my-server
← Wiki

List of weapons of the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War involved the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) or North Vietnamese Army (NVA), National Liberation Front for South Vietnam (NLF) or Viet Cong (VC), and the armed forces of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Soviet Armed Forces, Korean People's Army, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), United States Armed Forces, Republic of Korea Armed Forces, Royal Thai Armed Forces, Australian Defence Force, and New Zealand Defence Force, with a variety of irregular troops.

Nearly all United States-allied forces were armed with U.S. weapons including the M1 Garand, M1 carbine, M14 rifle, and M16 rifle. The Australian and New Zealand forces employed the 7.62 mm L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle as their service rifle, with the occasional use of the M16 rifle.

The PAVN, although having inherited a variety of American, French, and Japanese weapons from World War II and the First Indochina War (aka French Indochina War), were largely armed and supplied by the People's Republic of China, the Soviet Union, and its Warsaw Pact allies. Further, some weapons—notably anti-personnel explosives, the K-50M (a PPSh-41 copy), and "home-made" versions of the RPG-2—were manufactured in North Vietnam. By 1969 the US Army had identified 40 rifle/carbine types, 22 machine gun types, 17 types of mortar, 20 recoilless rifle or rocket launcher types, nine types of antitank weapons, and 14 anti-aircraft artillery weapons used by ground troops on all sides. Also in use, mostly by anti-communist forces, were the 24 types of armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery, and 26 types of field artillery and rocket launchers.

Communist forces and weapons

During the early stages of their insurgency, the Viet Cong mainly sustained itself with captured arms (often of American manufacture) or crude, self-made weapons (e.g. copies of the US Thompson submachine gun and shotguns made of galvanized pipes). Most arms were captured from poorly defended ARVN militia outposts.

Communist forces were principally armed with Chinese and Soviet weaponry though some VC guerrilla units were equipped with Western infantry weapons either captured from French stocks during the first Indochina war, such as the MAT-49, or from ARVN units or requisitioned through illicit purchase.

By Autumn of 1967, all Viet Cong battalions were reequipped with arms of Soviet design such as the AK-47 and the RPG-2. Their weapons were principally of Chinese or Soviet manufacture. The period up to the conventional phase in the 1970, the Viet Cong and NVA were mostly limited to mortars, recoilless rifles, and small-arms and had significantly lighter equipment and firepower relative to the US arsenal, relying on ambushes, with superior stealth, planning, marksmanship, and small-unit tactics to face the disproportionate US technological advantage.

Many divisions within the NVA would incorporate armoured and mechanised battalions including the Type 59 tank, BTR-60, Type 60 artillery, and rapidly altered and integrated new war doctrines following the Tet Offensive into a mobile combined-arms force. The North Vietnamese had both amphibious tanks (such as the PT-76) and light tanks (such the Type 62) used during the conventional phase. Experimental Soviet equipment started being used against ARVN forces at the same time, including Man-portable air-defense system SA-7 Grail and anti-tank missiles including the AT-3 Sagger. By 1975, they had fully transformed from the strategy of mobile light-infantry and using the people's war concept used against the United States.

US weapons

The American M16 rifle and XM177 carbine, which both replaced the M14, were lighter and considered more accurate than the AK-47 but in Vietnam was prone to "failure to extract", in which the spent cartridge case remained stuck in the chamber after a round was fired, preventing the next round from feeding and jamming the gun. This was ultimately traced to an inadequately tested switch in propellants from DuPont's proprietary IMR 4475 to Olin's WC 846, that Army Ordnance had ordered out of concern for standardization and mass production capacity.

The heavily armored, 90 mm gun M48A3 'Patton' tank saw extensive action during the Vietnam War and over 600 were deployed with U.S. forces. They played an important role in infantry support though there were a few tank versus tank battles. The M67A1 flamethrower tank (nicknamed the Zippo) was an M48 variant used in Vietnam. The use of this euphemistically nicknamed tank should not be confused with the widespread use of actual Zippo lighters to burn villages, which gave rise to the nickname of "Zippo squads". (Far from all such squads fielded the tank.) The Zippo nickname was also applied to man-portable flamethrowers. Artillery was used extensively by both sides but the Americans were able to ferry the lightweight 105 mm M102 howitzer by helicopter to remote locations on quick notice. With its range, the Soviet 130 mm M-46 towed field gun was a highly regarded weapon and used to good effect by the PAVN. It was countered by the long-range, American 175 mm M107 Self-Propelled Gun (nicknamed Miller).

