Defesa Aérea do Vietnã – Força Aérea

Ordem de batalha · Vietnam

Defesa Aérea do Vietnã – Força Aérea

Quân chủng Phòng không – Không quân · Không quân Nhân dân Việt Nam

The Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force (Quân chủng Phòng không – Không quân) is the single service that guards Vietnam’s airspace with both missiles and aircraft: it grew from a 1949 study group and a 1959 air department into the MiG force that fought the US air war over the North, took over most of the collapsing Republic of Vietnam Air Force in 1975, and today flies about 35 Su-30MK2s alongside ageing Su-22s while buying its first Western trainers.

Marcação nacionalA yellow star on a red disc ringed in yellow, over a red bar edged in yellow
45Aeronaves de combate
12Bases aéreas ativas
1963Fundada
10Tipos aposentados
PaísVietnãFundada1963StatusAtivoSedeHanoiComandanteVũ Hồng Sơn
A história

The Vietnamese air force story: MiGs over the North, captured jets in 1975 and Sukhois on Western trainers

1949–1964: from a study group to the first MiG regiment

The service dates its roots to 9 March 1949, when the Việt Minh set up a small air research bureau with no aircraft to speak of. In the war against France its real air arm was on the ground: anti-aircraft Regiment 367, formed on 1 April 1953, fought at Điện Biên Phủ, where the French lost 62 aircraft and had 167 damaged according to the battle’s standard account. After 1954 Hanoi sent trainees to the Soviet Union and China, set up an Air Force Department on 24 January 1959 and a transport regiment, the 919th, on 1 May 1959. The Soviets gave 36 MiG-17s and MiG-15UTI trainers in February 1964, and Regiment 921 flew home to North Vietnam on 6 August 1964. By then the air force and the air defence troops had already been joined: the combined service was created on 22 October 1963, the date it still keeps as its founding day.

1965–1968: MiG-17s and MiG-21s against Rolling Thunder

The first fight came on 3 April 1965 over the Thanh Hóa bridge. Vietnamese pilots Phạm Ngọc Lan and Phan Văn Túc claimed two F-8 Crusaders; the US Navy says all its aircraft returned, though one was so badly damaged it was written off at Đà Nẵng. The next day MiG-17s shot down two F-105s, while losing all their fighters engaged and three pilots. MiG-21s arrived by ship in April 1966, and the force grew from 36 MiG-17s in 1965 to about 180 MiGs and 72 pilots by 1968. It was never large, and it paid heavily: on 2 January 1967 Colonel Robin Olds’s Operation Bolo lured MiG-21s into F-4s flying like F-105s; the US claims seven, Vietnamese sources admit five. Vietnamese figures credit most US losses to the ground defences: 60 per cent to guns and 31 per cent to SA-2s, against 9 per cent to MiGs.

1972: Linebacker, Linebacker II and the war of claims

The claims of both sides are still irreconcilable, and this page gives both. The United States says it shot down 196 confirmed MiGs (100 MiG-17s, 10 MiG-19s, 86 MiG-21s); the service, for its part, admits 154 MiGs lost to all causes, 131 in air combat, and claims 266 US aircraft in air-to-air fighting. On 10 May 1972 the VPAF claimed seven F-4s and the US confirmed five lost, while Randy Cunningham and William Driscoll became the first American aces. In the December 1972 bombing of Hanoi, Linebacker II, Hanoi claims 81 aircraft including 34 B-52s and the US admits 15 B-52s shot down. MiG-21 pilots Phạm Tuân and Vũ Xuân Thiều are credited in Vietnam with a B-52 each; US records put both losses down to missiles. Phạm Tuân later became the first Asian in space, aboard Soyuz 37 in July 1980.

