Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force
The Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force is the small air arm of communist Laos, heir to a Royal Lao Air Force that flew some of the most intense close air support campaigns of the Secret War with American T-28s, and today a force of about thirty aircraft — Russian Yak-130 trainers and Mi-17 helicopters, a few Chinese types — that opened a joint aviation training centre with China on 29 September 2026.
The Lao air force story: French Criquets, the Secret War’s T-28s and a training centre with China
1955–1963: a French-trained liaison arm and a divided kingdom
Lao military aviation began on 28 January 1955, when Aviation Laotienne was set up at Wattay airfield outside Vientiane with French instructors and a first equipment of ten Morane-Saulnier MS.500 Criquet liaison aircraft, followed by C-47 transports and H-19 helicopters. It was a liaison and transport service for a newly independent kingdom, not a combat force. In August 1960 it was renamed the Royal Lao Air Force (RLAF) — the same month the paratroop captain Kong Le seized Vientiane. When Kong Le’s Neutralists retreated they took two C-47s and two L-20 Beavers with them, forming a rival Neutralist air arm, and from December 1960 the Soviet Union flew an airlift in their support that Wikipedia, citing Conboy, puts at about 1,000 sorties before the May 1962 armistice. The Geneva agreement of 23 July 1962 declared Laos neutral; in practice every side kept fighting, and the Neutralist air arm was folded back into the RLAF in the spring of 1963.
1964–1973: the Royal Lao Air Force in the Secret War
The war that followed was fought in secret because Geneva had banned foreign troops. In March 1964 the United States set up Project Waterpump at Udorn in Thailand to train RLAF pilots on the T-28 Trojan, and on 17 May 1964 RLAF T-28s flew their first strikes against the Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese on the Plain of Jars. Because there were not enough Lao pilots, Air America volunteers and Thai pilots flew alongside them until 1970. The T-28 force grew from about 20 to about 75 aircraft; Hmong pilots trained for Vang Pao’s army at Long Tieng, the CIA-run base that appeared on no map. According to the RLAF history drawn from Conboy, the service flew about 10,000 combat sorties by the end of 1968 and about 30,000 a year from 1970 to 1972. The cost was high: T-28 pilots survived on average about 20 months, and the Hmong wing leader Lee Lue was killed on 11 July 1969 after more than 1,000 sorties.
1966–1975: coups, collapse and the change of government
The RLAF was also a political actor. Its combat commander, Thao Ma, rebelled in June 1966 and again on 22 October 1966, when eight T-28s bombed the General Staff and generals’ houses in Vientiane; 36 people were killed before the US ambassador intervened and Thao Ma flew into exile in Thailand. At its peak in January 1973 the RLAF had about 2,150 personnel and 180 aircraft, including 75 AT-28s and eight AC-47 gunships. Then the money stopped. After the February 1973 ceasefire Waterpump ended; on 20 August 1973 Thao Ma returned, seized Wattay and bombed Vientiane again, and was shot down and executed. With fuel and spares gone, pilots were flying two hours a month by late 1974. The last combat sortie, nine T-28s against a Pathet Lao column, was flown on 14 April 1975. In May sixteen T-28s fled to Thailand, and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic was proclaimed on 2 December 1975.
1975–2014: a Soviet-supplied air force that shrank to helicopters
The new government kept the airframes and renamed the service the Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force; the RLAF history dates the renaming to early 1976. Soviet aid rebuilt it around the MiG-21: Gordon, Dexter and Komissarov, as summarised on Wikipedia, count 13 MiG-21PFMs and two MiG-21Us followed by ten MiG-21MFs in 1985, with unconfirmed reports of 20 MiG-21bis in 1983; none is airworthy today. When Soviet aid ended the fleet shrank to transports and helicopters. A 1997 cooperation agreement with Russia brought 12 second-hand Mi-17s in 1999. The air force’s worst day in peacetime came on 17 May 2014, when An-74TK-300 RDPL-34020 crashed on approach to Xieng Khouang, killing 16 of the 17 on board, among them the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Douangchay Phichit and the Minister of Public Security Thongbanh Sengaphone.
