Royal Lao Air Force
Encyclopedia
The Royal Lao Air Force (RLAF) was the air force branch of the Military of the Royal Lao Government
in the Kingdom of Laos
. The RLAF, along with the Royal Lao Navy, and the Royal Lao Army
, were placed under the control of the Ministry of Defense in Vientiane.
The RLAF received assistance over the years from France, the USA and Thailand. Initially a transport organisation beginning operations with the Morane-Saulnier MS.500 Criquet and then the C-47, it acquired a light strike capability with the North American T-6 Texan
and later the T-28 Trojan
. Operations were against the Communist Pathet Lao guerrilla forces, with also a number of attempted internal coups.
, Vientiane at this time; its initial unit was the First Observation and Liaison Squadron. It served a double purpose, as its Criquets were used for training Lao pilots, as well as ongoing military duties. Other than Wattay, available landing strips in the country consisted of rough runways at Xieng Khouang
, Luang Prabang
, Pakse, and the Plaine des Jarres. The French air force bequeathed four C-47s with French aircrews to the RLAF; three were repainted in RLAF insignia. Loan was conditional upon aircraft remaining incountry.
Some 6,500 Royal Lao Army troops out of its 30,000 personnel were surrounded by North Vietnamese
and Pathet Lao
forces; the RLAF's first mission was aerial resupply of these besieged troops. The French air crews operated the transports while Laotians were being trained; 32 Lao students departed to France for training late in 1955. The first aggressive action by the new air force was the aerial movement of Royalist troops to the Plaine de Jarres in early 1955. These Royalist ground troops on the Plaine de Jarres became part of the air bridge resupply effort.
The French-crewed C-47s were used for this operation, in conjunction with C-46 Commandos leased from Civil Air Transport. "Civilian" C-47s under contract were used to drop the Royalist Paratroop Battalion in Xieng Khouang to counter Pathet Lao expansion into the province. As part of this action, Lao pilots in training flew reconnaissance missions in the Criquets. The four Sikorsky H-19 helicopters of the new air force were insufficient for such duties as medevac
ing the ill and wounded, two additional H-19s were acquired from the Royal Thai Air Force
in October 1955. The latter copters were supplied without markings, and were officially Thai Airways
craft.
In addition, French military intelligence had set up anticommunist guerrilla units throughout northern Laos, up to and over the North Vietnamese border. However, the loaner transports were not used for logistical support of the units in North Vietnam because they were not allowed to fly internationally. Instead, the "special missions" were entrusted to two private charter airlines flying under contract to the Lao military–Laos Air Lines and Lao Air Transport.
In late 1956, the C-47 transports were crewed by newly trained Lao. In 1957, the last 85 French instructors left Laos. By the time of their departure, most of the Lao aircraft were grounded due to lack of maintenance.
as a sub rosa military mission in January 1954. It supplied 100 instructors to replace the departing French mentors. It also supplied six C-47s, two DHC L-20s, and two L-19 Bird Dogs. They also began airfield construction thoroughout the country.
In January 1956, PEO turned over four C-47s to the Lao, in the first direct U. S. support of the fledgling air force. The PEO's three year development plan for Aviation Laotienne called for a transport squadron of eight C-47s, an observation squadron 12 L-19 Bird Dogs, and a liaison squadron containing four Sikorsky H-19s and four L-20 Beavers. A light strike force of twelve AT-6 Texans was also envisioned.
A few more DHC L-20s were delivered in 1957; its STOL
capabilities well fitted it for the primitive conditions of Laotian airstrips. One or more of these L-20s arrived with a .50 caliber machine gun still mounted; the natural use for such an armed craft was as a gunship for strafing ground targets. Also in 1957, the first Lao commander was appointed to head the Aviation Laotienne.
In July 1958, a coup brought Phoumi Nosavan
to power in Laos; he subsequently requested additional aid from the United States. By the following year, PEO planned to reinforce the Lao air force with six North American T-28 Trojans. It also became apparent that the aviation support available for the Royalist government's war against the Communists was insufficient, even when augmented by Air America contract flights. The U.S. Air Force 315th Air Division
sent a detachment incountry dressed in civilian clothing on a month's temporary duty to operate C-119G Flying Boxcars, C-123 Provider
s, and C-130 Hercules
transports in support of the Royalists. After they flew 72 sorties, they were withdrawn on 27 April 1959 because of international political pressure.