1975–1989: captured jets, Cambodia and the northern border

In spring 1975 the northern army overran the South and, with it, most of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force, which had counted 2,075 aircraft at the 1973 ceasefire. About 877 aircraft were captured. On 28 April 1975 five captured A-37s led by the defector Nguyễn Thành Trung bombed Tân Sơn Nhất, the North’s first successful air attack on Saigon. Former RVNAF A-37s and F-5s then flew most of the ground-attack missions against the Khmer Rouge from 1978, and captured UH-1s, T-41s and U-17s trained a new generation. When China invaded the northern border in February 1979, both sides kept their fighters out of direct combat. On 31 May 1977 the service was split into an air force and an air defence force. In 1988 Vietnam lost 64 men at Johnson South Reef, a naval clash with China in which no air role is recorded.

1999–2023: one service again, and the Sukhoi generation

The two services were merged again on 3 March 1999 by presidential decree. The MiG-21, the aircraft of the American war, gave way to Russian Sukhois: about ten Su-27SK and Su-27UBK two-seaters, then Su-30MK2s ordered in several batches from the early 2000s, with 12 more for delivery in 2014 and 2015 under a reported US$450 million contract. Around 35 were in service in 2024. The fleet has not been free of loss: a Su-30MK2 went down off Nghệ An on 14 June 2016, and one of its two pilots survived. The Su-22M4 fighter-bombers delivered in the 1980s were kept flying by Factory A32, which overhauled and life-extended 20 of them between 2019 and 2024.

2024–2026: trainers from three countries, and the question of what comes next

What has changed since 2024 is where the pilots learn to fly. Vietnam bought 12 Yak-130s from Russia in 2019, 12 Czech L-39NGs under a 2021 contract, all delivered by June 2025, and 12 American T-6C Texan IIs, the first five of which landed in November 2024. Two Yak-130s have crashed, in November 2024 and January 2026, and in July 2026 the Irkutsk factory said it was signing for 18 more. The fighter question is open. RFA reported in November 2024 that analysts were unsure whether Vietnam would go on to buy F-16s; no fighter contract has been announced, and no replacement for the Su-22 has been announced. The service still exercises with live bombs every year and still flies Su-30MK2s over the national parades; its challenge is to keep a mostly Russian fleet flying while diversifying suppliers.

The first fight came on 3 April 1965 over the Thanh Hóa bridge. Vietnamese pilots Phạm Ngọc Lan and Phan Văn Túc claimed two F-8 Crusaders; the US Navy says all its aircraft returned, though one was so badly damaged it was written off at Đà Nẵng.Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force · verified 2026-09-30

À primeira vista

The Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force in numbers

Serviço

Nome nativo
Quân chủng Phòng không – Không quânLiterally "Air Defence – Air Force Service", as the service newspaper spells it. The flying arm is also called Không quân Nhân dân Việt Nam (Vietnam People’s Air Force)
Fundada
22 October 1963The date the combined service keeps as its founding day. Roots: an air research bureau on 9 March 1949 and an Air Force Department on 24 January 1959. Wikipedia gives 3 March 1955 for the air force itself
Split and re-merger
Split 1977, re-merged 3 March 1999Separated into an air force and an air defence force on 31 May 1977 (Wikipedia); re-merged by decree 03/L-CTN of President Trần Đức Lương
Parte de
People’s Army of VietnamOne of the services under the Ministry of National Defence
Comandante
Lt Gen Vũ Hồng SơnNamed as commander in October 2025 and August 2026; his predecessor Lt Gen Nguyễn Văn Hiền was in post in June 2024
Political commissar
Lt Gen Trần Ngọc QuyếnIn post from at least June 2024
Honours
Hero of the People’s Armed ForcesAwarded to the service on 3 October 2025 and presented at its 62nd anniversary

Força

Pessoal
Cerca de 35.000Wikipedia’s 2023 figure for the whole service, air defence included. The People’s Army as a whole has about 450,000 active personnel
Aeronaves de combate
  • Su-30MK2 — about 35
  • Su-27SK/UBK — about 10
  • Su-22M4/UM3K — 25–30+

