Air operations against North Vietnam
During the Vietnam War, the United States conducted extensive air operations against North Vietnam, but few, until 1972, had decisive effect. Earlier in the war, the objectives, and to a large extent the tactics, were dictated by political leaders without understanding of air warfare, and, to a significant extent, a lack of understanding of the Vietnamese Communist grand strategy and how the leadership interpreted U.S. actions.
Aftermath of the Gulf of Tonkin incident
While aircraft attacked North Vietnamese fast attack craft in international waters, Operation PIERCE ARROW was the formal name for the retaliatory attack against naval bases, and an oil refinery at Vinh.
Intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance
There was substantial use of unmanned aerial vehicles, principally for imagery intelligence but possibly also for signals intelligence. A limited number of SR-71 Blackbird sorties were flown for strategic imagery, and fighter-reconnaissance aircraft flew battle damage assessment missions.
RC-135 COMBAT SENT aircraft collected electronic intelligence and mapped with side-looking radar.
The time of signaling
- Operation FLAMING DART [r]: The first U.S. air attacks on North Vietnam, after the Gulf of Tonkin incident, by the U.S. during the Vietnam War, but before the full Operation Rolling Thunder campaign [e]
- Operation ROLLING THUNDER [r]: Add brief definition or description