# List of equipment of the Vietnam People's Air Force

Since the Vietnam War, most Vietnamese aircraft were supplied by the Soviet Union and later Russia, while hundreds of others were left by the United States via South Vietnam. Most of these are no longer in service either due to the unavailability of parts or the age of the aircraft. Aircraft losses of the Vietnam War.

## Aircraft
### Combat Aircraft

| Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| Sukhoi Su-22 | Fighter-bomber | Su-22UM3K Su-22M4 | ~43 | Soviet Union | According to the Vietnam Air Force Air Defense newspaper, in the 5 years from 2019 to 2024, the A32 factory has overhauled 20 Su-22s and repaired 23 Su-22s at units (i.e. on duty), so 43 Su-22 is the most approximate number of Su-22s in Vietnam. Vietnam has never publicly disclosed the number of Su-22s it received from the Soviet Union or acquired from Eastern European countries. |
| Sukhoi Su-27 | Fighter | Su-27P/SK | 10 | Russia | On July 6, 1998, a Su-27SK number 6007, piloted by Major Hoang Ba Tam, mysteriously crashed at sea. On October 2, 2007, a Su-27SK number 6005 flown by pilot Dao Quoc Khanh had a bird fly into the engine. The pilot landed the plane safely but the plane was seriously damaged. Up to now, there has been no announcement that the plane has been repaired. Overhaul done at A32 Factory. |
| Sukhoi Su-30 | Multirole | Su-30MK2 (Su-30MK2V) | 35 | Russia | Significant advancements made in the capabilities of maintenance. Able to manufacture critical components and extend the lifespan of the aircraft by 1500 hours or ~15 years. Overhaul done at A32 Factory. |

### Transport

| Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| CASA C-295 | Transport | C-295M | 3 | Spain | |
| CASA C-212 | Transport | NC-212i | 3 | Indonesia | |
| Antonov An-2 | Trainer / Transport | AH-02 | 12 | Soviet Union | Vietnam still uses the An-02 for training, special forces parachuting practice, and light transport missions. |

### Helicopter

| Image | Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| | Mil Mi-8 | Utility | Mi-8T | 89-101 | Soviet Union | Helicopter Technical Service JSC (Helitechco) is the only certified company in Asia besides Russia that is qualified to perform maintenance and overhauls on the Mil helicopters. The repair center was established in 1994. Similar to Mi-17. |
| | Mil Mi-17 | Utility | Mi-171 Mi-172 | 89-101 | Russia | Vietnam has never announced the number of Mi-8s and Mi-17s it has purchased or received aid from the Soviet Union. Only the Mi-171SAR version was announced to have been purchased 4 units in 2006 but 1 unit crashed in 2014 so there is still 3. 3 Mi-171 SAR with yellow color. Helicopters are able to be maintenance and overhauled domestically. |

### Trainer

| Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| Yakovlev Yak-130 | Jet trainer / light multirole | | 11 | Russia | According to publicly available documents from the media of Vietnam Air Force Air Defense Command, there is gradually researching and using the Yak-130 to fight enemy air attacks, and partake in Land-Air-Sea attack missions. One crashed in November of 2024. |
| Aero L-39 Albatros | Jet trainer | L-39C L-39NG | 24 12 | Czechslovak SR  Czech Republic | The L-39NG contract was completed in early March 2025. The L-39NG is also planned to be put into use as a light fighter aircraft like the Yak-130, according to information from some documents of the Vietnam Air Defense - Air Force. |
| Beechcraft T-6 Texan II | Trainer aircraft | T-6C Texan II | 5(+7) | United States | 5 delivered, 7 awaiting delivery, on an order for 12. Delivery is expected to be completed by 2025. |
| Yakovlev Yak-52 | Trainer aircraft | | 34 | Soviet Union | According to the official Vietnamese press, the Yak-52 are still actively being used. |

## Air Defense

The Military Balance of 2024 from the International Institute for Strategic Studies notes that Vietnam has a variety of towed anti-aircraft artillery in its arsenal, though the specific guns using the 85mm and 130mm calibers remain uncertain. It is possible that the 85mm gun is the KS-12/K-52, while the 130mm may be the KS-30. Vietnam has ~98+ SAM systems.

