Vietnam's air defense posture changed perceptions of warfare.

The Vietnam War, particularly the "Dien Bien Phu in the Air" battle in December 1972, changed perceptions of the role of air defense forces in warfare.

Russian expert directly demonstrates how to shoot down a US plane.

On July 24th, the Vietnam Air Defense Missile Force celebrated its 50th anniversary of establishment and combat. Exactly half a century ago on this day, as we often say, the youngest force of the Vietnam People's Army at that time underwent a "trial by fire."

The anniversary of the founding of a military branch that achieved world-shaking victories owes a direct contribution to the veterans of the Soviet Air Defense Forces (now part of the Air Defense Forces within the Missile and Space Defense Service of the Russian Federation).

In Vietnam in 1965, Soviet military specialists began training Vietnamese anti-aircraft missile personnel on how to "work" with one of the most modern anti-aircraft weapons of the time, the S-75 "Dvina" missile.

More than five years before its deployment in Vietnam, the S-75 had already proven its combat effectiveness. On May 1, 1960, this type of missile shot down a US Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, which was considered invincible, at an altitude of 22 km over the Ural Mountains of the Soviet Union.

Vietnam is currently still using S-75 Dvina air defense missile systems.

Amidst the US air war, with American planes relentlessly bombing North Vietnam, the training of Vietnamese missile troops was conducted by Soviet officers and non-commissioned officers through direct demonstrations.

Initially, Soviet military experts also directly participated in combat within the Vietnamese air defense and air force units.

On July 24, 1965, from an ambush position 60 km northeast of Hanoi, two battalions, the 63rd and 64th, of the 236th Missile Regiment (which, to maintain secrecy, was then known as the 236th Anti-Aircraft Regiment), under the command of Majors Mozhayev and Ilyinykh, shot down three F-4 Phantom fighter-bombers.

The American F-4 "Phantom" was flying at an altitude of 5 km, beyond the effective range of anti-aircraft guns. Therefore, the missile attack was completely unexpected, giving the American pilots no time to react or orient themselves. This was the first victory of the famous Soviet anti-aircraft missile against American aircraft.

Later, according to a decree issued by President Ho Chi Minh, this day was officially recognized as the Traditional Day of the Vietnam Air Defense Missile Force.

American F-4 "Phantom" fighter-bomber wrecked in Vietnam.

Following the devastating failure of Operation Rolling Thunder from March 1965 to November 1968, the US Air Force developed the Differentiated Air Combat Training (DACT) project within the TOPGUN training program to specifically counter Vietnamese interceptor fighters.

Subsequently, the US launched a series of air campaigns against North Vietnam, particularly the Linebacker 1 (April to October 1972) and Linebacker 2 (December 1972) operations. This provided an opportunity for the Vietnamese air defense missile forces to train, mature, and achieve glorious victories.

Vietnamese trainees surpass their teachers, achieving a world-shaking feat.

At that time, Vietnamese missile soldiers were all carefully selected trainees with high educational qualifications, deep patriotism, and great diligence. Of course, there were mistakes that led to unnecessary losses, but the Vietnamese missile soldiers progressed very quickly.

By the end of the 1960s, Vietnamese anti-aircraft missile soldiers had mastered combat skills that were in no way inferior to those of their Soviet instructors.

American planes attack the Giẽ Bridge intersection (photo taken from an A-4 Skyhawk aircraft).

Furthermore, in terms of camouflage and the speed of deploying S-75 missile batteries, the Vietnamese soldiers were even more skillful and intelligent than what the Soviet experts had taught them. The facts prove this: Instead of 3 hours, the Vietnamese missile troops only needed 40 minutes!

In December 1972, Vietnamese anti-aircraft missile regiments, along with artillery and fighter pilots, coordinated their efforts to crush the large-scale "Laynbekker-2" air campaign launched by the US Air Force over Hanoi and Hai Phong.