2017–2026: Yak-130s, airports and a Chinese training centre
The present fleet is small and mixed. Laos ordered ten Yak-130 jet trainers from Russia in August 2017; deliveries began in 2018 and a Yak-130 appeared at the People’s Army’s 70th anniversary in January 2019, but Wikipedia counts only three in service, six still on order and one lost — on 3 October 2024 in Xieng Khouang Province, killing both pilots. Russian Helicopters returned four overhauled Mi-17s at Vientiane in July 2018, and the Mi-17 family is again the backbone, with about 17 listed. The air force has taken over under-used civil airports — Xieng Khouang in June 2020, with a Russian-funded runway extension of 550 metres, and Attapeu in February 2022. China’s role is growing: its Red Falcon team made its first display abroad in Laos in January 2024, and on 29 September 2026 the two countries opened a joint military aviation support and training centre at Ban Keun. Beijing has not said what will be based there.
The Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force in numbers
Service
- Native name
- ກອງທັບອາກາດປະຊາຊົນລາວLao name as given on English Wikipedia, literally “Lao People’s Air Force”. No official air force website was found to confirm the spelling; the Laotian Times uses the English name Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force
- Founded
- 1975 (lineage from 28 January 1955)Aviation Laotienne was formed at Wattay on 28 January 1955 and renamed the Royal Lao Air Force in August 1960. The present name followed the communist victory: Wikipedia gives 1975, while the RLAF history dates the renaming to early 1976
- Part of
- Lao People’s ArmyOne of the three service branches of the Lao People’s Armed Forces, under the Ministry of National Defence; its headquarters signed the Xieng Khouang airport handover in 2020 as part of the ministry
- Headquarters
- VientianeAir force headquarters in Vientiane; Wattay has been the service’s main base since 1955
- Commander
- Brig. Gen. Khamlek SengphachanhConfirmed as air force representative in September 2023; Wikipedia gives the rank as major general. Not confirmed for 2026
- Minister of National Defence
- Gen. Khamlieng OuthakaysoneNamed as minister on English Wikipedia; he was Deputy Minister and Chief of the General Staff in September 2022. The date of his appointment as minister was not confirmed
Strength
- Aircraft in service
- About 32Wikipedia’s total, drawn from FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025. IISS and FlightGlobal were not reachable to confirm; personnel strength for the air force was not found in any source reached
- Jet trainers and light attack
-
- Yak-130 — 3 (1 lost 2024, 6 still on order)
- K-8 — 4 (single source)
Ten Yak-130s were ordered in August 2017. The K-8 figure appears only on the Wikipedia page and could not be corroborated
- Transport
-
- MA600 — 1 (2 ordered)
- An-26 — 1
Wikipedia lists one MA600 in service; the MA600 article lists two ordered by the air force
- Helicopters
-
- Mi-17 family — about 17
- Z-9 — 4
- Ka-32 — 2
Four overhauled Mi-17s were returned by Russian Helicopters in July 2018, when the Laotian Times put the country’s civil and military helicopter fleet at over 20 Ka-32T and Mi-8/17 types
- Defence budget
- US$39 million (2024)About 0.23 per cent of GDP, for all the armed forces, as given on Wikipedia; an air force figure is not published
Infrastructure
- Main bases
-
- Vientiane (Wattay)
- Phonsavan (Xieng Khouang)
Wikipedia names these two main bases plus three supported bases, and notes frequent use of smaller civil airports
- Civil airports handed to the air force
-
- Xieng Khouang (June 2020)
- Attapeu (February 2022)
Xieng Khouang was handed over in a ceremony reported on 22 June 2020 (a 2025 report dates the transfer 12 June 2020); it was closed from 1 October 2024 to 31 May 2025 for a Russian-funded runway extension of 550 metres. Attapeu, closed to airlines in 2017, was handed over on 5 February 2022
- Joint training centre
- Ban Keun, Vientiane Province (opened 29 September 2026)A joint Lao–Chinese military support and training centre for Lao pilots, working alongside the China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy. China’s defence ministry says it hosts no independent Chinese troops. It follows closer air ties: China’s Red Falcon team made its first display outside China in Laos in January 2024, flying with the Lao air force over That Luang on 18 January
- Historic bases
-
- Long Tieng (Lima Site 20A)
- Seno (Savannakhet)
- Luang Prabang
- Pakse
Royal Lao Air Force and CIA bases of the Secret War; Long Tieng is described as a restricted military site today
How the Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force is organised
A small air arm of the Lao People’s Army under the Ministry of National Defence, with its headquarters in Vientiane and, according to Wikipedia, two main bases, Vientiane and Phonsavan, and three supported bases. Laos has no fighters: Wikipedia counts about 32 aircraft, among them three Yak-130 jet trainers and about 17 helicopters of the Mi-17 family. Unit designations are not published.
