What were the weapons used in the Vietnam war by the north vietmese airforce?
In 1957 North Vietnamese student pilots began their training on
the obsolete "Korean War vintage" MIG-15 jet fighters, starting
with the two-seater models (student & instructor). As well as
Yak-18 (CJ-6 Red Chinese models). In 1960 North Vietnamese pilots
were sent to Red China for conversion training to the MIG-17 jet
fighter. By 1962, the first batch of MIG-17 trained pilots arrived
back into North Vietnam. In 1967 two thirds of trained MIG-17
pilots were assigned to MIG-21 jet fighters. The "Krasnodar" Flight
School in the Soviet Union, was the primary airbase used by North
Vietnamese student pilots. Red Chinese training bases were closer
to North Vietnam, and scattered all along the border. The North
Vietnamese Air Force never exceeded more than 200 (MIG-17's,
MIG-19's, and MIG-21's) jet aircraft at any one time. The first
jets were the MIG-17's armed with strictly 23mm or 37mm cannons,
and with the exception of their extra length, and extended 24 inch
90 degree wings starting at the fuselage, before the wings began
their swept wing angles, and three "fences" (small fins on top of
each wing), instead of two; the MIG-17 looked just like a MIG-15.
The MIG-17's also could carry two 250lb bombs, and on 19 April 1972
attacked the destroyer USS Higbee, destroying the 5" after
gun-mount with a direct hit. Three US Sailors were wounded, none
killed, fortunately the destroyer's gun turret crew were performing
other missions at the time, and the after gun turret was vacated
when it was struck by the MIG's 250 bomb. The North Vietnamese
MIG-19 (J-6 Red Chinese model) was supplied in small numbers,
approximately 50 of them in 1969. It was a twin engined single seat
jet fighter, set up much the same as the US F-4 Phantom's twin
engines (coupled together within the fuselage). Armed with 30mm
cannons, the MIG-19 was on par with the USAF F-100 Supersabre jet
fighter. It was one of these aircraft that shot down the only USAF
F-104 Starfighters in aerial combat, albeit not a North Vietnamese
pilot, but a Red Chinese MIG-19 (J-6) when the Starfighter strayed
to close to Hainan Island (off of the North Vietnamese Coast) in
1965. The damaged Starfighter was still flyable and managed to get
"missile tone" on the MIG-19, and just as the Starfighter began to
press his firing button, his engine died, and he was forced to
eject. He was released as a POW in 1972. (Ref: "Journey Into
Darkness", by LTC Philip Smith). The North Vietnamese MIG-21 was
primarily a missile armed "delta winged" jet looking much like the
US F-102 Delta Dagger, the same jet flown by President George Bush,
while serving with the Texas Air National Guard. The MIG-21 shot
down (with a missile) the only F-102 Delta Dagger in aerial combat,
it's pilots did not survive. North Vietnamese MIG-17 pilots
averaged sixty five rounds of 37mm and two hundred and forty seven
rounds of 23mm ammunition per aerial kill in 1965. By 1967 the MIG
pilot's had attained more experience, and lowered their expenditure
to only 43 rounds and 150 cannon shells per aerial kill. The most
common tactic deployed against US fighter bombers was for the
MIG-21 pilots to engage US planes as they commenced their bombing
runs, while the MIG-17's engaged the same US bombers when they were
pulling out of their dives. Later in the war, US F-4 Phantoms would
fly "MIG Caps" in which they would circle the US Bombers, and
attack any MIG's that went for the bombers. Probably, due to the
technical maintenance of the MIG-19's TWIN engines, the MIG-17's
and the MIG-21's were the most common North Vietnamese jet aircraft
engaged during the war. (Ref: MiG-17 and MiG-21 Units of the
Vietnam War, by Istvan Toperczer; 2001. ISBN 1-84176-162-1).