The United States had air superiority, though many aircraft were lost to surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery. U.S. airpower was credited with breaking the siege of Khe Sanh and blunting the 1972 Easter Offensive against South Vietnam. At sea, the U.S. Navy had the run of the coastline, using aircraft carriers as platforms for offshore strikes and other naval vessels for offshore artillery support. Offshore naval fire played a pivotal role in the Battle of Huế in February 1968, providing accurate fire in support of the U.S. counter-offensive to retake the city.

The Vietnam War was the first conflict that saw wide-scale tactical deployment of helicopters. The Bell UH-1 Iroquois nicknamed "Huey" was used extensively in counter-guerilla operations both as a troop carrier and a gunship. In the latter role it was outfitted with a variety of armaments including M60 machine guns, multi-barrelled 7.62 mm Miniguns and unguided air-to-surface rockets. The Hueys were also successfully used in MEDEVAC and search and rescue roles. Two aircraft which were prominent in the war were the AC-130 "Spectre" Gunship and the UH-1 "Huey" gunship. The AC-130 was a heavily armed ground-attack aircraft variant of the C-130 Hercules transport plane; it was used to provide close air support, air interdiction and force protection. The AC-130H "Spectre" was armed with two 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannons, one Bofors 40 mm autocannon, and one 105 mm M102 howitzer. The Huey is a military helicopter powered by one turboshaft engine, and about 7,000 UH-1 aircraft saw service in Vietnam. At their disposal ground forces had access to B-52 and F-4 Phantom II and others to launch napalm, white phosphorus, tear gas and chemical weapons as well. The aircraft ordnance used during the war included precision-guided munition, cluster bombs, a thickening–gelling agent generally mixed with petroleum or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, initially against buildings and later mostly as an anti-personnel weapon that sticks to skin and can burn down to the bone.

The Claymore M18A1, an anti-personnel mine, was widely used. It is command-detonated, directionally shooting 700 steel pellets into the kill zone.

Weapons of the South Vietnamese, U.S., South Korean, Australian, New Zealand and Thailand Forces

Hand combat weapons

Pistols and revolvers

Infantry rifles

  • M1 Garand – used by the South Vietnamese and South Koreans
  • M1, M1A1, & M2 Carbine – used by the South Vietnamese Military, Police and Security Forces, South Koreans,
  • M14, M14E2, M14A1 – issued to most U.S. troops from the early stages of the war until 1967–68, when it was replaced by the M16.
  • M16, XM16E1, and M16A1 – M16 was issued in 1964, but due to reliability issues, it was replaced by the M16A1 in 1967 which added the forward assist and chrome-lined barrel to the rifle for increased reliability.
  • – carbine variant of the M16 produced in very limited numbers, fielded by special operations early on. Later supplemented by the improved XM177.
  • XM177 (Colt Commando)/GAU-5 – further development of the CAR-15, used heavily by MACV-SOG, the US Air Force, and US Army.
  • Stoner 63 – used by US Navy SEALs and USMC.
  • T223 – a copy of the Heckler & Koch HK33 built under license by Harrington & Richardson used in small numbers by SEAL teams. Even though the empty H&R T223 was 0.9 pounds (0.41 kg) heavier than an empty M16A1, the weapon had a forty-round magazine available for it and this made it attractive to the SEALS.
  • MAS-36 rifle – used by South Vietnamese militias
  • AK-47, AKM, and Type 56 – Captured rifles were used by South Vietnamese and U.S. forces.

Rifles: sniper, marksman

Submachine guns

  • Beretta M12 – limited numbers were used by U.S. Embassy security units.
  • Carl Gustaf m/45 – used by Navy SEALs in the start of the war, but later replaced by the Smith & Wesson M76 in the late 1960s. Significant numbers also used by MAC-V-SOG, South Vietnamese, and small numbers in Laos by advisors, and Laotian fighters.
  • Smith & Wesson M76 – copy of the Carl Gustaf m/45; few were shipped to Navy SEALs fighting in Vietnam.
  • F1 submachine gun – replaced the Owen Gun in Australian service.
  • M3 Grease gun – standard U.S. military submachine gun, also used by the South Vietnamese
  • M50/55 Reising – limited numbers were used by MACVSOG and other irregular forces.
  • Madsen M-50 – used by South Vietnamese forces, supplied by the CIA.
  • MAS-38 submachine gun – used by South Vietnamese militias.
  • MAT-49 submachine gun – used by South Vietnamese militias. Captured models were used in limited numbers
  • MP 40 submachine gun – used by South Vietnamese forces, supplied by the CIA.
  • Owen Gun – standard Australian submachine-gun in the early stages of the war, later replaced by the F1 and withdrawn from combat use by 1971.
  • Sten submachine gun – used by US special operations forces, often with a suppressor mounted.
  • Sterling submachine gun – used by Australian Special Air Service Regiment and other special operations units.
  • Thompson submachine gun – used often by South Vietnamese troops, and in small quantities by US artillery and helicopter units.
  • Uzi – used by special operations forces and some South Vietnamese, supplied from Israel.