Counts are not published by the Ministry of National Defence; figures are from Wikipedia and RFA, which disagree on the Su-22 (more than 30 in 2024 per RFA, 25 in 2026 per Wikipedia)

Treinadores
  • Yak-130 — 12 delivered, two lost
  • L-39NG — 12
  • T-6C Texan II — 12 ordered

The L-39NG (now L-39 Skyfox) delivery was completed by June 2025; the T-6C deliveries were to run from 2024 to 2027

Transporte e helicópteros
  • CASA/Airbus C-295M — 3
  • Antonov An-26
  • Mil Mi-8 and Mi-17 families

No official count found; Wikipedia’s equipment list gives the types. Ten helicopters led the 30 April 2025 flypast

Orçamento de defesa
273 trillion dong (2025)About US$10.4 billion for the whole People’s Army; no separate figure for the service is published

Infraestrutura

Air divisions
  • Division 370
  • Division 371
  • Division 372

The service newspaper names Divisions 370, 371 and 372 as air divisions; regiments named in 2025–2026 include 915, 918, 920, 927 and 940

Air defence divisions
  • Divisions 361, 363, 365, 375 and 377 (per Wikipedia)

Missile, gun and radar divisions; Division 365 has marked 60 years and Regiment 292 belongs to Division 377

Treinamento de piloto
Air Force Officer SchoolRegiment 920 was founded under the school at Nha Trang in 1975; RFA reported the T-6C going to Regiment 920 at Phan Thiết
Manutenção
Factory A32Overhauls Su-22, Su-27 and Su-30MK2 airframes in Vietnam
bases aéreas
See the stations listBiên Hòa launched the 2025 parade flypast; Gia Lâm hosts the defence expo; Yên Bái was the MiG-19 base in 1972 and Phan Thiết is the T-6C base reported by RFA

Estrutura

How the Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force is organised

One service of the People’s Army of Vietnam for both aircraft and air defence, with three air divisions, the air defence divisions and an Air Force Officer School. The Su-30MK2, about 35 in service, is the front-line fighter; Regiment 935 of Division 370 flies it from Biên Hòa, alongside about ten Su-27s and ageing Su-22 fighter-bombers in the fleet. The air force and the air defence force were split on 31 May 1977 and merged again on 3 March 1999.

VH

Lieutenant General (Trung tướng)Vũ Hồng SơnCommander of the Air Defence – Air Force Service (Tư lệnh Quân chủng) · in office since 2025
Air Defence – Air Force ServiceQuân chủng Phòng không – Không quân
Sede

Air Defence – Air Force Service

Quân chủng Phòng không – Không quân
Hanoi

One of the services of the People’s Army of Vietnam under the Ministry of National Defence, guarding the airspace with both missiles and aircraft. The service newspaper named Maj Gen Vũ Hồng Sơn as commander in October 2025 and gave him the rank of lieutenant general by August 2026; the exact date of his appointment was not found on an official page. The political commissar is Lt Gen Trần Ngọc Quyến.

linha de frente

Division 370

Sư đoàn 370
Biên Hòa

One of the three air divisions the service newspaper names, with 371 and 372. Its Regiment 935 flies the Su-30MK2, Vietnam’s most capable fighter, from Biên Hòa; the newspaper reported more than 700 sorties in 2026 by August, including night flying and maritime interception training.

linha de frente

Fighter and fighter-bomber regiments

Thọ Xuân, Kép, Yên Bái and Phan Rang

Regiments whose bases rest on Wikipedia: 923 with Su-30MK2s at Thọ Xuân, 927 at Kép, 921 with Su-22M4s at Yên Bái since 2018 and 937 with Su-22s at Phan Rang. Which division each belongs to is not stated in the sources for this page; an Australian delegation in October 2025 visited Regiment 927 and Division 371.