Two French Alouette
helicopters were purchased for the Lao air force in 1960. In August, Kong Le
's paratroopers launched a coup to unseat Nosavan; once he gained power, he requested aid from North Vietnam
and the Soviet Union
. Three months later, Nosavan launched an American-backed countercoup from his base in Savannakhet
. When Kong Le retreated from Vientiane, he took with him two usable C-47s and two L-20 Beavers from Aviation Laotienne and formed the Neutralist Laotian Air Force. Nosavan's offensive followed Kong Le's forces to the Plaine des Jarres. Nosavan received aerial logistical support not only from the diminished Lao air force, but from four Air American H-34s and Royal Thai Air Force
H-19s, as well as Bird & Son.
In 1963, the Lao acquired a De Havilland Dove
.
Royal Lao Government
The Royal Lao Government was the ruling authority in the Kingdom of Laos from 1947 until the communist seizure of power in December 1975 and the proclamation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic...
in the Kingdom of Laos
Kingdom of Laos
The Kingdom of Laos was a sovereign state from 1953 until December 1975, when Pathet Lao overthrew the government and created the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Given self-rule in 1949 as part of a federation with the rest of French Indochina, the 1953 Franco-Lao Treaty finally established a...
. The RLAF, along with the Royal Lao Navy, and the Royal Lao Army
Royal Lao Army
The Royal Lao Army was the armed forces of the Kingdom of Laos. Its predecessor was the National Laotian Army - NLA of the French Union, created in 1947 from 'maquis', or guerrilla units gathered by French commandos. It was created in 1954 after the French granted Laos complete autonomy...
, were placed under the control of the Ministry of Defense in Vientiane.
The RLAF received assistance over the years from France, the USA and Thailand. Initially a transport organisation beginning operations with the Morane-Saulnier MS.500 Criquet and then the C-47, it acquired a light strike capability with the North American T-6 Texan
T-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
and later the T-28 Trojan
T-28 Trojan
The North American Aviation T-28 Trojan is a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy beginning in the 1950s...
. Operations were against the Communist Pathet Lao guerrilla forces, with also a number of attempted internal coups.
The RLAF's French beginnings
An air unit for the Laotian military was first planned in May 1954. Proposed equipment consisted of French MS.500 Criquets, DHC L-20 Beavers, and helicopters, as well as C-47s. On 6 August 1954, as Laos became independent, the departing French military gave ten Criquets to the Lao Army. The treaty of independence granted France the right to have a military mission in Laos. This military mission supplied 132 instructors headed by a colonel to train 200 Lao in air operations. The Aviation Laotienne was founded at Wattay AirfieldWattay International Airport
-Ground transportation:Access to airport by taxi, car and tuk-tuk. A taxi rank is located outside the main arrival hall.-Accidents and incidents:*On 24 March 1976, Douglas C-47A XW-TAF and C-47Bs XW-TDF and XW-TDR or Royal Air Lao were damaged beyond economic repair in a storm.-External links:* *...
, Vientiane at this time; its initial unit was the First Observation and Liaison Squadron. It served a double purpose, as its Criquets were used for training Lao pilots, as well as ongoing military duties. Other than Wattay, available landing strips in the country consisted of rough runways at Xieng Khouang
Xieng Khouang Airport
Xieng Khouang Airport is an airport in Phonsavan, Laos .-Airlines and destinations:Lao Airlines offers six flights a week in peak season and four flights to Vientiane in low season.Flights are at noon and leave in the early afternoon.-References:...
, Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang , is a city located in north central Laos, where the Nam Khan river meets the Mekong River about north of Vientiane. It is the capital of Luang Prabang Province...
, Pakse, and the Plaine des Jarres. The French air force bequeathed four C-47s with French aircrews to the RLAF; three were repainted in RLAF insignia. Loan was conditional upon aircraft remaining incountry.
