Pleiku Air Base

Pleiku Air Base
Part of South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) Pacific Air Forces (USAF)
Pleiku Air Base South Vietnam - 1969
Pleiku AB Location of Pleiku Air Base, Vietnam
Coordinates	14°00′16″N 108°01′02″E / 14.00444°N 108.01722°E / 14.00444; 108.01722 (Pleiku AB)Coordinates: 14°00′16″N 108°01′02″E / 14.00444°N 108.01722°E / 14.00444; 108.01722 (Pleiku AB)
Type	Air Force Base
Site information
Controlled by	South Vietnamese Air Force   United States Air Force
Condition	Seized 1975 by PAVN, Now Civil Airport
Site history
Built	1962
In use	1962-1975
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Garrison information
Garrison	6th Air Division (SVNAF) 72d Tactical Wing (VNAF) 633d Special Operations Wing (USAF)

Pleiku Air Base is a former air force base in Vietnam. It was established by the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) in 1962 at an undeveloped airstrip, and was used by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War in the II Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam. It was seized by the Vietnam People's Army in March 1975 and was abandoned for many years. Today, the facility has been redeveloped as Pleiku Airport.

Pleiku Air Base was little more than an undeveloped air strip in December 1962 when it was designated by the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) as Air Base 62. The VNAF 1141st Observation Squadron moved to Pleiku from Da Nang Air Base in January 1965, and a detachment of Douglas A-1 Skyraiders from Bien Hoa Air Base resided there for close air support capability. In March 1964 the tactical elements at Pleiku were formed into the VNAF 62d Tactical Wing.

The 62d Wing was moved to Nha Trang Air Base in January 1965 where expansion of its air units could be supported more easily, leaving behind a detachment of support aircraft. Pleiku Air Base was then managed by the VNAF 92d Base Support Group and the base was used as a staging and emergency airfield.

As North Vietnamese infiltration increased within and along the Laotian and Cambodian borders the importance of Pleiku Air Base increased, and base facilities were expanded and improved. American Army and Air Force civil engineering units resurfaced and extended to 6000 ft (1829 m) runway and the base was jointly used for both VNAF and USAF air activities, but never reached the saturation and population proportions of the major air bases of the coastal lowlands. The USAF forces stationed at Pleiku were under the jurisdiction of the Seventh Air Force, United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The APO for Pleiku was APO San Francisco, 96318. During the Air Force base construction period, a Viet Cong attack on the nearby Camp Holloway US Army helicopter base was made on 6 February 1965. The attack killed nine U.S. servicemen and wounded 128 others that led to the sending of conventional American combat forces to Vietnam.