Hòa Lạc Air Base

21°02′16.8″N 105°29′24″E / 21.038000°N 105.49000°E / 21.038000; 105.49000TypeAir Force BaseSite informationControlled by Vietnam People's Air ForceSite historyBuilt1967In use1967-PresentBattles/warsVietnam War
Airport
Airfield information
  • IATA: none
  • ICAO: VVYL
Summary

Hòa Lạc Airfield is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) (Không quân Nhân dân Việt Nam) military heliport located approximately 24 km (15 mi) west of Hanoi.

History

Vietnam War

The airfield started operation in February 1967.[1] On 26 March 1967 Col Robert Scott flying an F-105 shot down a Hòa Lạc-based MiG-17.[2] In May the base was first attacked by the USAF.[3]

Hòa Lạc, Kép and Phúc Yên were targeted on the first night of Operation Linebacker II on 18 December 1972 to suppress fighters that might otherwise intercept US attack aircraft.[4][5]

Current use

The VPAF 916th Helicopter Squadron is based at Hòa Lạc.

On 7 July 2014 a VPAF Mi-171 crashed while on a parachute training mission near Hòa Lạc killing 17 passengers and crew.[6]

References

  1. ^ Vietnam War After Action Reports. BACM Research. p. 35.
  2. ^ Davies, Peter (2014). F-105 Thunderchief MiG Killers of the Vietnam War. Osprey Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 9781782008040.
  3. ^ "Operations Summary, May 1967". National museum of the U.S. Air Force. 6 December 2006. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  4. ^ Lake, Jon (2004). B-52 Stratofortress Units in Combat 1955-73. Osprey Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 9781841766072.
  5. ^ McCarthy, James (1985). USAF Southeast Asia Monograph Series Volume VI Monograph 8 Linebacker II: A View from the Rock (PDF). Office of Air Force History. p. 39. ISBN 978-1477541937. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2019-12-09.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ^ "Military helicopter crash kills 17 near Hanoi". Nhan Dan. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2015.