Bien Hoa Air Base

Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnamese Air Force (Khong Quan Nhan Dan Viet Nam) faciilty.

Location

Bien Hoa Air Base is located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles (30 kilometers] from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province.

USAF Use During The Vietnam War

File:Pacaf.jpg

During the Vietnam War, Bien Hoa was a major United States Air Force base. The USAF forces stationed there were under the command of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF).

The APO for Bien Hoa was APO San Francisco, 96490

U.S. Air Force personel were first assigned to Bien Hoa Air Base on 8 July 1963 with the establishment of the 34th Tactical Group. On 8 July 1965 the 6251st Tactical Fighter Wing was activated.

USAF units at Bien Hoa during this period were:

• 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron (8 Jul 1963 - 30 July 1971) (O-1)

• 416th Tactical Fighter 13 Jul – 16 Dec 1965 (F-100)
• 429th Tactical Fighter 13 Jul – 16 Dec 1965 (F-100)

19th Tactical Air Support Squadron

The 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron was organized on 8 July 1963 where it flew missions for the Vietnamese Air Force and trained Vietnamese pilots and observers in the 0-1 aircraft.

Operations including forward air support, combat support liaison, visual reconnaissance, forward air control of fighters, artillery adjustment, and escort for convoys, trains, and helicopters. Also flew psychological warfare, radio relay, and re-supply missions.

Briefly inactivated between Aug and Oct 1964, the 19th TASS renewed its support of combat operations on 21 Oct. Primarily it provided visual and photographic reconnaissance and airborne forward air control for fighter aircraft. Also trained USAF and Vietnamese pilots and observers in 0-1 and, from 1968, 0-2 and OV-10 operations.

The unit was inactivated at Bien Ho on 30 July 1971, being transferred to Phan Rang Air Base.

3rd Tactical Fighter Wing

The 3d Tactical Fighter Wing was the host unit at Bien Hoa. It was transferred from England Air Force Base Louisiana on 8 November 1965.

Missions of the 3d TFW included close air support, counterinsurgency, forward air control, interdiction, and radar-controlled bombing. Supported numerous ground operations with strike missions against enemy fortifications, supply areas, lines of communication and personnel, in addition to suppressing fire in landing areas. During this time, the 3d TFW also participated in combat evaluation of F–5 and A–37 aircraft.

The initial units of the 3d TFW were:

• 510th Tactical Fighter: 8 Nov 1965 - 15 Nov 1969 (F-100 D/F Tail Code: CE)
• 531th Tactical Fighter: 7 Dec 1965 - 31 Jul 1970 (F-100 D/F Tail Code: CP)
• 90th Tactical Fighter: 12 Feb 1966 - 15 Nov 1969 (F-100 D/F Tail Code: CB)

The 510th and 531st were deployed squadrons of the 3d TFW from England AFB. Upon arrival at Bien Hoa, they took over the assets of the 416th and 429th Tactical Fighter Squadrons which were deployed TDY from the 39th Air Division, Misawa AB, Japan. In addition to the F-100s from the 39th AD, the 90th TFS was also deployed from Misawa.

The 307th Tactical Fighter Squadron flying F-100Ds was assigned TDY to the 3d from the 6251 Tactical Fighter Wing, Cigli AB, Turkey. It was attached from 24 June to 7 December 1965. The 307th was then assigned to 401st TFW at Torrejon Air Base Spain.

The 308th Tactical Fighter Squadron, also flying F-100Ds relieved the 307th TFS from Cigli on 2 December 1965. On 25 December 1966 the squadron was reassigned to the 31st TFW at Tuy Hoa Air Base South Vietnam.

In late 1969 the F-100s of the 3d TFW began a phaseout at Bien Hoa. The 510th TFS was deactivated on 15 November 1969, the 531st TFS on 31 July 1970. The 90th TFS was redesignated the 90th Attack Squadron on 15 November 1969 and was re-equipped with A-37Bs and assigned to the 4th Special Operations Wing on 31 October 1970.

The 3rd TFW wsa deactivated at Bien Hoa on 15 March 1971, being ractivated at Kusan Air Base, South Korea.

Air Commando/Special Operations Squadrons

In addition to the F-100 squadrons, the 3d absorbed the assets of the 1st Air Commando Squadron flying RB-26s and A-1 Skyraiders. The unit was activated at Bien Hoa on 8 July 1963 The 1st ACS was transferred to Pleiku Air Base on 5 January 1966.