Shotguns

Shotguns were used as an individual weapon during jungle patrol; infantry units were authorized a shotgun by TO&E (Table of Organization & Equipment). Shotguns were not general issue to all infantrymen, but were select issue weapons, such as one per squad, etc.

Machine guns

Grenades and mines

Grenade and Rocket Launchers

  • M1/M2 rifle grenade adapters – used to convert a standard fragmentation grenade (M1) or smoke grenade (M2) into a rifle grenade when used with the M7 grenade launcher.
  • M7 and M8 rifle grenade launcher – rifle grenade launcher used with respectively the M1 Garand and the M1 carbine, used by the South Vietnamese. Could fire the M9 and M17 rifle grenades.
  • M79 grenade launcher – main U.S. grenade launcher used by all branches of the US military, ANZAC forces, and ARVN.
  • China Lake grenade launcher – pump action weapon used in very small numbers.
  • XM148 grenade launcher – experimental underbarrel 40 mm grenade launcher attached to the M16 rifle or XM177 carbine. Also issued to Australian Special Air Service Regiment in conjunction with the modified L1A1 and Sterling Submachine Gun. Withdrawn due to safety reasons.
  • M203 grenade launcher – one-shot 40mm underslung grenade launcher designed to attach to an M16 rifle (or XM177 carbine, with modifications to the launcher). First tested in combat April 1969.
  • Mark 18 Mod 0 grenade launcher – Hand-cranked, belt-fed, 40x46mm grenade launcher used by the US Navy.
  • Mark 19 grenade launcher – Automatic, belt-fed, 40x53mm grenade launcher.
  • Mk 20 Mod 0 grenade launcher – Automatic, belt-fed, 40x46mm grenade launcher. Used mostly by riverine crews but also by Air Force Special Operations.
  • XM174 grenade launcher – Automatic, belt-fed, 40x46mm grenade launcher used mainly by the US Army.
  • Bazooka – The M9 variant was supplied to the ARVN during the early years of the war, while the M20 "Super Bazooka" was used by the USMC and the ARVN until the full introduction of the M67 90mm recoilless rifle and of the M72 LAW.
  • BGM-71 TOW – wire-guided anti-tank missile used in 1972 by the US, and by the ARVN from 1972 to the end of the war.
  • FIM-43 Redeye MANPADS (Man-Portable Air-Defence System) – shoulder-fired heat-seeking anti-air missile, used by the USMC.
  • M72 LAW – 66 mm anti-tank rocket launcher.
  • RPG-2 - Used by MACVSOG
  • XM202 – experimental four-shot 66mm incendiary rocket launcher.

Flamethrowers

Infantry support weapons

  • M18 recoilless rifle – 57mm shoulder-fired/tripod mounted recoilless rifle, used by the ARVN early in the war.
  • M20 recoilless rifle – 75mm tripod/vehicle-mounted recoilless rifle, used by US and ARVN forces early in the war.
  • M67 recoilless rifle – 90mm shoulder-fired anti-tank recoilless rifle, used by the US Army, US Marine Corps, ANZAC and ARVN selected forces.
  • M40 recoilless rifle 106mm tripod/vehicle-mounted recoilless rifle.
  • M2 mortar – 60 mm mortar, used with the lighter but less accurate and lower-range M19 mortar.
  • M19 mortar – 60 mm mortar, used with the older, heavier M2 mortar.
  • Brandt Mle 27/31 – 81 mm mortar, used by ARVN forces
  • M1 mortar – 81 mm mortar, used by ARVN forces.
  • M29 mortar – 81 mm mortar, used by US and ARVN forces.
  • L16A1 mortar – 81mm, used by ANZAC forces.
  • 82-BM-37 – captured 82 mm mortar, few used by USMC with US rounds.
  • M30 mortar 107 mm mortar, used by US and ARVN forces.
  • M98 Howtar, variant of the latter mounted on a M116 howitzer carriage.