Air Force Headquarters
One of the three service branches of the Lao People’s Armed Forces, under the Ministry of National Defence. Brig. Gen. Khamlek Sengphachanh represented the air force at the ASEAN Air Chiefs Conference in September 2023, and Wikipedia lists him as Chief of Air Force with the rank of major general; whether he is still in post in 2026 was not confirmed. Laos publishes no official air force website.
Wattay
The air force’s main base since Aviation Laotienne was formed here on 28 January 1955, at one end of Vientiane’s civil airport. Russian Helicopters handed four overhauled Mi-17s to the air force here in July 2018; unit designations are not published.
Xieng Khouang
The second main base named by Wikipedia: a civil airport placed under the air force in June 2020 and closed from October 2024 to May 2025 for a Russian-funded runway extension of 550 metres. A Yak-130 was lost during training in the province on 3 October 2024; that the Yak-130s are permanently based here is not confirmed.
Pakse and Attapeu
Wikipedia describes Pakse airport as a detachment base of the air force, beside the headquarters of Military Region 4; aircraft types are not published. Attapeu’s airport, closed to airlines in 2017, was handed to the air force on 5 February 2022, with no published plan for its military use.
Lao–Chinese military aviation support and training centre
Opened on 29 September 2026 to support training for Lao air force pilots, alongside the China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy. China’s defence ministry says it hosts no independent Chinese troops and is not directed against any third party; the aircraft to be based there have not been disclosed.
What the Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force flies today
Every type on charge, linked to its Book of Beasts page where one exists. Counts are aircraft on the books, not aircraft available on a given day.
| Type | Role | In service | Since | Units | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakovlev Yak-130In service | Advanced jet trainer and light attack | 3 | 2018 | — | Three in service according to Wikipedia, with six still on order and one lost on 3 October 2024: ten were ordered in August 2017, so four have been delivered. | |
| Mil Mi-17 and Mi-172In service | Transport helicopter | 17 | 1999 | — | About 17 of the Mi-17 family according to Wikipedia; not confirmed by IISS or FlightGlobal directly. | |
| Harbin Z-9In service | Utility helicopter | 4 | — | Four according to Wikipedia; not corroborated by a second source reached. | ||
| Kamov Ka-32In service | Utility helicopter | 2 | — | Two according to Wikipedia (listed as Ka-27 family, variant Ka-32). | ||
| Hongdu K-8 KarakorumIn service | Jet trainer and light attack | 4 | — | Four according to the Wikipedia air force page only; the K-8 article does not list Laos as an operator, and no delivery report was found. Treat as unconfirmed. | ||
| Xian MA600In service | Transport | 1 | — | One in service according to the Wikipedia air force page; the MA600 article lists two ordered by the air force. | ||
| Antonov An-26In service | Transport | 1 | — | One according to Wikipedia. |
On order
| Type | Ordered | First delivery | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakovlev Yak-130On order | 6 | 2018 | Six of the ten ordered in August 2017 remain outstanding according to Wikipedia.
