Căn cứ không quân Tuy Hòa is a former air force base in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, being closed in 1970. It was built by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1966 and was used by the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

(USAF) during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

in the

II Corps Tactical Zone The II Corps () was a corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975. It was one of four corps in the ARVN, and it oversaw the central highlands region, north of ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

. It was captured by the

People's Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Vietnam, Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the ...

in April 1975 and was abandoned for several decades. Today, the site has been redeveloped as Cảng Hàng Không Tuy Hòa

USAF use

In September 1965 Tuy Hoa was identified as a potential site for an air base and in October, following feasibility and soil studies,

CINCPAC United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific, Indo-Pacific region. Formerly known as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) since its incept ...

recommended construction of a base there.

Military Assistance Command, Vietnam U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) was a joint-service command of the United States Department of Defense. MACV was created on 8 February 1962, in response to the increase in United States military assistance to South Vietnam. MACV ...

(MACV) originally opposed the decision based on cost, logistical, construction capacity/manpower and security concerns, but in December it agreed to begin construction in January 1966. However, in January construction was postponed by MACV in favour of constructing

Phù Cát Air Base Phù Cát Air Base ( vi, Căn cứ không quân Phù Cát ) (1966–1975) was a United States Air Force (USAF) and Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) facility used during the Vietnam War (1959–1975). It is located north of the city of Qui Nh ...

. In order to speed up construction of the Tuy Hoa base, in February 1966 Air Force Secretary Harold Brown approached

Defense Secretary The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The s ...

Robert McNamara Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American business executive and the eighth United States Secretary of Defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He remains the Lis ...

for approval to engage a private contractor to build the base. After overcoming opposition from CINCPAC and MACV, the USAF signed a

Turnkey A turnkey, a turnkey project, or a turnkey operation (also spelled turn-key) is a type of project that is constructed so that it can be sold to any buyer as a completed product. This is contrasted with build to order, where the constructor builds ...

contract with Walter Kidde Constructors, Inc. to build the base on 27 May 1966. Walter Kidde committed to achieved interim capability within 7 months of contract signing, complete the base within one year and open permanent port facilities within 15 months. Walter Kidde began construction in June and on 15 November 1966, 45 days ahead of schedule, interim capability was achieved when the 308th Tactical Fighter Squadron equipped with F-100 Super Sabres began arriving at the base. Over the following month the F-100 equipped 306th and the 309th Tactical Fighter Squadrons arrived at the base and on 16 December 1966 the

31st Tactical Fighter Wing The 31st Fighter Wing (31 FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe major command and the Third Air Force. It is stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) base ...

became operational at the base. Walter Kidde completed the entire contract on schedule and within budget. In November 1966 McNamara instructed the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

to investigate the possibility of basing 15 B-52s at Tuy Hoa. This proposal was opposed by the Joint Chiefs, USAF Secretary Brown and CINCPAC on cost and security grounds. On 7 June 1968 the Federalized

New Mexico Air National Guard The New Mexico Air National Guard (NM ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of New Mexico, United States of America. It is, along with the New Mexico Army National Guard, an element of the New Mexico National Guard. As state militia units, the u ...

188th Tactical Fighter Squadron deployed to Tuy Hoa and would remain there until 18 May 1969. On 14 June 1968 the Federalized

New York Air National Guard The New York Air National Guard (NY ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of New York, United States of America. It is, along with the New York Army National Guard, an element of the New York National Guard. As state militia units, the units ...

136th Tactical Fight Squadron deployed to Tuy Hoa and would remain there until 25 May 1969. On 29 July 1968 a

Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

sapper attack on the base destroyed 2

C-130s C13 or C-13 may be: * French Defence, Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings code * C13 White Lead (Painting) Convention, 1921 * C13 grenade, the Canadian Forces designation for a M67 grenade * Autovia C-13, a highway in Catalonia in Spain * Caterpillar C1 ...

and damaged a further 5 C-130s, 1 F-100 and 1

C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...

. In early 1969 Flight A of the

71st Special Operations Squadron The 71st Special Operations Squadron is part of the 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. It operates Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey conducting special operations flying training. Mission Provide Combat Ready CV-22 Air ...

equipped with AC-119G ''Shadow'' gunships moved to Tuy Hoa from

Nha Trang Air Base Nha Trang Air Base (also known as Camp McDermott Airfield and Long Van Airfield) was a French Air Force, Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF), United States Air Force (USAF) and Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) ''(Khong Quan Nhan Dan Viet N ...

, it was later replaced by Flight A of the

17th Special Operations Squadron The 17th Special Operations Squadron (17 SOS) is an active unit of the United States Air Force, stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. The squadron operates AC-130J Ghostrider aircraft and is assigned to the 27th Special Operations Gro ...

equipped with 4 AC-119G gunships. On 12 April 1970 Flight A moved from Tuy Hoa to Phù Cát Air Base. On 15 May 1969 the 355th Tactical Fighter Squadron deployed to Tuy Hoa. On 28 May 1969 the

416th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 416th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The squadron was inactivated on 1 July 1993. The squadron was first activated ...

moved to Tuy Hoa from

Bien Hoa Air Base Bien Hoa Air Base (Vietnamese: ''Sân bay Biên Hòa'') is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about from Ho Chi Minh City, across the Dong Nai river in the northern ward of Tân Phon ...

. On 13 July 1970 the last "Wonderarch" concrete and steel aircraft protection shelters were completed at the base. On 15 October 1970 the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing left Tuy Hoa and moved without personnel or equipment to

Homestead Air Force Base Homestead Air Reserve Base (Homestead ARB), previously known as Homestead Air Force Base (Homestead AFB) is located in Miami–Dade County, Florida to the northeast of the city of Homestead. It is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing (482 FW) of th ...

US Army use

In late 1970, the base was renamed Tuy Hoa Army Airfield and various U.S. Army units, including all army aviation units based at Phú Hiệp Airfield were relocated here. The facility was turned over to South Vietnamese government control on 15 January 1972.

Accidents and incidents

*On 22 April 1970,

Douglas C-47A The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...

B-308 of

Winner Airways Winner(s) or The Winner(s) may refer to: * Champion, the victor in a game or contest *The successful social class in winner and loser culture Film * ''The Winner'' (1926 film), an American silent film starring Billy Sullivan * ''The Winner'' ...

overran the runway on landing and was damaged beyond repair.

References

External links

*
Photo Album of the 31 TFW at Tuy Hoa

Tuy Hoa Air Base Reunion Website
{{ARVN Installations of the United States Air Force in South Vietnam Air force installations of South Vietnam Military installations closed in 1973 Buildings and structures in Phú Yên province

USAF use

US Army use

Accidents and incidents

References

Further reading

External links