Lieutenant General, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Pham Tuan (born in 1947 in Thai Binh ). In mid-1971, while he was a fighter pilot of the 921st Sao Do Regiment, he was selected to be trained in night fighter piloting, preparing to shoot down B-52 aircraft. In 1977, Pham Tuan was sent to study at the Gagarin Air Force Academy (Soviet Union). He was the first Asian to fly into space in 1980 in the Soviet Union's Interkosmos program, and was also the only Vietnamese to be awarded the title of Hero three times (Hero of the People's Armed Forces, Hero of Labor, Hero of the Soviet Union).
Colonel, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Van Bay (1936-2019), from Dong Thap. He is the only MiG-17 pilot in the world to have shot down the most American aircraft, 7. During his lifetime, Mr. Bay held many positions: Commander of the 937th Air Force Regiment, Deputy Commander of the 372nd Division, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force. After 1975, he took over Can Tho airport, participated in the operation of Tan Son Nhat and Bien Hoa airports, and commanded missions in Cambodia.
Lieutenant General, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Van Coc (born in 1942 in Bac Giang ). He passed the pilot exam in 1961 and was trained at the flight school in Hai Phong. After his pilot training trip in the Soviet Union, in 1964, he returned to Vietnam and flew a MiG-17 in combat. In 1965, he was selected to study to fly the MiG-21 and returned to the 921st Sao Do Regiment. At the age of 25, he became the Vietnamese pilot who shot down the most planes, with 9.
Major General, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Mai Van Cuong (born in 1941 in Thanh Hoa). In 1967, at the age of 26, he shot down 5 American aircraft. Also in this year, he experienced the fiercest air battle of his career, the MiG-21 he was piloting was shot down, forcing him to parachute from an altitude of 6,000m and was seriously injured, completely losing hearing in his left ear. Despite his injuries, he continued to fight, shooting down 3 more enemy aircraft. He was the Commander of the 927th Air Force Regiment, the Commander of the 372nd Air Force Division, and held the position of Deputy Commander of the Air Defense - Air Force before retiring in 2006.
Colonel, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Le Thanh Dao (born in 1944), pilot of Regiment 927, is one of 16 pilots who achieved the rank of Ace (a title given to pilots who have shot down at least 5 enemy aircraft). During the resistance war against the US to save the country, he achieved the achievement of shooting down 6 aircraft.
Colonel, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Vu Ngoc Dinh (born in 1941 in Thanh Hoa). Belonging to the Red Star Air Force, he fought in 8 battles, fired 12 shells, and shot down 6 American aircraft. He was one of 16 Ace pilots of the Air Force. After 1975, he was Deputy Commander of the 371st Air Division, Principal of the Air Force Officer School until 1989. From 1989, he was General Director of the Vietnam Service Flight Corporation (now the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation), Director of the Vasco Flight Company of Vietnam Aviation, before retiring in 2003.
Colonel, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Le Hai (1942-2025), born in Quang Ngai. During the resistance war against the US, he was a pilot of the Yen The Flight Group, flying MiG-17 fighters, shooting down 6 US aircraft. Not only a fighter pilot, he also flew A-37 attack aircraft, held the position of Regiment Commander of Regiment 937 (in 1975), then switched to flying Su-22 and became Division Commander of Division 372. From 1992-2002, he changed careers, holding the position of Deputy General Director of the Southern Airports Cluster.
Lieutenant General, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Tran Hanh (1932-2024), from Nam Dinh. He was the first pilot to use the MiG-17 to shoot down an American F-105D Thunder in the skies over Northern Vietnam. During the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in April 1975, he was one of the commanders of the Quyet Thang Squadron's attack on Tan Son Nhat airport. In March 1986, he was appointed Commander of the Air Force. He held the position of Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army (1989), Deputy Minister of National Defense (1996) until his retirement in 2000.
Major General, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Dang Kinh (born in 1941 in Nam Dinh). He was one of the pilots with the most flying hours during the war, and was wounded three times in combat. In October 1968, as a fighter squadron leader of the Red Star Air Force, he was rated as one of 16 Vietnamese pilots who achieved the rank of Ace during the war. After the war, he held the position of Chief Justice of the Central Military Court and Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court of Vietnam.
Senior Lieutenant General, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Pham Thanh Ngan (born in 1939 in Thai Nguyen). He was a MiG-17 and MiG-21 pilot at Regiment 921, shooting down 8 US aircraft before assuming the position of Division Commander of Air Division 371. He held the position of Commander of the Air Force from 1989 to 1996, and Director of the General Department of Politics before retiring in 2002.
Colonel, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Ho Van Quy (born in 1935 in Quang Nam) once flew a MiG-17 with serial number 2312. He and other pilots in the squadron won the historic battle at Ham Rong Bridge (Thanh Hoa) on April 3, 1965, destroying two of the most modern American F-105 "Thunder God" attack aircraft at that time. In 1979, he retired from flying and switched to command and training as Deputy Division Commander of the 370th Air Division.
Lieutenant General, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Duc Soat (born 1946 in Hanoi). Joining the army in 1965, during his career, he shot down 6 American aircraft. As a MiG-21, Su-22, and Su-27 fighter pilot, he held many important positions: Commander of the Air Defense - Air Force and Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/nhan-sac-thoi-tre-cua-12-phi-cong-huyen-thoai-viet-nam-ar943389.html
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