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Vietnam People's Air Force

Vietnam People's Air Force
Không Quân Nhân Dân Việt Nam
Vietnam People's Air Force emblem.svg
Vietnam People's Air Force emblem
Active 1959 – present
Country  Vietnam
Allegiance Communist Party of Vietnam
Type Aerial defence force
Size 35,000 personnel (2009)
283 active aircraft
Part of Vietnam People's Army
Colours          Azure, Dark Green
Anniversaries 22 October 1963
Engagements First Indochina War
Vietnam War
Cambodian-Vietnamese War
Sino-Vietnamese War
Decorations Vietnam Hero ribbon.png Vietnam Gold Star ribbon.png Vietnam Hochiminh Order ribbon.png Vietnam Independence Order ribbon.png Vietnam Military Exploit Order ribbon.png Vietnam Fatherland Defense Order ribbon.png
Battle honours Operation Linebacker
Operation Linebacker II
The 1975 Spring Offensive
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief Trần Đại Quang
Commander Lieutenant General Lê Huy Vịnh
Political Commissar Major General Nguyễn Văn Thanh
Chief of Staff Major General Nguyễn Văn Thọ
Insignia
Ensign Flag of the Vietnam People's Air Force.svg
Roundel Roundel of the Vietnamese Air Force.svg
Wings Air Force wings.jpg
Awards Hero of the People's Armed ForcesGold Star Order (Vietnam)Ho Chi Minh OrderOrder of IndependenceMilitary Exploit OrderFatherland Defense Order
Aircraft flown
Attack Su-22,
Fighter Su-30, Su-27
Helicopter Ka-32, Mi-24, UH-1, Mi-8, Mi-17
Trainer Yak-52, L-39
Transport An-26, CASA C295

The Vietnam People's Air Force (Vietnamese: Không quân Nhân dân Việt Nam) is the air force of Vietnam. It is the successor of the former North Vietnamese Air Force and absorbed the Republic of Vietnam Air Force following the re-unification of Vietnam in 1975. The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) is one of three main branches in the Vietnam People's Army which is a part of the Ministry of Defence. The main mission of the VPAF is the defence of Vietnamese airspace and the provision of air cover for operations of the Vietnam People's Army.

The first aircraft in service for the Vietnamese Armed Forces were two trainers, a de Havilland Tiger Moth and a Morane-Saulnier, which were initially the private property of the emperor Bảo Đại. In 1945, Bảo Đại gave the aircraft to the Vietnamese government. Until 1950, even though the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) had acquired credible offensive capabilities on the ground, it was almost powerless against reconnaissance or attacking operations from the French Expeditionary Air Force. On 9 March 1949, General Vo Nguyen Giap was authorised to establish the Air Force Research Committee (Ban Nghiên cứu Không quân) under the General Staff to study ways to deal with the air war. The first Vietnamese service aircraft flight was made by the Tiger Moth on 15 August 1949. A small-scale training was carried out in the following years.

Further development of aviation in North Vietnam began in 1956, when a number of trainees were sent to the USSR and China for pilot training. They were organised into two groups, for pilots and mechanics, respectively; and among others, utilised the Czechoslovak Zlín Z-226 and Aero Ae-45. The first unit of the VPAF was the No. 919 Transport Regiment (Trung đoàn Không quân Vận tải 919), organised on 1 May 1959, with An-2, Li-2, Il-14 aircraft, followed by the No. 910 Training Regiment (Trung đoàn Không quân 910) with Yak-18 trainers. In 1963 the Air Force and Air Defence Force were merged into the Air and Air Defence Force (Quân chủng Phòng không – Không quân).


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