### Surface-to-Air Defense

| Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| S-300PMU1 | Long range air defense and anti-ballistic missile system. | S-300PMU1 | 12 launchers | Russia Vietnam | Two systems were acquired. Received upgrade to the command center and range of the missile. Said to be upgraded to S-300PMU2 standards. Factory A31 capable of domestically manufacturing spare and critical parts for SAM missile. |
| SPYDER-MR | Medium to long range air defense system. | | 10 launchers | Israel | 80 km range. Five systems (including 6 launchers each) and 750 missiles ordered. The SPYDER-MR variant has a nonrotatable, vertical launcher. Used more as stationary air defense. Can domestically maintenance Derby and Python SAM missiles. There is a patent to reverse engineer the Derby SAM missile. |
| SPYDER-SR | Short to medium range air defense system. | | 20 launchers | Israel | 40 km range. The SPYDER-SR variant has a rotatable, slanted launcher. Can possibly be used as mobile AA due to quick deployment. |
| SA-2 Dvina | Short to medium range air defense system. | | ~25 launchers | Soviet Union Vietnam | ~27 to 35 km range. The Volga S-75M/M3 air defense missile complex (modern version of SAM-2) uses 5IA23 missiles and is a High-altitude air defense system. All SAM-2 complex systems have been modernized. Able to domestically produce complexes and equipment. Factory A31 capable of domestically manufacturing spare and critical parts for SAM missile. Old missiles had certain analog parts replaced with digital systems. |
| S-125 Neva/Pechora | Short to medium range air defense system. | S-125TM Pechora-2TM S-125M Pechora-M S-125-VT | 51 launchers | Soviet Union Vietnam | ~35 km range. 30 S-125TM Pechora-2TM and 21 S-125M Pechora-M batteries as of 2024. The S-125-VT modernized variant was reported to be in service in July 2024. Factory A31 capable of domestically manufacturing spare and critical parts for SAM missile. Old missiles had certain analog parts replaced with digital systems. Military Balance of 2024 states that there are 30 S-125-2TM Pechora-2TM and 21 S-125M Pechora-M. |
| 9K35 Strela-10 | Short range air defense system. | | 20 launchers | Soviet Union | ~10 km range. Still being used according to official Vietnamese newspaper from 2024, but not mentioned in the Military Balance of 2024. |

### Point-defence

| Image | Model | Type | Caliber | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| | 9K32 Strela-2 | Man-portable air-defense system | 72 mm | | | Soviet Union | Designed to counter against low flying targets with its passive infrared homing guidance system. |
| | 9K38 Igla | Man-portable air-defense system | 72 mm | 9K130 Igla-1 9K338 Igla-S TL-01 | | Soviet Union  Vietnam | Manufactured locally under license, transfer of technology from Russia. The TL-01 is a domestic copy of the Igla-S at Z131 Factory. Specs of TL-01: Range: 5 km Weight: 17 kg |

### Anti-aircraft Artillery

| Model | Type | Caliber | Origin | Notes |
| 61-K | Autocannon | 37 mm | Soviet Union  Vietnam | 37 mm automatic anti-air autocannon. Modernized with a fire-control system and radar. |
| AZP S-60 | Autocannon | 57 mm | Soviet Union Vietnam | 57 mm automatic anti-air autocannon. The Vietnamese heavily upgraded the AZP S-60 by equipping it with a fire-control system with radar, optoelectronic reconnaissance equipment, an electromechanical gun control complex, and a digital firing element identification system connected to a computer. Has an LCD screen. The upgraded AZP S-60 can operate without a gunner, is fully automatic, and no longer needs to be manually reloaded. Modernized for VPK-57 project. Fire-control system integrated with X-band AESA radar. |
| KS-19 | Towed Anti-aircraft gun | 100 mm | Soviet Union | Used during Vietnam war. Still in service according to Military Balance of 2024. |

## Munition

| Image | Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| Air-to-air Missile |||||||
| | K-13 (AA-2) | Air-to-air missile | | 2,550 | Soviet Union | Used by former MiG-21 and Su-22M4/UM3K. 1000 R-3S, 800 R-3R, and 750 R-13M missiles. |
| | R-60 (AA-8) | Air-to-air missile | | 400 | Soviet Union | Used by Su-22M4/UM3K fighter-bombers. |
| | R-27 (AA-10) | Air-to-air missile | | 320 | Russia  Ukraine | Used by Su-30MK2 and Su-27SK/UBK fighters. |
| | R-73 (AA-11) | Air-to-air missile | R-73E | 375 | Russia | Used by Su-30MK2, Su-27SK/UBK and Yak-130. Short range missile. |
| | R-77 (AA-12) | Air-to-air missile | RVV-AE | | Russia | |
| Air-to-surface Missile |||||||
| | Kh-59 (AS-13) | Air-to-surface missile | | 200 | Russia | |
| | Kh-29 (AS-14) | Air-to-surface missile | | 100 | Russia | |
| | Kh-31 (AS-17) | Air-to-surface missile | Kh-31A Kh-31P | 100 | Russia | Kh-31 is carried by Vietnamese Su-30MK2. |