Treinamento

Air Force Officer School

Phan Thiết and Phù Cát

Regiment 920, formed under the school at Nha Trang on 12 November 1975 to fly captured T-41s, U-17s and UH-1s, now flies the Yak-130 and L-39NG and, according to RFA, is the planned home of the T-6C at Phan Thiết. Regiment 940 flies Yak-130s at Phù Cát and trained at Kép from October 2023.

Transporte

Regiments 918 and 917

Gia Lâm and Cần Thơ

Regiment 918, the transport regiment the Australian air chief visited in October 2025, flies from Gia Lâm according to Wikipedia; the service has three C-295Ms and An-26s. Regiment 917, of Division 370, left Tân Sơn Nhất in 2017 for Cần Thơ (Trà Nóc), where Wikipedia places its Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters.

Defesa aérea

Air defence divisions

Vários

The missile, gun and radar divisions of the same service: Wikipedia lists Divisions 361, 363, 365, 375 and 377. Division 365 has marked 60 years, and Regiment 292 belongs to Division 377. Factory A32 overhauls the Su-22, Su-27 and Su-30MK2 fleets in Vietnam.


Em serviço

What the Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force flies today

Cada tipo de cobrança, com link para sua página no Livro das Feras, quando houver. Os números indicam as aeronaves registradas, não as aeronaves disponíveis em um determinado dia.

Tipo Papel Em serviço Desde Unidades Notas
Sukhoi Su-30MK2 (Su-30MK2V)Em serviço Caça multifuncional 35 2004 About 35 in 2024 (Wikipedia’s operator list; RFA also gives 35).

Mais

Wikipedia describes four received in 2004, about 20 more under contracts of 2009 and 2010 and 12 under a reported US$450 million contract for delivery in 2014–2015; one was lost in 2016. The ministry publishes no count.

Sukhoi Su-27SK e Su-27UBKEm serviço caça de superioridade aérea 10 Wikipedia counted five single-seat Su-27SKs and five two-seat Su-27UBKs in January 2013; the VPAF article says 12 were received. Factory A32 overhauled five between 2019 and 2024.
Sukhoi Su-22M4 e Su-22UM3KEm serviço Caça-bombardeiro 1981 25–30+. Wikipedia gives 25 in service as of 2026; RFA wrote of more than 30 in November 2024. Wikipedia’s equipment list says 70 were transferred in 1981–1984.
Yakovlev Yak-130Em serviço Jato de treinamento avançado e ataque leve 10 12 delivered; two lost, on 6 November 2024 and 28 January 2026, leaving ten if none has been added.
Aero L-39NG (L-39 Skyfox)Em serviço Treinador a jato 12 2024 12 ordered in 2021; six passed acceptance in Vietnam by 16 August 2024 and the last three (nos. 10–12) completed the contract by June 2025.
Aero L-39 Albatros (older models)Em serviço Treinador a jato Wikipedia’s equipment list gives 17; not confirmed by an official source.
Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIEm serviço Treinador principal 2024 5–12. Twelve ordered in 2021; the first five arrived at Tân Sơn Nhất in November 2024, with deliveries planned to 2027 (RFA).

Mais

Wikipedia says all 12 have been delivered; an official Vietnamese count was not found.

Yakovlev Yak-52Em serviço Treinador principal Wikipedia’s list gives 30; not confirmed.
CASA/Airbus C-295MEm serviço Transporte tático 3 Três, segundo a Wikipédia.
Antonov An-26Em serviço Transporte In service according to Wikipedia; its figure could not be corroborated and is not repeated here.
Mil Mi-8 and Mi-17 familyEm serviço Transport and search-and-rescue helicopter Wikipedia lists 16 Mi-8 and 14 Mi-17; no official count.
Su-30MK235
L-39NG12
Su-2710
Yak-13010
C-2953

Sob encomenda

Tipo Encomendado Primeira entrega Notas
Yakovlev Yak-130 (Yak-130M)Sob encomenda 18 Reported, not confirmed by Vietnam: in July 2026 Andrei Soynov, head of the Irkutsk aircraft plant, was quoted saying a contract for 18 aircraft with Vietnam was being signed.