On 15 November 1967 the unit was replaced by the 604th Air Commando Squadron flying the A-37A/B "Dragonfly" (Tail Code CK). The 604th deployed from England AFB. The squadron was tasked to test the A-37 in combat over three months. The squadron flew combat sorties in support of ground troops and against enemy supplies being shipped into South Vietnam.

The test proved to be a huge success. The pilots were pleased with the planes' maneuverability. It accelerated and decelerated rapidly and its combat delivery system was highly accurate. The maintainers also heaped their praise on the aircraft. It was easy to fix. Turn around times often averaged just over 90 minutes between missions. Although the Air Force sought to purchase more A-37s than originally planned, the plane was subsonic and didn't fit into Tactical Air Command's long-range plans to develop an attack aircraft capable of meeting contingencies throughout potential world combat theaters. This wasn't the first time special operators were flying "low and slow," so to speak.

On 15 November 1969 the A-37s of 604th was joined by the 8th Attack Squadron (Tail Code: CF), the 310th Attack Squadron and the 311th Attack Squadron. The 310th and 311th AS were later deployed to other bases in Vietnam as part of the 315th Special Operations Wing. The 604th ACS was later renamed the 604th Special Operations Squadron. Both squadrons continued to fly out of Bien Hoa until 30 September 1970 when they were tranferred to Phan Rang Air Base.

Skoshi Tiger

The Skoshi Tiger program was a combat evaluation of the Northrup F-5 "Freedom Fighter" in South Vietnam. Although all F-5A production was intended for Military Assistance Programs, the Air Force actually requested at least 200 F-5s for use in Vietnam. This sudden request on the part of the USAF was a result of heavier than expected attrition in Southeast Asia and because the F-5 promised to be available with a relatively short lead time.

In October 1965, the USAF "borrowed" 12 combat-ready F-5As and turned them over to the 4503rd Tactical Fighter Wing at Williams Air Force Base Arizona for operational service trials. The aircraft left Williams AFB on 20 October 1965 for Bien Hoa.

At Bien Hoa, the F-5s were attached to the 3d TFW as the 602th Fighter Squadron on 21 November 1965.

The F-5 missions were exclusively over the South, and they never crossed the North Vietnamese border because their arrival coincided with a lull in the offensive against the North. The aircraft never encountered enemy MiGs, and so never got a chance to demonstrate their air-to-air capabilities.

Although the Freedom Fighter was judged to be a technical success in Vietnam, the Skoshi Tiger program was essentially a political project, designed to appease those few Air Force officers who believed in the aircraft. The Freedom Fighter was destined to have a relatively brief operational career with the USAF, and the DoD turned down a second request for F-5s, deciding instead to look at other types such as the A-7 Corsair II.

On 8 March 1966 the F-5s of the 602d FS were redesignated the 10th Fighter Commando Squadron. On 17 April 1967 the F-5s were turned over to the South Vietnamese Air Force.

Det 1. 377th Air Base Wing

An operating location of the 377th Air Base Wing was established at Bien Hoa Air Base on 14 April 1972 to provide turnaround service for F-4s of other organizations. It was replaced on 20 June 1972 by Detachment l of the wing headquarters, which continued the F-4 turn-around service and added A-7D turnaround service on 30 October 1972. A small detatchment of personnel from the 354th Tactical Figher Wing deployed at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base Thailand were assigned for A-7D servicing.

The detachment continued operations through 11 February 1973.

Known SVNAF Units At Bien Hoa (Prior to 1975)

• 124th Observation Squadron Cessna O-1A, U-17A, U-17, O-2A
• 221st Helicopter Squadron Bell UH-1H
• 237th Helicopter Squadron CH-47A
• 245th Helicopter Squadron Bell UH-1H
• 251st Helicopter Squadron Bell UH-1H
• Det E 259th Helicopter Squadron Bell UH-1H (Medevac)

• 514th Fighter Squadron A-1H
• 518th Fighter Squadron A-1H
• 522nd Fighter Squadron Northrup F-5
• 540th Fighter Squadron Northrup F-5
• 542nd Fighter Squadron Northrup F-5
• 544th Fighter Squadron Northrup F-5

See also

• United States Air Force In South Vietnam

References

• Martin, Patrick, Tail Code: The Complete History Of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings, 1994

• Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings: Linege and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Office OF Air Force History, United States Air Force, 1984

• USAF Historical Reserach Division/Organizational History Branch - 3rd Wing

• VNAF - The South Vietnamese Air Force 1951-1975