Yên Bái Air Base | |
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Part of Vietnam People's Air Force | |
Coordinates | 21°43′58.8″N 104°51′14.4″E / 21.733000°N 104.854000°E |
Type | Air Force Base |
Site information | |
Controlled by | Vietnam People's Air Force |
Site history | |
Built | 1960s |
In use | 1967-Present |
Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Airfield information | |||||||||||
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Runways | |||||||||||
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Yên Bái Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) (Không quân Nhân dân Việt Nam) military airfield located north-northwest of Yên Bái.
On 15 November 1967 F-105s of the 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron bombed the base as part of a Commando Club guided bombing mission.
In February 1969 the 925th Fighter Regiment was formed at the base operating the MiG-17F and Shenyang J-6.[1]
On 10 May 1972 a VPAF J-6 of the 925th Fighter Regiment ran out of fuel after a combat air patrol mission, deadsticked from an altitude of 1,400 meters, descending too rapidly, and overran the runway overturning and exploding, killing the pilot instantly.[1]: 63
On 1 June 1972 F-4D #65-0784 was shot down by a VPAF J-6 near the base, the weapons system operator Capt Roger Locher successfully evaded capture for 23 days before being rescued.[2]
On 27 September 1972 USAF jets attacked the base, destroying one MiG-21 on the ground and damaging another.[3]
On 30 September 1972 U.S. jets attacked the base destroying two MiG-17s on the ground.[4]
In late 1972 USAF F-111 Aardvark strike bombers attacked the base, rendering it temporarily inoperable, the only time Yên Bái was inoperable during Operation Linebacker II.[5]
The VPAF 931st Fighter Squadron operating Su-22M-4/UM-3K is based at Yên Bái.