Mais

No delivery date published.

Beechcraft T-6C Texan IISob encomenda 2024 Twelve ordered in 2021; five arrived in November 2024 with deliveries planned to 2027 (RFA). Whether any remain outstanding could not be confirmed: Wikipedia says all 12 have arrived.

Anteriormente operado

Every type the Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force has retired

10 types, from the de Havilland Tiger Moth to the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (MiG-21F-13, PF, PFM, MF, bis and others). Os números máximos representam as aeronaves incorporadas à frota ao longo de toda a sua vida útil, e não a força total da frota em uma data específica.

Tipo Papel Pico Servido Substituído por Notas
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (MiG-21F-13, PF, PFM, MF, bis and others) Interceptor e caça 1966–2015 Su-27, Su-30MK2
Antonov An-2 Light transport and improvised bomber Wikipedia’s list gives six still active; not confirmed.
Shenyang J-6 (MiG-19) Lutador 68 1969– 68 delivered: 44 in 1968–1969 and 24 in 1974 (Wikipedia); seldom more than 54 at a time.
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 and Shenyang J-5 Lutador 1964– MiG-21 From 36 in 1965 to about 180 MiGs of all types by 1968; total not confirmed.
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI Treinador a jato 1964–
Cessna A-37B Dragonfly (captured) Ataque leve 95 1975– 95 of the RVNAF’s roughly 187 A-37Bs of April 1975; 33 intact at Đà Nẵng alone.
Northrop F-5A and F-5E (captured) Caça leve 41 1975– 41 used operationally out of 87 F-5A and 27 F-5E captured (Wikipedia).
Bell UH-1 Iroquois (capturado) helicóptero utilitário 1975–
Cessna T-41 Mescalero and U-17 (captured) Treinador e contato 1975–
de Havilland Tiger Moth Treinador 1949–

bases aéreas

Where the Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force flies from

Os pinos pretos representam bases ativas, os pinos ocos representam aeródromos que foram desativados. Many of today’s bases were built by France or the United States and passed to the People’s Army in 1975, among them Biên Hòa, Phan Rang and Đà Nẵng; Kép and Yên Bái were the North’s wartime MiG bases. The military side of Phúc Yên, beside Nội Bài airport, has been largely inactive since November 2018 according to Wikipedia. Several resident regiments rest on Wikipedia alone. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.

Base aérea ativa Fechado ou reservadoClique em um marcador para abrir a página inicial.
Base OACI Status Pista Unidades e aeronaves
Đà NẵngĐà Nẵng city VVDN Ativo 17L/35R3.500 m17R/35L3.048 m
Biên HòaProvíncia de Đồng Nai, a cerca de 25 km a nordeste da cidade de Ho Chi Minh. VVBH Ativo 09L/27R3.048 mconcreto09R/27L3.048 mconcreto
Cần ThơTrà Nóc7 km north-west of Cần Thơ Ativo
Cam RanhCam Ranh peninsula, Khánh Hòa province Ativo
Gia LâmLong Biên district, Hanoi VVGL Ativo 02/202.001 m
  • Regiment 918 (Trung đoàn 918)
KépÁrea de Bắc Giang, cerca de 60 km a nordeste de Hanói (província de Bắc Ninh após a fusão das províncias em 2025) Ativo
Phù CátAbout 24 km north of Quy Nhơn (Bình Định, merged into Gia Lai province in 2025) Ativo
  • Regiment 940 (Trung đoàn 940), Air Force Officer School: Yakovlev Yak-130
  • 37th Tactical Fighter Wing (USAF; 12th Tactical Fighter Wing from 1970)
Phan RangThành SơnNorth-north-west of Phan Rang–Tháp Chàm (Khánh Hòa province since 2025) Ativo
Phan ThiếtPhan Thiết, south-central coast Ativo
Tân Sơn NhấtHo Chi Minh City VVTS Ativo
Thọ XuânSao VàngSao Vàng, Thanh Hóa province, 40 km north-west of Thanh Hóa city VVTX Ativo 13/313.200 mconcreto
Yên BáiNorth-north-west of Yên Bái town (Yên Bái province, merged into Lào Cai in 2025) Ativo
Phúc YênNội BàiHanoi, about 30 km north of the city centre; the northern part of Nội Bài International Airport Closed 2018

Nenhuma base aérea corresponde a essa busca.


