Fighter Air Force from the Beginning to Mastering the Sky and the Sea

On January 24, 1959, the Commander-in-Chief issued a decree establishing the Air Force Department under the General Staff, on the basis of merging the organizations and forces of the Airport Research Board and the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam.

Không quân tiêm kích từ sơ khai đến làm chủ bầu trời biển xa- Ảnh 1. — Su-30MK2 squadron of Air Force Regiment 935 (Air Force Division 370) takes off

In 1960, the first group of Vietnamese fighter pilot cadets completed the Mig-15 flight training program in China. After that, 31 cadets of the group were trained to convert to Mig-17 fighter aircraft.

On October 22, 1963, the Air Defense - Air Force was established on the basis of merging the Air Defense Command and the Air Force Department, including 3 branches: Air Force, Air Defense Artillery and Radar.

Không quân tiêm kích từ sơ khai đến làm chủ bầu trời biển xa- Ảnh 2. — Mig-21 fighter pilots in the war to unify the country

On February 3, 1964, at Mong Tu Air Base, Yunnan Province (China), a ceremony was held to announce the decision to establish the 921st Air Regiment - the first fighter air regiment of the Vietnam People's Air Force.

After a period of preparation, on August 6, 1964, Air Force Regiment 921 was ordered to mobilize its forces to Noi Bai airport. Regiment Commander Dao Dinh Luyen was the one who led the first squadron to land safely at Noi Bai airport.

Không quân tiêm kích từ sơ khai đến làm chủ bầu trời biển xa- Ảnh 3. — Fighter Pilot of the 935th Air Regiment (370th Division)

On April 3, 1965, the Mig-17 squadron of the 921st Air Force Regiment (Sao Do) took off for the first time, shooting down two F-8 aircraft of the US Air Force in the Ham Rong Bridge area, Thanh Hoa . April 3, 1965 became the traditional day of the first victory of the Vietnam People's Air Force.

On May 16, 1977, the Air Defense - Air Force was divided into two services: the Air Defense Service and the Air Force Service. Since 1977, both services have together with their units defeated two wars of aggression at the southwestern border and the northern border, fulfilling their international duties.

Không quân tiêm kích từ sơ khai đến làm chủ bầu trời biển xa- Ảnh 4. — The three father and sons are all fighter pilots: Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Hien (middle), Deputy Commander of Air Division 370 and his two sons Nguyen Phi Long and Nguyen Long Phi are Su-30Mk2 pilots, belonging to Air Regiment 935 (photo taken in 2018).

On March 3, 1999,the President signed a Decree to merge the Air Defense Service and the Air Force Service into the Air Defense - Air Force Service. On July 1, 1999, the Air Defense - Air Force Service officially came into operation.

The fighter air force was initially equipped with Mig-17 aircraft. By the end of 1965, it was supplemented with Mig-21s from the (former) Soviet Union with more modern technical features and weapons, in the combat formations of Air Force Regiment 921 and Air Force Regiment 923 (established in August 1965).

Không quân tiêm kích từ sơ khai đến làm chủ bầu trời biển xa- Ảnh 5. — Mig-21 aircraft number 5343 (Air Force Regiment 921, Air Force Division 371) on combat duty at Yen Bai airport, 2013

In late 1968, China provided us with a number of MiG-19 aircraft and they were assigned to the third fighter air regiment - Regiment 925 of Division 371 (currently, Regiment 925 is under Air Division 372).

After reunification, the Ministry of National Defense established the 935th Fighter Air Regiment using Mig-21 and F-5 aircraft and the 937th Regiment using A-37 attack aircraft (recovered from the Republic of Vietnam).

Since the early 1980s, Su-22 fighter jets have been present in Vietnam, starting to replace older aircraft. From April to December 1989, the Vietnam Air Force organized the reception, assembly and test flight of all 32 Su-22M4 fighter-bombers and 4 USu-22M4 trainer aircraft.

In particular, in response to the mission of protecting the sovereignty of the Truong Sa archipelago, on November 7, 1987, a Su-22M squadron of Regiment 923 moved from Thanh Hoa to Phan Rang to carry out a training program for offshore flights.

And to carry out the mission of flying to protect Truong Sa, the best pilots of Regiment 923 were selected. At 8:00 a.m. on March 10, 1988, squadron leader Vu Xuan Cuong and Soviet pilot Grigoriev piloted the SU-22M with serial number 8502 to fly patrol to Truong Sa archipelago for the first time.

Không quân tiêm kích từ sơ khai đến làm chủ bầu trời biển xa- Ảnh 6. — Pilot Vu Xuan Cuong (right) and Su-22 number 8502 flew to Truong Sa for the first time, March 10, 1988.

On April 25, 1995, Air Regiment 937 (Air Division 370) received the first 6 Su-27 fighter jets of the Vietnam Air Force.

On June 26, 1995, Lieutenant General Pham Thanh Ngan, Commander of the Air Defense - Air Force, established Squadron 3 using Su-27 fighter jets, carrying out shock missions in the country's strategic defense direction.

On August 4, 1995, the first flight of the Su-27 in the sky of Vietnam was carried out by pilot Vo Van Tuan (later Senior Lieutenant General - Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army) and pilot Nguyen Van Than on aircraft number 8521.

Không quân tiêm kích từ sơ khai đến làm chủ bầu trời biển xa- Ảnh 7. — Pilots Vo Van Tuan (left) and Do Van Duc (second from left to right) with Soviet experts (formerly) with the Su-27 aircraft for the first time in Truong Sa, September 14, 1997.

On the morning of September 14, 1997, the squadron consisting of Regiment Commander 937 Vo Van Tuan and pilot Do Van Duc deployed Su-27 aircraft to patrol from Phan Rang to the north of Truong Sa archipelago. The flight marked a qualitative change in the combat air force, affirming its ability to dominate the sky over the distant sea.

After nearly 10 years of using a mixture of Su-22M4 and Su-27 to guard Truong Sa, in November 2004, all Su-27 aircraft and pilots, aviation staff and technical equipment to ensure Su-27 of Regiment 937 were transferred to Regiment 935 (with Division 370, stationed at Bien Hoa airport).

Không quân tiêm kích từ sơ khai đến làm chủ bầu trời biển xa- Ảnh 8. — Su-30MK2 at Bien Hoa airport

In early 2004, Su-30MK aircraft were brought to Vietnam. On August 19, 2004, Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Than (Commander of the Air Defense - Air Force) signed a decision on organizing, receiving, assembling, test flying, and accepting Su-30MK aircraft at Division 370. Regiment 935 was assigned the task of receiving and putting Su-30Mk aircraft into training and combat duty.

Không quân tiêm kích từ sơ khai đến làm chủ bầu trời biển xa- Ảnh 9. — Su-30MK2 takes off

Currently, the Vietnamese fighter air force is mastering many types of aircraft (Su-30MK2, Su-27, Su-22M4...) to meet combat requirements, successfully completing the task of protecting the integrity of the airspace and seas and islands of the Fatherland.