Aircraft of the Vietnam War

THIS YEAR AT EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023, we’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of the official end of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam — honoring the remarkable aircraft of the era, the nearly 60,000 American troops who made the ultimate sacrifice during the war, and the thousands of Vietnam veterans who served their country valiantly in Southeast Asia. We’re expecting to have a strong presence of Vietnam War-era aircraft at AirVenture Oshkosh this summer to honor those who fought in the jungles of

Vietnam half a century ago. While many of the mostfamous aircraft from Vietnam have only one or two flying examples left (if any at all), we anticipate a number of the following aircraft, either still serving on active duty or in private hands as warbirds, will potentially make an appearance at AirVenture. Note: Not all of these aircraft will attend Oshkosh this year, nor at the time of this writing do we know definitively which ones will be attending, so keep your eyes open as you wander the grounds.

WHILE THE A-4 was considered a light attack aircraft, it certainly could pack a punch. Introduced in 1956, the Skyhawk was used by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps during the early years of the Vietnam War, with A-4s carrying out some of the first air strikes of the conflict. Although only 40 feet long and 27 feet wide, the diminutive Skyhawk could carry a bomb load equal to the B-17. It would serve through the war and later in an adversary role before its final retirement in 1998 by the USMC and 2003 by the Navy.

A WORLD WAR II design that was introduced just after the war in 1946, the Skyraider saw its first combat in the Korean War operating from carriers for the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy. During Vietnam a little over a decade later, the A-1 was still used by the Marines and Navy as a medium attack aircraft but was also used by the Air Force for search and rescue air cover as well as its “Sandy” role: escorting helicopters on combat rescues.

FIRST FLYING IN 1942, the A-26 (designated the B-26 between 1948 and 1965) was operated by the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, but it also served in Korea and eventually in Vietnam. Initially, Invaders arrived in Southeast Asia in the early 1960s for CIA reconnaissance purposes, but they went on to serve as attack aircraft during the war.

SERVING WITH A variety of air forces over its career, the C-123 was introduced in the mid-1950s. Although designed as a transport aircraft, the first C-123s to reach Vietnam were used to defoliate the jungle as part of Operation Ranch Hand. In 1962, the CIA acquired five C-123s from the U.S. Air Force for covert operations in Vietnam and Laos, where they would be used for years.

AROUND THE GROUNDS