Ordem de batalha

Who is stationed where in the Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force

Unidades voadoras por base, unidades atuais primeiro. Vietnamese flying units are regiments (trung đoàn) numbered in the 900s, under air divisions numbered 370 to 372; Regiment 921, which brought the first MiG-17s home in August 1964, was the first MiG regiment. South Vietnamese, American, Australian, Soviet and North Korean units are listed and marked as not part of the present service. Where a regiment’s base rests on Wikipedia alone, the entry says so.

Base Aérea de Biên Hòa · VVBHRegimento 935, Divisão 370, Defesa Aérea do Vietnã – Força Aérea
Regimento 935 (Trung đoàn 935)Regimento de caças · ativo
Sukhoi Su-30MK2
Unidades da Força Aérea da República do Vietnã1955–1975
Douglas A-1 Skyraider, Cessna A-37 Dragonfly
Destacamento Farm Gate da Força Aérea dos EUA1961–
B-26 Invader, T-28 Trojan, SC-47
Esquadrões de bombardeiros B-57 Canberra da Força Aérea dos EUA (desdobrados da Base Aérea de Clark)1964–
Martin B-57B Canberra
Kép Air Base · Defesa Aérea do Vietnã – Força Aérea
Regiment 927 (Trung đoàn 927)Regimento de caças · ativo
Sukhoi Su-30MK2 (per Wikipedia)
Regiment 940 (Trung đoàn 940) detachment, Air Force Officer School2023–
Yakovlev Yak-130
Group Z (Đoàn Z), Korean People’s Air Force1967–1969
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17
Phù Cát · Defesa Aérea do Vietnã – Força Aérea
Regiment 940 (Trung đoàn 940), Air Force Officer SchoolAdvanced jet training regiment · active
Yakovlev Yak-130
37th Tactical Fighter Wing (USAF; 12th Tactical Fighter Wing from 1970)1967–1971
Thọ Xuân (Sao Vàng) · VVTXVietnam Air Defence – Air Force; civil terminal operated separately
Regiment 923 (Trung đoàn 923)Regimento de caças · ativo
Sukhoi Su-30MK2
Yên Bái · Defesa Aérea do Vietnã – Força Aérea
Regiment 921 (Trung đoàn 921, Sao Đỏ)Red Star · Fighter-bomber regiment · active
Sukhoi Su-22M4 e Su-22UM3K
Regiment 925 (Trung đoàn 925)1969–
MiG-17F, Shenyang J-6 (MiG-19)
Gia Lâm · VVGLDefesa Aérea do Vietnã – Força Aérea
Regiment 918 (Trung đoàn 918)Air transport regiment · active
Đà Nẵng · VVDNCivil airport with Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force presence
Quyết Thắng Squadron1975–1975
Cessna A-37 (captured)
5th Tactical Control Group (USAF) and later US units1962–1973
F-102, C-130
Phan Rang (Thành Sơn) · Defesa Aérea do Vietnã – Força Aérea
Regiment 937 (Trung đoàn 937)Regimento de caças-bombardeiros · ativo
Sukhoi Su-22
35th Tactical Fighter Wing (USAF)1966–1971
F-100D/F Super Sabre
No. 2 Squadron RAAF1967–1971
Canberra B.20
Cam Ranh · Defesa Aérea do Vietnã – Força Aérea
Soviet aviation group, Cam Ranh1979–2002
MiG-23, Tu-16, Tu-95, Tu-142
12th Tactical Fighter Wing (USAF)1965–1970
F-4 Phantom II
Tân Sơn Nhất · VVTSCivil airport; Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force air defence and logistics units
Regiment 917 (Trung đoàn 917), Division 370
Família e transportes Mil Mi-8/Mi-17
Cần Thơ (Trà Nóc) · Division 370
Regiment 917 (Trung đoàn 917)Mixed air transport regiment · active
Família Mil Mi-8/Mi-17
Phan Thiết · Air Force Officer School
Regiment 920 (Trung đoàn 920), Air Force Officer SchoolRegimento de treinamento · ativo
Beechcraft T-6C Texan II, Aero L-39NG, Yakovlev Yak-130

Nenhuma unidade corresponde a essa pesquisa.


Linha do tempo

Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force milestones, 1914 to today

1949

9 March: an air research bureau is set up, the root the service claims today.

1953

1 April: anti-aircraft Regiment 367 is formed; it fights at Điện Biên Phủ in 1954.

1959

24 January: the Air Force Department (Cục Không quân) is created; 1 May: Transport Regiment 919, the first flying unit, according to Wikipedia.

1963

22 October: the Air Defence – Air Force Service is founded, the date it still celebrates.

1964

February: the Soviet Union gives 36 MiG-17s and MiG-15UTIs; 6 August: Regiment 921 arrives in North Vietnam with them.

1965

3–4 April: first air combat over the Thanh Hóa bridge; each side’s account differs.

1966

April: the first MiG-21s arrive by ship from the Soviet Union.

1967

2 January: Operation Bolo; the US claims seven MiG-21s, Vietnamese sources admit five.

1969

Regiment 925 forms at Yên Bái with Chinese-built J-6 (MiG-19) fighters.

1972

10 May: the largest air battle of the war; 18–29 December: Linebacker II, with Hanoi claiming 34 B-52s and the US admitting 15.

1975

28 April: captured A-37s bomb Tân Sơn Nhất; about 877 RVNAF aircraft are captured; 12 November: Regiment 920 formed at Nha Trang.

1977

31 May: the service is split into an air force and an air defence force (Wikipedia).

1978

From June the air force bombs Khmer Rouge positions; the invasion of Cambodia follows on 25 December.

1979

17 February – 16 March: the border war with China; neither air force flies direct combat.

1999

3 March: the two services are merged again by presidential decree 03/L-CTN.

2016

14 June: a Su-30MK2 is lost off Nghệ An; one of the two pilots survives.

2024

August: the first six L-39NGs are accepted; November: the first five T-6C Texan IIs arrive.

2025

30 April: Su-30MK2s and Yak-130s fly over Ho Chi Minh City for the 50th anniversary; 3 October: the service receives the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces title.


Histórico de combate

Em todas as guerras em que a Força Aérea de Defesa do Vietnã lutou, foi travada.

Missões e perdas onde constam nos registros, e um espaço em branco honesto onde não constam.

9conflitos
1946Primeiro
137Aeronave perdida
64Morto
  • Primeira Guerra da Indochina 1946–1954 No aircraft flew in combat; the predecessor units were anti-aircraft gunners, notably Regiment 367 (formed 1 April 1953)
  • Operação Rolling Thunder 1965–1968 Intercepted US strike packages with MiG-17s and, from 1966, MiG-21s, alongside the guns and SA-2 missiles of the air defence divisions
  • Ataque ao Sítio 85 de Lima 1968 Attacked the US TSQ-81 radar site with An-2 biplanes dropping mortar shells and firing rockets
  • Operação Linebacker 1972 Intercepted the renewed US bombing campaign with MiG-21s, MiG-19s and MiG-17s
  • Operação Linebacker II 1972 Defended Hanoi and Hải Phòng against B-52 night raids with SA-2 missiles, guns and a small number of MiG-21 night sorties

Abra o registro completo do combate


Os fabricantes

Who built the Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force fleet

Cada empresa responsável pelas aeronaves desta página tem sua própria página: a história, cada tipo que construiu, os números e as outras forças aéreas que as operam.


Da revista

Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force news from Afterburner

Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force and the aircraft it flies. Esta lista é atualizada automaticamente — novas histórias do Afterburner aparecem aqui.

Todas as histórias em Afterburner


Perguntas e Respostas

Everything people ask about the Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force

Qual é o nome da força aérea vietnamita?
Its official name is Quân chủng Phòng không – Không quân, the Air Defence – Air Force Service, as the service’s own newspaper, Báo Phòng không – Không quân, spells it. The flying arm is also called Không quân Nhân dân Việt Nam, the Vietnam People’s Air Force (VPAF). One service commands fighters, missiles, guns and radars together.
Quais caças o Vietnã utiliza?
Principalmente o Sukhoi Su-30MK2, about 35 in 2024, with around ten Su-27SK/UBK and an ageing fleet of Su-22M4 fighter-bombers (25–30+ depending on the source). Vietnam does not publish its numbers.
When was the Vietnam Air Defence – Air Force founded?
O serviço combinado mantém o dia 22 de outubro de 1963 como sua data de fundação. Suas raízes remontam a um escritório de pesquisa aérea de 9 de março de 1949 e ao Departamento da Força Aérea de 24 de janeiro de 1959. Foi dividido em 1977 e reunido em 3 de março de 1999.
Quantos aviões americanos foram abatidos pela força aérea do Vietnã do Norte?
Os números variam de acordo com quem é considerado. A Força Aérea Popular do Vietnã (VPAF) alega ter abatido 266 aeronaves americanas em combate aéreo, enquanto admite a perda de 154 MiGs por todas as causas, 131 deles em combate aéreo. Os EUA alegam ter abatido 196 MiGs confirmados, e seus próprios registros mostram um número muito menor de perdas para MiGs do que o Vietnã alega; por exemplo, em 10 de maio de 1972, o Vietnã alegou ter abatido sete F-4s, enquanto os EUA confirmaram cinco.
Quem foi o maior ás do Vietnã do Norte?
Nguyễn Văn Cốc, a MiG-21 pilot of Regiment 921, is credited with nine US aircraft and two drones; the USAF acknowledges seven aircraft and two drones. Sixteen Vietnamese pilots are counted as aces, 13 of them on the MiG-21.
Os MiG abateram B-52?
Vietnam says two: Phạm Tuân on the night of 27 December 1972 and Vũ Xuân Thiều, who was killed, on 28 December. US records attribute both B-52 losses to surface-to-air missiles. Overall, Hanoi claims 34 B-52s in Linebacker II and the US admits 15.
O que aconteceu com a força aérea do Vietnã do Sul?
The Republic of Vietnam Air Force ceased to exist when Saigon fell in April 1975. About 877 of its aircraft were captured; captured A-37s bombed Tân Sơn Nhất on 28 April 1975 and later flew with F-5s against the Khmer Rouge. Hundreds of RVNAF aircraft escaped to Thailand.
O Vietnã está comprando F-16?
No contract has been announced. Vietnam has bought American T-6C Texan II trainers, the first five arriving in November 2024, and RFA quoted analysts that they could prepare pilots for US fighters, but whether Vietnam will buy F-16s remained uncertain. Neither government has announced a deal.
O Vietnã aposentou o Su-22?
Not as of September 2026. Factory A32 overhauled and extended the life of 20 Su-22s between 2019 and 2024, and Wikipedia still lists 25 in service. No replacement has been announced.
What trainers does the Vietnamese air force use?
Three new types from three countries: the Russian Yak-130 (12 bought in 2019, two lost), the Czech L-39NG (12, delivered 2024–2025) and the US T-6C (12 ordered). In July 2026 the Irkutsk plant said it was signing for 18 more Yak-130s.



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