Artillery

Artillery ammunition types

Aircraft

(listed alphabetically by modified/basic mission code, then numerically in ascending order by design number/series letter)

Helicopters

(listed numerically in ascending order by design number/series letter, then alphabetically by mission code)

Aircraft ordnance

  • GBUs
  • CBUs
  • BLU-82 Daisy cutter
  • Napalm
  • Bomb, 250 lb, 500 lb, 750 lb, 1000 lb, HE (high explosive), general-purpose
  • Rocket, aerial, HE (High Explosive), 2.75 inch

Aircraft weapons

Chemical weapons

  • Rainbow Herbicides
  • Agent Orange – While developed to be used as a herbicide to destroy natural obstacles and tree camouflage, it was later revealed that it posed health risks to those exposed to it.
  • Agent Blue – Used to destroy agricultural land that was believed to be used to grow food for the VC/NVA.
  • Agent Green
  • Agent White
  • Napalm
  • CS-1 riot control agent – "Teargas", used in grenades, cluster bomblets or (rarely) shells.
  • CN gas – "teargas"

Vehicles

In addition to cargo-carrying and troop transport roles, many of these vehicles were also equipped with weapons and sometimes armor, serving as "gun trucks" for convoy escort duties.

Other vehicles

Combat vehicles

Tanks

  • M24 Chaffee – light tank; main ARVN tank early in the war, used at least as late as the Tet Offensive.
  • M41A3 Walker Bulldog – light tank, replaced the M24 Chaffee as the main ARVN tank from 1965.
  • M48 Patton – main tank of the US Army and Marines throughout the war, and also used by ARVN forces from 1971.
  • M67 "Zippo" – flamethrower variant of the M48 Patton, used by USMC.
  • M551 Sheridan – Armored Reconnaissance Airborne Assault Vehicle/Light Tank, used by the US Army from 1969.
  • Centurion Mk 5 Main Battle Tank – used by the Australian Army, with AVLB and ARV variants.

Other armored vehicles

Naval craft

  • LCM-6 and LCM-8 – with several modifications:
  • LCMs modified as a river monitors
  • Armored Troop Carrier
  • Command and Communication Boat (CCB)
  • other variants included helipad boats and tankers
  • LCVP – Landing craft vehicle personnel, some made by the French Services Techniques des Construction et Armes Navales/France Outremer and known as FOM
  • Swift Boat – Patrol Craft Fast (PCF)
  • ASPB – assault support patrol boat
  • PBR – Patrol Boat River, all-fiberglass boats propelled by twin water jets, used by the US Navy
  • Hurricane Aircat – airboat used by ARVN and US Army

Communications

Radios

The geographically dispersed nature of the war challenged existing military communications. From 1965 to the final redeployment of tactical units, numerous communications-electronics systems were introduced in Vietnam to upgrade the quality and quantity of tactical communications and replace obsolete gear:

  • AN/PRT-4 and PRR-9 squad radios – replaced the AN/PRC-6.
  • AN/PRC-6 and AN/PRC-10 – older short range radios, used for outposts
  • AN/PRC-25 and 77 – short-range FM radios that replaced the AN/PRC-8-10.
  • AN/VRC-12 series (VRC-43, VRC-45, VRC-46, VRC-47, VRC-48) – FM radios that replaced the RT-66-67-68/GRC (including AN/GRC 3–8, VRC 7–10, VRC 20–22, and VRQ 1–3 sets).
  • AN/GRC-106 – AM radios and teletypewriter that replaced the AN/GRC-19.
  • TA-312 and TA-1 field telephones.

Encryption systems

Encryption systems developed by the National Security Agency and used in Vietnam included:

  • NESTOR – tactical secure voice system, including the TSEC/KY-8, 28 and 38 was used with the PRC-77 and VRC-12
  • KW-26 – protected higher level teletype traffic
  • KW-37 – protected the U.S. Navy fleet broadcast
  • KL-7 – provided offline security
  • A number of paper encryption and authentication products, including one time pads and the

Weapons of the PAVN/VC, China, Soviet and North Korea Forces

The PAVN and the Southern communist guerrillas, the Viet Cong (VC) as they were commonly referred to during the war, largely used standard Warsaw Pact weapons. Weapons used by the PAVN also included Chinese Communist variants, which were referred to as CHICOM's by the US military. Captured weapons were also widely used; almost every small arm used by SEATO may have seen limited enemy use. During the early 1950s, US equipment captured in Korea was also sent to the Viet Minh.