## Former
### Combat Aircraft

| Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| Shenyang J-6 | Fighter | | 30 | China | |
| Shenyang J-5 | Fighter | | 10 | China | The Vietnamese Air Force used J-5s alongside the Soviet supplied MiG-17s for interception missions until the 1990s when they were retired, along with the remaining MiG-19s, being replaced with newer MiG-21s and Su-27s. |
| MiG-21 Fishbed | Fighter | MiG-21bis MiG-21UM MiG-21PF MiG-21PFM MiG-21MF MiG-21F-13 | 645 | Soviet Union | Retired from service in November 2015. Replaced with Su-22. The MiG-21 fleet has reserved in storage and some frames are still capable of flying. There are plans to turn these retired aircraft into UAVs. |
| MiG-19 Farmer | Fighter | | ~45 | Soviet Union | |
| MiG-17 Fresco | Fighter | MiG17A MiG17P MiG17PF | 367 | Soviet Union | |
| MiG-15 Fagot | Fighter / Trainer | | | Soviet Union | |
| Northrop F-5 | Light ground-attack / Light fighter | F-5AF-5E | 191 | United States | Captured during Vietnam War. |
| Cessna A-37 Dragonfly | Light ground-attack | A-37AA-37B | 254 | United States | Captured during Vietnam War. |

### Maritime patrol

| Image | Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| | PZL M28 | Maritime patrol | M28B-1R | 1 | Poland | Inactive. |

### Transport

| Model | Type | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| Antonov An-26 | Transport | ~30-48 | Soviet Union | Likely retired, but may be in service. |
| Beriev Be-12 | Transport | 6 | Soviet Union | |
| Lockheed C-130 Hercules | Transport | 7 | United States | Captured during Vietnam War. Still serviced after 1975 and retired after 1980 |
| Fairchild C-119 | Transport | | United States | Captured during Vietnam War. |

### Helicopter

| Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| Mil Mi-24 | Attack helicopter | Mi-24A Mi-24D | ~25-30 | Soviet Union | Limited number, small number stored in reserve. Estimated to have around 25 units. Likely retired, but may be in service. |
| Mi-4 | Transport | | ~10 | Soviet Union | |
| Mi-6 Hook | Transport | Mil Mi-6 | ~15-26 | Soviet Union | |
| CH-47 Chinook | Transport | CH-47A | 5 | United States | Captured during Vietnam War. |
| UH-1 Iroquois | Utility | UH-1H | 15 | United States | Captured during Vietnam War. |

### Trainer

| Image | Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| | Aero L-29 | Trainer | | | Czechoslovakia | |
| | TL-1 | Trainer | | | Vietnam | Designed and manufactured from 1984 - 1985. The TL-1 is said to be a 4 seater with side-by-side seating arrangement. The HL-1 is a 2 seater with tandem seating. The HL-2 is either a 2nd iteration of HL-1 or a new variation. Also, seen at the Vietnam People's Air Force Museum in Hanoi. |

## Development

This section will include weapons that are in the planning, development, or testing phase. It is important to note that not all the weapons in this particular section will progress to the point of being procured. To avoid confusion, existing weapon systems that are being modified or upgraded should have their progress recorded in the notes section and not moved to the development section.

### Trainer

| Image | Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| | TP-150 | Trainer aircraft / Patrol | | | Italy  Vietnam | Designed by Italian Flying Legend aircraft manufacturer and manufactured in Vietnam. Aircraft to be finalized in Italian and American factories. |

### Munition

| Image | Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| | | Practice Aerial Bomb | | | Vietnam | Researched and manufactured by Vietnam's Military Science and Technology Institute. Project took 2 years to complete. Stated to be 100% domestically manufactured along with the technology and material used. Low cost and able to be produced in large batches. |

## Procurement
### Transport

| Image | Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| | C-130J | Transport | | | United States | Vietnam reported to sign a deal with the US to purchase 13 C-130J. Other sources state that Vietnam may purchase 3 units. |

### Trainer

| Image | Model | Type | Variant | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
| | Beechcraft T-6 Texan II | Trainer aircraft | T-6C Texan II | (7+) | United States | 7 awaiting delivery for a total of 12 units. Delivery is expected to be completed by 2025. |

## See Also

* Vietnam People's Air Force
* List of equipment of the Vietnam People's Ground Forces
* List of equipment of the Vietnam People's Navy
* People's Army of Vietnam Special Forces
* Naval Air Force, Vietnam People's Navy
* Vietnam Coast Guard
* Vietnam People's Public Security
* Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance