“Viet airforce did fought with US airpower over a decade,and they have some pretty great pilots. But PLAAF has shear numbers of aircraft and the Soviets cannot save them from such a far away.”
the PLA didnt want to conqure vietnam, it was just an action to ‘punish’ vietnam for overthrowing the pro-chinese gov in cambodia (IIRC) so trying to destroy the vietnamese AF wasnt part of the agenda.
“Remember PVAAF pilots in Korean war were knowing nothing about aircrafts in the China civil war but managed to fight with US/UN airpower and shoot down some US airace like wing cmdr Lt Col George Davis ,Harold Fischer , Heller such Sabre ace!”
well in both instances, the PLAAF were fighting against the odds, and so it was acceptable to recieve heavier losses then the enemy. however, vietnam was considered as a ‘weaker’ military power, so it would look bad if the PLAAF lost for a/c then the enemy even if u totally destroy the enemy AF.
“The Viet Cong airforce were badly beaten by US airpower in 1972 they were at the brink of collapse,it was a good time to finish them forever. So that was the stupidity I mean,a missed oppurtunity.Vietnam cannot make fighters or any aircrafts by their own!I think it was the political reason that forbidded PLAAF to join the war.You know what happened in the 1971 coup and AF officials was suspected to be involved and under political ‘re-constructions’ in 1970s. Too pity”
Well when I said ‘enemy’ before, I was referring more to the Vietnamese military in general as opposed to its AF in particular. During the sino-vietnamese war, both sides found themselves in the strange situation where their air defences were better then their AF. The biggest problem the PLAAF saw was not the vietnamese AF’s fighters, but rather vietnam’s SAM and AAA batteries that cause the USAF so much grief.
Similarly, the Vietnamese AF also feared the PLA’s SAM and AAA batteries, and both side’s AF pretty much took up a defensive posture and would only engage if the enemy came to attack them. Whichever side launched an air attack against the enemy would loose, so both side waited for the enemy to attack, but neither did. And this ‘stalemate’ in the air was pretty much maintained throughout the war.
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