List of Vietnam War flying aces

The known flying aces of the Vietnam War include 17 North Vietnamese pilots, five Americans, and one Soviet aviator.

The American aces flew as members of two-man crews on F-4 Phantoms, reflecting the emergence of air-to-air missiles as the primary weapons of aerial combat. Two were pilots, two Air Force weapon systems officers, and two Navy radar intercept officer.

Robin Olds had 4 kills in Vietnam, making him a lifetime triple-ace with 16 kills, including the 12 he registered in World War II.[1]

NameCountryServiceVictories Aircraft
Nguyễn Văn Cốc[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 9 MiG-17, MiG-21
Mai Văn Cường[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 8 MiG-17, MiG-21
Nguyễn Hồng Nhị[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 8 MiG-21
Phạm Thanh Ngân[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 8 MiG-17, MiG-21
Đặng Ngọc Ngự[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 7 MiG-21
Nguyễn Văn Bảy[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 7 MiG-17
Lê Hải[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 6 MiG-17
Lê Thanh Đạo[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 6 MiG-21
Lưu Huy Chao[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 6 MiG-17
Nguyễn Đức Soát[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 6 MiG-21
Nguyễn Đăng Kỉnh[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 6 MiG-21
Nguyễn Ngọc Độ[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 6 MiG-21
Nguyễn Nhật Chiêu[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 6 MiG-17, MiG-21
Nguyễn Tiến Sâm[3] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 6 MiG-21
Vũ Ngọc Đỉnh[2] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 6 MiG-21
Col. Vadim Shcherbakov[4] Soviet Union Soviet Air Forces 6 MiG-21
Capt. Charles B. "Chuck" DeBellevue[5] United States US Air Force 6 F-4 Phantom II D/E
Le Quang Trung[6] North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 5 MiG-17, MiG-21
Nguyễn Văn Nghĩa North Vietnam VN People's Air Force 5 MiG-21
Lt Randall "Duke" Cunningham[7] United States US Navy1 5 F-4 Phantom II
Lt j.g. William P. Driscoll United States US Navy 5 F-4 Phantom II J
Capt. Steve Ritchie[8] United States US Air Force1 5 F-4 Phantom II
Capt. Jeff Feinstein[9] United States US Air Force 5 F-4 Phantom II


U.S. officials say they lost 245 aircraft in air-to-air combat during the war.[10] More air-to-air losses were allegedly attributed to surface-to-air missiles, as it was considered "less embarrassing".[11] Estimates of North Vietnamese losses range from 131, as documented in known Soviet, North Vietnamese, and allied records;[12] to 195, as claimed by U.S. officials.[13]

See also

References
  1. Martin, Douglas (2007-06-20). "Robin Olds, 84, Fighter Ace and Hero of Big Vietnam Battle, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  2. Zampini, Diego (2012-03-23). "North Vietnamese Aces". acepilots.com. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  3. Toperczer, István (2017-09-21). MiG-21 Aces of the Vietnam War. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 95. ISBN 9781472823540.
  4. Task Force Russia (POW/MIA) (1993-04-23). "18th Report, 17 March-16 April 1993". American Memory, Library of Congress. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  5. Futrell, R. Frank (1976). United States Air Force in Southeast Asia 1965-1973: Aces and Aerial Victories. Air University, Headquarters USAF. pp. 93–105.
  6. Toperczer, István (2016-10-20). MiG-17/19 Aces of the Vietnam War. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 52. ISBN 9781472812568.
  7. Sherman, Stephan (2012-03-22). "Randy Cunningham". acepilots.com. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  8. Boyce, Ward. "Brig. Gen. Steve Ritchie". tripod.com. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  9. "Jeffrey S. Feinstein". Air Force Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  10. Lednicer, David; Camp, Adrian (2002-06-09). "US Air-to-Air Losses in the Vietnam War". myplace.frontier.com. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  11. E., Gordon (2008). Mikoyan MiG-21. Dexter, Keith., Komissarov, Dmitriĭ (Dmitriĭ Sergeevich). Hinckley: Midland. ISBN 9781857802573. OCLC 245555578.
  12. "Kafedra i klinika urologii pervogo sankt-peterburgskogo gosudarstvennogo meditsinskogo universiteta im. akad. I. P. Pavlova: vchera, segodnya, zavtra". Urologicheskie Vedomosti. 5 (1): 3. 2015-03-15. doi:10.17816/uroved513-6. ISSN 2225-9074.
  13. Air warfare: an international encyclopedia. Boyne, Walter J., 1929-. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. 2002. p. 679. ISBN 978-1576073452. OCLC 49225204.CS1 maint: others (link)
  • Toperczer, Istvan, MiG-21 Units of the Vietnam War, Osprey Combat Aircraft #29, 2008; ISBN 978-1-84176-263-0
  • Michel III, Marshall L, Clashes, Air Combat over North Vietnam 1965-1972, Naval Institute Press, 1997; ISBN 978-1-59114-519-6
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