During this campaign, the US lost 34 B-52 strategic bombers, of which 15 "flying fortresses" (according to official US data) were destroyed by anti-aircraft missiles. As a result, the Paris Agreement was signed in 1973 with terms most favorable to Vietnam.

However, in reality, the American defeat was truly horrific. According to Vietnamese sources, the air defense and air force forces shot down 81 aircraft of various types, including 34 B-52s and 5 F-111s.

Meanwhile, the US only acknowledged the loss of 15 aircraft, which were shot down on the spot and those whose pilots parachuted out and were captured alive (meaning they only acknowledged cases of downed aircraft with clear witnesses and evidence).

If we consider the percentage of planes hit by gunfire that attempted to fly out to sea and then crashed (most B-52s shot down in Hai Phong tried to escape to the sea to parachute in order to be rescued by the US Navy) or crashed in Laos or Thailand, then the Vietnamese figures are more reliable and well-founded.

The historic achievement made by the Vietnamese people was something no other country's air defense force had ever accomplished before or after. Even experts from the Soviet Union and China at the time believed that no weapon could shoot down a B-52, yet the Vietnamese did what seemed impossible.

In the Vietnam War, the B-52 participated in a real war for the first time, and it was also the first time it was shot down by two weapons that the US had previously disregarded: the Mig-21 and, especially, the SAM-2 (S-75 Dvina) anti-aircraft missile.

The achievements of the Vietnamese air defense and air force shattered the illusions of the US Air Force about an unrivaled "super flying fortress," and Vietnam's valuable experiences were later acknowledged by Soviet experts as "the most innovative in the world."

Vietnamese missile forces have shattered the dominance of the American B-52 bomber.

Vietnamese experienceMalechanging perceptions of war

Today, 50 years after the first Soviet anti-aircraft missile batteries fired from the outskirts of Hanoi, the skies over Vietnam are more securely protected by S-300 missiles, part of a more modern air defense system manufactured by Russia – the successor to the Soviet Union.

Obviously, these missiles cannot be compared to the legendary "Dvina" system: they are weapons of different generations, with different combat capabilities. It can be confidently asserted that Russia's most powerful missiles will unleash their full potential in the hands of Vietnamese soldiers.

Today, the Russian participants in that heroic event are all retired military personnel. However, they all maintain their military bearing and proudly wear their medals and preserve the awards they received from the Soviet Union and Vietnam during the war half a century ago.

In the exhibition hall of the Russian Air Defense Forces Museum in the village of Zarya, on the outskirts of Moscow, documents and artifacts about the Vietnam War occupy a particularly prominent place.

Furthermore, "the experience of using missiles in Vietnam half a century ago forces us to change our perception of the role of air defense forces in modern warfare," said retired Lieutenant General and Doctor of Military Science Anatoly Nogovitsyn.

Wreckage of a B-52 that fell into Huu Tiep Lake, Ngoc Ha village (Hanoi).

General Nogovitsyn emphasized that Vietnam is the only country in the world that has won the struggle against American imperialism. This is a special event in modern human history, and the victory of the Vietnamese people is closely linked to the people, weapons, and equipment of the Soviet Union.

Previously, it was believed that air defense forces were purely defensive systems and could not have a significant impact on the outcome of war.

However, the air war in North Vietnam proved the opposite: with a robust, well-organized air defense system equipped with advanced anti-aircraft missiles, we can win the war, even in a defensive position, defeating a more powerful enemy!

Later, the Yugoslav air defense forces learned from and successfully applied this valuable experience, becoming the first country in the world to shoot down a US F-117A stealth fighter on March 27, 1999, using another Soviet missile, the S-125 Neva/Pechora (SA-3 Goa).

In fact, Vietnam forced the world's major powers to comprehensively and thoroughly reconsider a series of theories and propositions regarding military campaign and tactical art.

The experience of the Vietnam War, especially the "Dien Bien Phu in the Air" campaign that shot down American B-52 bombers, has greatly increased the importance of air defense systems and the understanding of the role of missile forces!

According to Dat Viet Newspaper