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Aviation History
1973
1973 - 0050.PDF
mini DEFENCE B-52s bomb Hanoi Following a breakdown in the Vietnam peace talks the Americans resumed bombing above the 20th parallel, which runs 70 miles, 112km south of Hanoi, on December 18. For the first time B-52s have been used to hit heavily defended targets in and around Hanoi and the port of Hai phong, and the intensity of the air war has overshadowed the continuing ground war in the South. There had been significant differ ences in the losses claimed or admitted by either side and in the six days before the 36hr Christmas truce North Vietnam announced that 26 B-52s had been shot down, while 11 losses were reported by the Defence Department. By December 29, Hanoi claimed 71 aircraft shot down, includ ing 31 B52s, compared with the admis sion of 14 B-52s lost by the Americans. The North Vietnamese defences in clude radar-controlled anti-aircraft guns and Soviet-built SA-2 Guideline missiles. The raids on the cities of North Vietnam have been the heaviest of the war with up to 100 B-52s being in volved each day in raids on Hanoi. The heavy bombers are believed to fly in formation above 30,000ft and each delivers 30 tons of 5001b high-explosive bombs. The 18,000 tons of bombs dropped in the week before Christmas brought the total since April to 500,000 tons. The US Command insists that only military targets, such as airfields, railyards, harbour installa- fLIGHT International, 4 January 1973 tions, power stations and barracks, have been attacked, although reports from Hanoi suggest destruction and loss of life within civilian sections of the city and the evacuation of a large proportion of the local population. While the loss of a number of B-52s is no doubt embarrassing to the United States, as this aircraft has gained a reputation of invulnerability following its use for area-bombing of un defended targets, there has been no apparent change in tactics. The B-52 loss rate appears to result from its use against defended targets and the large numbers of SA-2s which the North has been willing to fire, rather than from any reduction in the effec tiveness of the Americans' electronic counter-measures. It has been sug gested that up to 60 SA-2s have been fired for each B-52 lost. By the standards of the Second World War the loss rate of between 2 and 3 per cent is acceptable from a military point of view. It remains to be seen whether American public opinion will accept a sustained offen sive or whether when all military targets have been destroyed the need for the heavy bombing will have been removed. The first B-52 made its maiden flight during August 1954 and when pro duction ceased in June 1962 744 air craft of all marks had been manufac tured. The B-52G and the B-52H are armed with stand-off missiles, and the use of these aircraft for conventional bombing of targets within a sophisti cated defence system would not be attempted. More than 100 early-model B-52s are believed to be in operation in South-East Asia from bases in Cambodia and from the island of Guam. The remainder of the 400 still in service with the USAF Strategic Air Command are based in the United States. While each B-52 is believed to have cost about £3 million, the current x^gfS^S1^ Following the photograph of 229 OCU, RAF Chivenor (see "Flight" for August 24, 1972), we have received the photograph above showing 40 MB.326s of No 2 FTS, RAAF Pearce, WA, flying on the occasion of No 82 pilots' course graduation. Instructors and students flew the formation. Although there is only the one jet flying-training establishment, the maintenance effort was such that all the available aircraft took part value is rather academic now that the type has been out of production for more than ten years. Swiss buy more Hunters Just before Christmas, on December 21, the Swiss defence agency, the GBD, signed a contract ordering 30 more refurbished Hunters from Hawker Siddeley. The order is subject to ratification by the Swiss Parliament, which has to give the go-ahead on expenditure, but is probably worth between £10 million and £12 million to the Kingston firm. As with the 30 Hunters ordered on December 31, 1970, which were not approved by the Swiss Parliament until the spring of 1971, the latest air craft are regarded purely as an interim measure in the Venom-replace ment programme. The first of the 1970 order was handed over to the Swiss Air Force last November 30 (see Flight for December 7, page 849) and deliveries of the latest order, if con firmed by Parliament, will probably not begin until late 1974 or early 1975. Electro-optical seeker equipment installed in the nose of a Shackleton. The equipment is manufactured by the Missile Systems Division of North American Rockwell, and is now being evaluated and demonstrated by BAC under a Ministry of Defence (PE) contract (see "Flight" for December 21, page 907)
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