The Don Englebreston Collection

Elevated View of an Airfield Ramp with A-1 Skyraiders in Corrugated Steel Revetments, Southeast Asia, Vietnam War Era

Elevated View of an Airfield Ramp with A-1 Skyraiders in Corrugated Steel Revetments, Southeast Asia, Vietnam War Era

An elevated view across a Southeast Asian airbase ramp during the Vietnam War. Douglas A-1 Skyraiders - piston-engine attack aircraft nicknamed "Spads" - are parked inside prefabricated corrugated-steel revetments, the blast pens that shielded individual aircraft from rocket and mortar attack. Fire trucks, fuel tankers, and munitions tugs crowd the apron, and rows of transport aircraft line the far taxiway. The karst limestone peaks on the horizon point to a base in the Thailand-Laos border region, likely one of the Royal Thai Air Force fields from which USAF Skyraiders flew "Sandy" search-and-rescue escort and close air support missions. This is a low-resolution copy; individual aircraft serials and unit markings are not legible. Project: 219827