Table of Contents
How many b52 bombers were lost in Vietnam?
15 B-52 bombers
The Air Force lost 15 B-52 bombers, which amounted to a loss rate of less than two percent. Of 92 B-52 crew members involved in the losses, 26 were recovered, 25 came up missing in action, 33 became prisoners of war, and eight were either killed in action or later died of wounds.
How many B 52s were shot down over North Vietnam?
Ten B-52s
Ten B-52s were shot down over the North and five others were damaged and crashed in Laos or Thailand. Thirty-three B-52 crew members were killed or missing in action, another 33 became prisoners of war, and 26 more were rescued.
How many Phantoms shot down in Vietnam?
Among fixed-wing aircraft, more F-4 Phantoms were lost than any other type in service with any nation. The United States lost 578 UAVs (554 over Vietnam and 24 over China). In total, the United States military lost in Vietnam almost 10,000 aircraft, helicopters and UAVs (3,744 planes, 5,607 helicopters and 578 UAVs ).
How did the B-52 get past the Soviet SAMs?
As mentioned, although the B-52 had been designed for high-altitude bombing, improved Soviet defenses forced the adoption of low-level tactics. Coming in “on the deck” helped evade Soviet SAMs, though at the expense of a rough ride that was hard on aircrews and airframes.
What is the significance of the B-52 Stratofortess?
* The B-52 became the backbone of SAC’s strategic bomber force during the height of the Cold War, standing on alert to conduct “doomsday missions” if it came to that.
What kind of nuclear weapons did the B-52 carry?
The standard nuclear weapon for the B-52 in the 1960s was the B28 fusion bomb. Four B28s could be carried on a “clip” that could be towed out to the flightline and quickly loaded into the B-52’s bombbay.
How many B-52s did it take to hit Hanoi?
On the evening of 18 December, 129 B-52s roared over Hanoi – huge bombers each capable of carrying many tonnes of explosives. They flew in formation, in successive waves made up of smaller cells, containing three planes.