captured in Vietnam was delivered to the USSR for study, where, after extensive testing, it was highly appreciated.
In the United States, the Dragonflays in the OA-37B variant were operated until 1994.
The aircraft were in service with a number of countries in Asia and Latin America, where they were actively used in internal disassembly. In some places, A-37s are still taking off.
