[n the peace deal following the end of French colonial rule in Viernam in 1955, the coumry was divided at the 17th parallel. Since it was clear that the Viet Cong guerrillas operating in the Somh had full supporr from orrh Viernam, it was inevitable that the SA, propping up South Viernam, would have ro cut off their supplies from the orrh. US ground rroops began ro arrive in December 1964, but air srrike were a more immediate method of arrack. They were rriggered by Norrh Viernamese arracks on S insrallations, leading first ro Operation Rolling Thunder in J965.

A series of limited air srrikes was regarded as a berrer way ro persuade the Hanoi governmem ro disengage. [n facr, it had quite the opposire effecr. Intense parriorism inspired the fledgling Viernamese Peoples' Ajr Force (VPAF). [tS pilots endured years of insrruction from unpopular Russian menrors as they learned to fly the 65 MiG-17s thar they had been given. Alrhough their aircrafr were a generation behind [he American F-4 Phanrom lIs and F-I05s, they learned ro use the simple jet's manoeuvrability and heavy guns ro exploir rhe weaker areas of the sophisticated Western fighters' performance envelopes. The arrival of a few MiG-2 I s in late 1965 provided rhe USAF with a more credible opponenr, although ir was well inro 1966 before VPAF pilots had mastered the supersonic fighters and learned apropriate strategies.

П.Дэвис. F-4 Phantom II против МиГ-21. Воздушные Силы США и Вьетнамские Народные Воздушные силы во Вьетнамской войне.

P.Davies. F-4 Phantom vs MiG-21. USAF & VPAF in the Vietnam War