Tactics and Techniques of Electronic Warfare in Vietnam

The air campaign mounted against North Vietnam between 1965 and 1972 was the first time that an integrated air defense system based around radar-controlled guns and surface-to-air missiles had been encountered. Proponents of surface-to-air missiles had claimed that their lethality would drive manned aircraft from the battlefield.



The U.S. Air Force was hard-pressed to neutralize North Vietnam's radar-controlled defenses, but did prevail and successfully delivered punishing blows during Operation Linebacker II in December 1972.



Electronic countermeasures support for the air war against North Vietnam included stand-off jamming, Wild Weasel operations, the use of self-protection pods, and the employment of chaff. Using all these techniques, Linebacker II saw the B-52s of Strategic Air Command facing the most effective air defense system the Soviet Union could provide. The B-52s won; the much-heralded surface-to-air missiles were scoring a lower kill rate than German defenses in World War Two