Some 6,500 Royal Lao Army troops out of its 30,000 personnel were surrounded by North Vietnamese
Vietnam People's Army
The Vietnam People's Army is the armed forces of Vietnam. The VPA includes: the Vietnamese People's Ground Forces , the Vietnam People's Navy , the Vietnam People's Air Force, and the Vietnam Marine Police.During the French Indochina War , the VPA was often referred to as the Việt...
and Pathet Lao
Pathet Lao
The Pathet Lao was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group was ultimately successful in assuming political power after the Laotian Civil War. The Pathet Lao were always closely associated with Vietnamese communists...
forces; the RLAF's first mission was aerial resupply of these besieged troops. The French air crews operated the transports while Laotians were being trained; 32 Lao students departed to France for training late in 1955. The first aggressive action by the new air force was the aerial movement of Royalist troops to the Plaine de Jarres in early 1955. These Royalist ground troops on the Plaine de Jarres became part of the air bridge resupply effort.
The French-crewed C-47s were used for this operation, in conjunction with C-46 Commandos leased from Civil Air Transport. "Civilian" C-47s under contract were used to drop the Royalist Paratroop Battalion in Xieng Khouang to counter Pathet Lao expansion into the province. As part of this action, Lao pilots in training flew reconnaissance missions in the Criquets. The four Sikorsky H-19 helicopters of the new air force were insufficient for such duties as medevac
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
ing the ill and wounded, two additional H-19s were acquired from the Royal Thai Air Force
Royal Thai Air Force
The Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913, as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force had engaged in many major and minor battles. During the Vietnam war era, the air force has been developed with USAF-aid...
in October 1955. The latter copters were supplied without markings, and were officially Thai Airways
Thai Airways International
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited is the national flag carrier and largest airline of Thailand. Formed in 1988, the airline's headquarters are located in Chatuchak District, Bangkok, and operates out of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Thai is a founding member of the Star Alliance. Thai is a...
craft.
In addition, French military intelligence had set up anticommunist guerrilla units throughout northern Laos, up to and over the North Vietnamese border. However, the loaner transports were not used for logistical support of the units in North Vietnam because they were not allowed to fly internationally. Instead, the "special missions" were entrusted to two private charter airlines flying under contract to the Lao military–Laos Air Lines and Lao Air Transport.
In late 1956, the C-47 transports were crewed by newly trained Lao. In 1957, the last 85 French instructors left Laos. By the time of their departure, most of the Lao aircraft were grounded due to lack of maintenance.
Americans and Soviets enter the scene
The United States of America took up the slack as the French departed, setting up the Programs Evaluation OfficePrograms Evaluation Office
The Programs Evaluation Office was a military mission to Laos, established in 1955 by the United States Department of Defense.-Motive:With the end of World War II, Laos was no longer under the French Union but entirely sovereign and was governed by the Royal Lao Government. The Royal Lao Army was...
as a sub rosa military mission in January 1954. It supplied 100 instructors to replace the departing French mentors. It also supplied six C-47s, two DHC L-20s, and two L-19 Bird Dogs. They also began airfield construction thoroughout the country.
In January 1956, PEO turned over four C-47s to the Lao, in the first direct U. S. support of the fledgling air force. The PEO's three year development plan for Aviation Laotienne called for a transport squadron of eight C-47s, an observation squadron 12 L-19 Bird Dogs, and a liaison squadron containing four Sikorsky H-19s and four L-20 Beavers. A light strike force of twelve AT-6 Texans was also envisioned.
A few more DHC L-20s were delivered in 1957; its STOL
STOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...
capabilities well fitted it for the primitive conditions of Laotian airstrips. One or more of these L-20s arrived with a .50 caliber machine gun still mounted; the natural use for such an armed craft was as a gunship for strafing ground targets. Also in 1957, the first Lao commander was appointed to head the Aviation Laotienne.