MoreNo delivery date for them was published, and no delivery was reported between 2019 and September 2026 in the sources reached. |
|
| Xian MA600On order | 1 | Wikipedia’s MA600 article lists two ordered by the air force while the air force page lists one in service, which would leave one outstanding. Treat as unconfirmed. |
Every type the Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force has retired
16 types, from the Douglas C-47 Skytrain to the Antonov An-74TK-300. Peak figures are airframes taken on charge over the whole service life, not fleet strength on any one date.
| Type | Role | Peak | Served | Replaced by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonov An-74TK-300 | VIP and staff transport | — | — | — | At least one; how many the air force operated was not confirmed. | |
| Douglas AC-47 Spooky | Gunship | 8 | 1969–1975 | — | Eight in July 1971 and in January 1973. | |
| North American AT-6 Texan | Light attack | 6 | 1961–1961 | T-28 Trojan | Six arrived on 9 January 1961. | |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21PFM, MiG-21U and MiG-21MF | Fighter | 25 | 1975– | — | 13 MiG-21PFM and 2 MiG-21U, then 10 MiG-21MF in 1985 (Gordon, Dexter and Komissarov, via Wikipedia). Reports of 20 MiG-21bis in 1983 are unconfirmed, so the total could be 25–45. | |
| North American T-28 Trojan (T-28D, AT-28) | Light attack | 75 | 1963– | MiG-21 (fighter role) | About 75 AT-28s in January 1973, up from about 20; 29 T-28s passed to the Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force after 1975. | |
| Douglas C-47 Skytrain | Transport | 18 | 1955– | — | 18 by early 1973; four French-crewed aircraft at the start. | |
| Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog | Liaison and forward air control | 15 | 1956– | — | Six delivered first; 15 by early 1973. | |
| Sikorsky H-34 / UH-34 | Transport helicopter | 43 | — | — | 43 by 1973, 24 of them transferred from the South Vietnamese air force; four were lost to defections after 1975. | |
| Sikorsky H-19 | Helicopter | 6 | 1955– | — | Four at the start and two from the Royal Thai Air Force in October 1955. | |
| Morane-Saulnier MS.500 Criquet | Liaison | 10 | 1955– | O-1 Bird Dog | Ten by February 1955. | |
| Fairchild C-123K Provider | Transport | 10 | — | — | Ten from Air America. | |
| Cessna T-41 Mescalero | Trainer | 10 | — | — | Ten from Air America; one was lost to a defection after 1975. | |
| Sud Aviation Alouette | Helicopter | 2 | 1960– | — | Two bought in 1960. | |
| de Havilland Canada L-20 Beaver | Liaison | 2 | 1960– | — | Two taken by Kong Le’s Neutralists in 1960; the RLAF total was not confirmed. | |
| Lisunov Li-2 | Transport (Neutralist air arm) | 3 | 1960– | — | Three provided by the Soviet Union to Kong Le’s forces. | |
| Antonov An-2 | Utility transport | — | — | — | Number not confirmed; one was lost to a defection to Thailand between 1975 and 1977. |
Where the Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force flies from
Black pins are active bases, hollow pins the airfields that have closed. Vientiane and Phonsavan are the two main bases; Luang Prabang, Savannakhet and Pakse were Royal Lao Air Force T-28 bases in the Secret War, and Long Tieng, the CIA-built base of Vang Pao’s army, has been a restricted Lao People’s Army site since 1975. Present air force use of Luang Prabang and Savannakhet is not confirmed. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
Laos
One of the 7 bases above sits outside Laos, so the world map has to pull back until the home airfields cannot be told apart. The same pins again, without the overseas base.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AttapeuAttapeu Province | VLAP | Active | — | — |
| Ban KeunVientiane Province | Active | — |
|
|
| PakseChampasak Province | VLPS | Active | 15/332,400 m |
|
| WattayVientianeVientiane Prefecture, Sikhottabong district | VLVT | Active | 13/313,000 m |
|
| Xieng KhouangPhonsavanXieng Khouang Province | VLXK | Active | 07/252,480 m |
|
| Luang PrabangLuang Prabang Province | VLLB | Closed | 05/232,500 m |
|
| Savannakhetand SenoSavannakhet Province | VLSK | Closed | 04/221,633 mconcrete |
|
| Long TiengLima Site 20AXaisomboun Province (Longchaeng district) | Closed 1975 | — |
|
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force
Flying units by base, current units first. The present air force publishes no unit designations, so its entries are named by base; the Royal Lao Air Force squadrons of 1955–1975, among them the Hmong T-28 squadron at Long Tieng, are listed as its predecessors. The US Air Force’s Raven forward air controllers and Air America are listed and marked as not Lao. Where a unit or date rests on a single secondary source, the entry says so.
- Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force main base unitsHelicopter and transport units · active
- Mil Mi-17
- 1st Observation and Liaison Squadron, Aviation Laotienne1955–
- Morane-Saulnier MS.500 Criquet
- Royal Lao Air Force Transport Squadron—
- Douglas C-47
- Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force main base unitsFlying units (designations not published) · active
- Yakovlev Yak-130
- Lao–Chinese military aviation support and training centrePilot training and support centre · joint
- —
- Air force detachment, PakseDetachment · active
- —
- Royal Lao Air Force T-28 detachment, Pakse—
- North American T-28D Trojan
- Raven forward air controllers (US Air Force)1966–1973
- Cessna O-1 Bird Dog
No unit matches that search.
Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force milestones, 1914 to today
28 January: Aviation Laotienne is formed at Wattay, Vientiane, with French instructors; ten MS.500 Criquets by February.
August: renamed the Royal Lao Air Force; the same month Kong Le’s coup splits it and his Neutralists take two C-47s and two Beavers. December: a Soviet airlift to the Neutralists begins.
9 January: six AT-6 Texans arrive, the first strike aircraft; they are soon replaced by T-28s.
23 July: the Geneva agreement declares Laos neutral. The CIA begins building Long Tieng for Vang Pao’s army.
March: Project Waterpump opens at Udorn, Thailand, to train RLAF T-28 pilots. 17 May: first RLAF T-28 strikes on the Plain of Jars.
22 October: Thao Ma’s eight T-28s bomb the General Staff in Vientiane; 36 are killed and he flees to Thailand.
11 July: Hmong wing leader Lee Lue is killed after more than 1,000 sorties. 5 September: first RLAF AC-47 gunship missions.
January: the RLAF peaks at about 2,150 personnel and 180 aircraft. 21 February: ceasefire; Waterpump ends. 20 August: Thao Ma seizes Wattay, bombs Vientiane, is shot down and executed.
14 April: last RLAF combat sortie. 14 May: Vang Pao is evacuated from Long Tieng; sixteen T-28s fly to Thailand in May. 2 December: the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is proclaimed.
Early in the year the air force is renamed the Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force (RLAF history; Wikipedia gives 1975).
Ten MiG-21MFs are delivered, adding to 13 MiG-21PFMs and two MiG-21Us (Gordon, Dexter and Komissarov).
Mid-year: 12 second-hand Mi-17s enter service under a 1997 cooperation agreement with Russia.
17 May: An-74TK-300 RDPL-34020 crashes near Xieng Khouang; 16 of 17 on board are killed, including Defence Minister Douangchay Phichit.
August: Laos orders ten Yak-130 jet trainers from Russia.
Yak-130 deliveries begin; in July Russian Helicopters returns four overhauled Mi-17s at Vientiane.
June: Xieng Khouang airport is handed over to the air force; Attapeu follows in February 2022.
13 January: China’s Red Falcon team arrives for the People’s Army 75th anniversary. 3 October: a Yak-130 crashes in Xieng Khouang Province, killing both pilots.
29 September: a joint Lao–Chinese military aviation support and training centre opens at Ban Keun, Vientiane Province.
Every war the Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force has fought
Sorties and losses where the record gives them, and an honest blank where it does not.
- The Laotian Civil War (the “Secret War”) 1960–1975 Close air support and interdiction with T-28s and AC-47 gunships for the Royal Lao Army and Vang Pao’s Hmong forces, alongside a much larger US bombing campaign
- The Kong Le crisis and the Soviet airlift 1960–1962 Kong Le’s Neutralists formed their own small air arm with captured transports, supplied by a Soviet airlift; the RLAF received its first strike aircraft
- Thao Ma’s air force coups 1966–1973 RLAF T-28s under their former commander attacked the General Staff and government targets in the capital
- The Thai–Lao border war 1987–1988 Ground war over a disputed border village; no source reached confirms that Lao aircraft flew combat missions
Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force and the aircraft it flies. This list refreshes itself — new Afterburner stories appear here automatically.
