Pacific Air Forces Commander Helps Bring Advanced Training Aircraft to Vietnam

This week, Vietnam received the first of 12 military training aircraft planned for delivery as part of a US program to strengthen the militaries of partner countries opposing China.

Pacific Air Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider was at the controls of one T-6C Texan II, a next-generation single-engine turboprop trainer built by Beechcraft, when it landed at Phan Thiet Air Base on Wednesday. according to a PACAF report that day.

“Today’s arrival of the first T-6 aircraft to the Vietnam Air Defense Forces represents the promise we have made to assist in your Air Force modernization efforts,” Schneider said in the release.

Five planes were delivered on Wednesday, according to a post on the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam website. The rest must be paid next year.

According to a report published Tuesday by Belgian news site Armyrecognition.com, the planes were provided as part of the Defense Ministry’s Partnership Development Program, a form of foreign aid.

The delivery is part of ongoing U.S. and Vietnamese efforts to modernize Vietnam’s air force and deter Beijing’s aggression in the South China Sea, according to a 2021 960th Cyberspace Wing press release. Vietnam and the United States agreed for the first time to transfer the T-6 in 2021.

Vietnam, like other countries surrounding the South China Sea, is at odds with China over territorial claims, which sometimes lead to confrontations between the respective coast guards or Chinese harassment of fishing vessels.

According to PACAF, Vietnam plans to include the T-6C Texan II in its pilot training program at Phan Thiet Air Base.

“With these aircraft and your well-trained forces, Vietnam, together with the United States and our international partners, will continue to ensure peace and stability,” Schneider said.

Vietnam’s air force is responsible for all aspects of the country’s air defense and purchases most of its equipment from Russia, but has favored American and Israeli equipment in recent years, according to the cyberspace wing.

This is not the first time Vietnam has purchased military equipment from the United States. The Coast Guard has transferred two of its cutters to Vietnamese control since 2017 under the Defense Excess Products Program.

This program offers surplus military equipment to U.S. allies and partners to assist in military modernization efforts.

Vietnam’s acquisition of U.S. military equipment is only part of the country’s strategy to counter Chinese influence in the region and pursue a “three nos” military strategy that emphasizes no alliances, no foreign bases on Vietnamese soil, and no dependence on any country to fight Vietnam. another one, according to the 2021 edition.