In July 1958, a coup brought Phoumi Nosavan
Phoumi Nosavan
Phoumi Nosavan was a Lao military and political figure of the Vietnam War . Nosavan was of Chinese descent....
to power in Laos; he subsequently requested additional aid from the United States. By the following year, PEO planned to reinforce the Lao air force with six North American T-28 Trojans. It also became apparent that the aviation support available for the Royalist government's war against the Communists was insufficient, even when augmented by Air America contract flights. The U.S. Air Force 315th Air Division
315th Air Division
The 315th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated in April 1969.-History:...
sent a detachment incountry dressed in civilian clothing on a month's temporary duty to operate C-119G Flying Boxcars, C-123 Provider
C-123 Provider
The C-123 Provider was an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and subsequently built by Fairchild Aircraft for the United States Air Force...
s, and C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
transports in support of the Royalists. After they flew 72 sorties, they were withdrawn on 27 April 1959 because of international political pressure.
Two French Alouette
Alouette
Alouette is the French word for a lark.Alouette or alouettes may also refer to:In music and literature:*"Alouette" , a children's song...
helicopters were purchased for the Lao air force in 1960. In August, Kong Le
Kong Le
Kong Le is a former paratrooper captain in the Royal Lao Army known for overthrowing the government of Laos in a 1960 coup d'état. He obtained his training from the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 1957 and joined the Royal Lao Army in 1960.-Coup of 1960:...
's paratroopers launched a coup to unseat Nosavan; once he gained power, he requested aid from North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Three months later, Nosavan launched an American-backed countercoup from his base in Savannakhet
Savannakhet
Savannakhet or Kaysone Phomvihane is a city in western Laos and the capital of the Savannakhet Province, previously known as Khanthabouli . This is the second-largest city in Laos, after Vientiane. The city is birthtown of Kaysone Phomvihane, former president of Laos, and was named after him in...
. When Kong Le retreated from Vientiane, he took with him two usable C-47s and two L-20 Beavers from Aviation Laotienne and formed the Neutralist Laotian Air Force. Nosavan's offensive followed Kong Le's forces to the Plaine des Jarres. Nosavan received aerial logistical support not only from the diminished Lao air force, but from four Air American H-34s and Royal Thai Air Force
Royal Thai Air Force
The Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913, as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force had engaged in many major and minor battles. During the Vietnam war era, the air force has been developed with USAF-aid...
H-19s, as well as Bird & Son.
In 1963, the Lao acquired a De Havilland Dove
De Havilland Dove
The de Havilland DH.104 Dove was a British monoplane short-haul airliner from de Havilland, the successor to the biplane de Havilland Dragon Rapide and was one of Britain's most successful post-war civil designs...
.
See also
- Laotian Civil War
- Palace DogPalace DogPalace Dog was a United States Air Force covert operation to support the Royal Laotian Government in its military operations during the Laotian Civil War portion of the Vietnam War. It, in tandem with the Raven FACs was partially—in fact, largely—responsible for Laos becoming the most heavily...
- Project 404Project 404Project 404 was the code name for a covert United States Air Force advisory mission to Laos during the later years of the Second Indochina War, which would eventually become known in the United States as the Vietnam War...
- Raven Forward Air Controllers
Major timeline
- 28 January 1955: Aviation Laotienne established
- 1960: Pathet LaoPathet LaoThe Pathet Lao was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group was ultimately successful in assuming political power after the Laotian Civil War. The Pathet Lao were always closely associated with Vietnamese communists...
begins to operate aircraft - August 1960: Aviation Laotienne renamed Royal Lao Air Force (RLAF)
- Spring 1963: dissident Kong LeKong LeKong Le is a former paratrooper captain in the Royal Lao Army known for overthrowing the government of Laos in a 1960 coup d'état. He obtained his training from the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 1957 and joined the Royal Lao Army in 1960.-Coup of 1960:...
air arm re-integrated into RLAF - Early 1976: Royal Lao Air Force renamed Lao People's Liberation Army Air ForceLao People's Liberation Army Air ForceThe Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force is the air force of Laos.-History:The present-day LPLAAF is descended from the Aviation Laotienne, which was established by the French and later became the Royal Lao Air Force. Pathet Lao guerrilla forces began to operate a few aircraft from 1960, as did...
(LPLAAF)