Everything people ask about the Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force
What is the Lao air force called in Lao?
What aircraft does the Lao air force fly in 2026?
Does Laos have fighter jets?
What was the Royal Lao Air Force?
How many missions did the Royal Lao Air Force fly in the Secret War?
What was Long Tieng?
What happened to the Lao Yak-130 in 2024?
What was the 2014 Lao air force crash?
Is China building an air base in Laos?
Who commands the Lao air force?
Read the aircraft the Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force flew
Every type with a page in the Book of Beasts, in service first, then by the year it left the fleet.
Every fact, checked
- AIN: Laos Receives Yak-130 Combat Jet Trainers (21 January 2019)Laos as the fifth Yak-130 export customer.
- Laotian Times: Laos, China Open Joint Military Aviation Center for Lao Air Force Training (30 September 2026)Ban Keun centre opened 29 September 2026; Chinese defence ministry statements.
- Laotian Times: Xieng Khouang Airport Handed Over to Lao Air Force (22 June 2020)Handover signed by Lt Col Sengthanome Bouttavong for air force HQ, Ministry of National Defence.
- Laotian Times: Xieng Khouang Airport to Reopen in June, Defense Ministry Says (12 May 2025)Closure 1 October 2024–31 May 2025, 550 m runway extension, Russian funding, air force management since 12 June 2020.
- Laotian Times: Attapeu International Airport Handed Over to Air Force (7 February 2022)Handover ceremony 5 February 2022; airport closed to airlines in 2017.
- Laotian Times: Laos Receives Four Mi-17 Helicopters (13 July 2018)Four Mi-17s overhauled by Russian Helicopters, handed over at Vientiane air base.
- Laotian Times: Military Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing in Khammouane (20 November 2024)Emergency landing of 14 November 2024; air force statement.
- Laotian Times: Laos, Russia Unveil Monument to Soviet Pilots Downed in Laos (12 December 2022)Memorial in Xieng Khouang; about 20,000 Soviet missions and more than 30 dead in 1960–1973 (as stated at the ceremony).
- Laotian Times: Laos Attends ASEAN Air Chiefs Conference Hosted by Myanmar (15 September 2023)Brig. Gen. Khamlek Sengphachanh represented the air force on 12 September 2023.
- Laotian Times: Lao Armed Forces at 70 (22 January 2019)Yak-130 shown at the 20 January 2019 anniversary celebrations.
- Laotian Times: Laos People’s Army Celebrates 75th Anniversary (19 January 2024)Air show over That Luang on 18 January 2024 with the Red Falcon team.
- Laotian Times: Chinese Aerobatic Team Begins Adaptive Flight Training in Laos (16 January 2024)Red Falcon (JL-8) arrived 13 January 2024; first display outside China.
- Laotian Times: Laos and Cambodia Military Chiefs Meet (1 September 2022)Khamlieng Outhakaysone as Deputy Minister and Chief of the General Staff (seen in search listing only).
- Walter J. Boyne, “The Plain of Jars”, Air Force Magazine, June 1999Five Raven bases; fewer than 300 Ravens, up to 20 at once, losses up to 30 per cent; Lee Lue up to 10 missions a day and over 5,000 sorties, killed 12 July 1969; 170,000 refugees fed by Air America; Vang Pao evacuated 14 May 1975.
- TIME: “Laos: Deeper Into the Other War”, 9 March 1970Contemporary report from inside Long Cheng; troop strengths in Laos.
- Raven FACs (Edgar Allan Poe Literary Society): home pageVeterans’ association: 205 Air Force pilots and combat controllers served 1964–1973; aircraft; bases including 20A.
- Raven FACs: Who are the RavensNever more than 22 at a time; about 130 volunteer pilots; about 30 per cent killed; Steve Canyon programme from 1966.
Figures verified 2026-09-30. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.
Photographs: Photo: PAT NUGENT / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Dmitry A. Mottl / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Landolso / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: Gls / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Master Sgt. Christopher Boitz / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Clemens Vasters from Viersen, Germany / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: FossilDS / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: Marine 69-71 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: happy days photos and art / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: Designism / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: US Air Force / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Alf van Beem / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)