Small arms

Hand combat weapons

  • A wide variety of bayonets meant for fitting on the many types of rifles used by the NVA and VC.
  • Type 30 bayonet
  • Spears, used during "suicide attacks"

Handguns and revolvers

Automatic and semi-automatic rifles

  • SKS (Chinese Type 56) semi-automatic carbine
  • AK-47 – from the Soviet Union, Warsaw Pact countries, China and North Korea
  • Type 56 – Chinese-made standard rifle
  • Type 58 – Limited use from North Korea
  • PMK – Polish-made AK-47
  • AKM – from the Soviet Union, common modernized variant of the AK-47
  • PM md. 63/65 – Romanian variant of AKM
  • AMD-65 – Very limited use from Hungary
  • M1/M2 carbines – common and popular captured semi-automatic rifles
  • M1 Garand — Captured from South Vietnamese forces
  • vz. 52 rifle semi-automatic rifle, very rarely used
  • Vz. 58 assault rifle
  • Sturmgewehr 44 — Limited
  • Type 63 assault rifle – Limited use, received during the 1970s
  • M14, M16A1 – captured from US and South Vietnamese forces.
  • MAS-49 rifle – captured French rifle from First Indochina War

Rifles: bolt-action, marksman

  • Arisaka rifles – Used by Viet Cong early in the war.
  • Berthier rifles- Used by Viet Cong early in the war
  • Chiang Kai-shek rifle – Used by recruits and militias
  • Mosin–Nagant – Bolt-action rifles and carbines from the Soviet Union and China (especially M44).
  • Mauser Kar98k – Bolt-action rifle, captured from the French during the First Indochina War and also provided by the Soviets as military aid.
  • MAS-36 rifle
  • Lee–Enfield – Used by the Viet Cong
  • Lebel rifle – Used earlier in the war.
  • M1903 Springfield – Used by Viet Cong forces
  • M1917 Enfield – Used by Viet Cong forces
  • SVD Dragunov – Soviet semi-automatic sniper rifle in limited use
  • vz. 24 – Used by Viet Cong forces.
  • Older or rarer rifles were often modified by the Viet Cong early in the war: Gras mle 1874 carbines were rechambered to .410 bore while Destroyer carbines were modified to accept the magazine of the Walther P38.
  • Home-made rifles, often spring-action rifles made to look like a M1 Garand or a M1 Carbine, were also used by the Viet Cong.

Submachine guns

  • K-50M submachine gun (Vietnamese edition, based on Chinese version of Russian PPSh-41, under licence)
  • MAT-49 submachine gun – Captured during the French-Indochina War. Many were converted from 9×19mm to 7.62×25mm Tokarev
  • PPSh-41 submachine gun (both Soviet, North Korean and Chinese versions)
  • PPS-43 submachine gun (both Soviet and Chinese versions)
  • M3 submachine gun Limited use
  • Thompson submachine gun – including Vietnamese copies
  • MP 40 Provided by the Soviet Union as a military aid.
  • Smith and Wesson M76 submachine gun - captured from US forces
  • MAS-38 submachine gun – Captured from the French in the Indochina War.
  • PM-63 submachine gun – Used by tank crews
  • M56 submachine gun – limited use, received from Yugoslavia
  • Vietnamese home-made submachine guns, inspired by the Sten or the Thompson, were used by the Viet Cong early in the war.

Shotguns

  • Homemade shotguns, some inspired by the BAR or the Arisaka Type 99, were used by the Viet Cong early in the war.
  • Various models captured from ARVN and US forces
  • Remington Model 10 – pump-action shotgun used by the Viet Cong

Machine guns

Grenades, mines, and booby traps

Flamethrowers

Rocket launchers, recoilless rifles, anti-tank rifles and lightweight guided missiles

Mortars

Field artillery rocket launchers

Field artillery rockets were often fired from improvised launchers, sometimes a tube fixed with bamboo.

Field guns and howitzers

Anti-aircraft weapons

Aircraft

Aircraft weapons

Helicopters

Tanks

Other armored vehicles

Support vehicles

Naval craft

See also

References

Bibliography

External links