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KC-135 and B-52 at U-Tapao, January 1970. In June 1965, the B-52 was first used in the Vietnam War. B-52 aircraft from the 7th and 320th Bomb Wings were sent to bomb suspected Viet Cong enclaves in South Vietnam, the operation being supported by KC-135As stationed at Kadena AB on Okinawa.
Three B-52's were shot down by the 68 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) launched by North Vietnamese batteries, two B-52Gs from Andersen and a B-52D from U-Tapao. [ 52 ] [ 53 ] Two of the B-52's were shot down over North Vietnam, while the third aircraft made it back to Thailand before crashing {"The 11 Days of Christmas" Marshall L. Michell III ...
During Operation Arc Light (sometimes Arclight) from 1965 to 1973, the United States Air Force deployed B-52 Stratofortresses from bases in the U.S. Territory of Guam to provide battlefield air interdiction during the Vietnam War. This included strikes at enemy bases, supply routes, and behind the lines troop concentrations, as well as ...
From U-Tapao airfield on the Gulf of Siam, the largest airfield in Southeast Asia, came the Boeing B-52s and the four-engine Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker refuellers that took to the air and refueled the aircraft just before and after they hit North Vietnam.
On 20 November, the first B-52 was lost to enemy action. A B-52D (tail number 55‑0110, call sign "Olive 2") from the 6th Bombardment Wing attached to the 307th Strategic Wing, U‑Tapao RTAFB, Thailand, was hit by a surface-to-air missile (SAM) over Vinh, North Vietnam.
U-Tapao was built by the United States to accommodate B-52 bombers for missions in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia during the Vietnam War. [9] Construction began on 15 October 1965 and was completed on 2 June 1966. [10] U-Tapao was the primary Southeast Asian airfield for USAF B-52 bombers, called "Bee-hasip-sawng" (B-52) by the local Thais. [11]
The Boeing B-52H Stratofortress is America’s primary strategic bomber, taking part in every US war since Vietnam. ... “We have a B-52 where you need it, when you need it, within 48 hours.” ...
Another 114 fighter-bombers were located at bases in Thailand. 83 B-52s were stationed at U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand and at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. [26] The U.S. Navy (USN)'s Task Force 77 (stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin), had four aircraft carriers assigned to it, but only two were available at any one time to conduct operations. Their ...