New Technology
In the Vietnam War, there was lots of new technology being used, but the main highlight of this war that sets itself apart from other wars, is the use of helicopters and the making of new ones. In earlier wars, helicopters were only used to transport supplies such as food, water, building materials, and weapons to troops. In the Vietnam War, they were used for a whole lot of other things.
There were three mainly used helicopters in this war. One of these helicopters was the Bell UH-1 Iroquois. This helicopter is commonly known as the “Huey”. This helicopter is the workhorse of the U.S. Army, because it can drop troops into all sorts of locations, it can attack the enemy, and it can also carry supplies to troops. This helicopter was mainly used as an evacuation and utility helicopter. The round nose made it more agile so it can deploy troops without getting hit by enemy artillery. About 7,000 of these helicopters were used in battle.
The second helicopter was the Bell AH-1 Cobra. This helicopter is mainly called the Cobra. It is the backbone of the attack helicopter fleet. This helicopter can not carry any troops, but it carries rockets and machine guns to battle. This helicopter usually led attacks on enemy bases, or protected ground troops. This helicopter also escorted transport helicopters to battle. Two pilots flew this aircraft, and its skinny shape caused it to be extremely agile, which was needed to survive in the air. Approximately 1,081 Cobra’s were used during the Vietnam War.
The final helicopter was the Boeing CH-47 Chinook. This helicopter is commonly known as the Chinook. This helicopter had two rotors, and was the heavy-lifter of the helicopters in the U.S. fleet. The primary purposes for this helicopter were troop movement, artillery placement, and resupplying the battlefields. This helicopter contains a wide loading ramp at the back, and hooks on the bottom to transport objects that don’t fit inside the helicopter. This aircraft has been known to also transport bulldozers to build camps for U.S. and South Vietnamese troops. The Chinook was not meant to be agile, but sturdy, which is good for lifting heavy equipment. Roughly 750 of these helicopters were used during the Vietnam War.
Because of the extensive use of helicopters for troop movement, the average American infantryman saw about 240 days of combat in one year. In World War II, the average infantryman saw about 40 days of combat in four years.
Because of the extensive use of helicopters for troop movement, the average American infantryman saw about 240 days of combat in one year. In World War II, the average infantryman saw about 40 days of combat in four years.