Yên Bái Air Base

Yên Bái Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) (Không quân Nhân dân Việt Nam) military airfield located north-northwest of Yên Bái.

Yên Bái Air Base
Part of Vietnam People's Air Force
Coordinates21°43′58.8″N 104°51′14.4″E
TypeAir Force Base
Site information
Controlled by Vietnam People's Air Force
Site history
Built1960s
In use1967-Present
Battles/wars
Vietnam War
Airfield information
Summary
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
13/31 9,170 2,795 Concrete

History

Vietnam War

On 15 November 1967 F-105s of the 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron bombed the base as part of a Commando Club guided bombing mission.

In February 1969 the 925th Fighter Regiment was formed at the base operating the MiG-17F and Shenyang J-6.[1]

On 10 May 1972 a VPAF J-6 of the 925th Fighter Regiment ran out of fuel after a combat air patrol mission, deadsticked from an altitude of 1,400 meters, descending too rapidly, and overran the runway overturning and exploding, killing the pilot instantly.[1]:63

On 1 June 1972 F-4D #65-0784 was shot down by a VPAF J-6 near the base, the weapons system operator Capt Roger Locher successfully evaded capture for 23 days before being rescued.[2]

Current use

The VPAF 931st Fighter Squadron operating Su-22M-4/UM-3K is based at Yên Bái.

References
  1. Toperczer, István (2001). MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War. Osprey Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-84176-162-6.
  2. Hukee, Byron (2013). USAF and VNAF A-1 Skyraider Units of the Vietnam War. Osprey Publishing. pp. 43–4. ISBN 9781780960708.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.