Mr-X Posted January 6, 2009 Share #1 Posted January 6, 2009 Post any pics of Vietnam War Hurricane Aircat or other type Airboats. Here is a LINK to a review of the DVD "Vietnam Airboats" by John M. Carrico. Here is a LINK to a short video of Mike Force AirCat Airboats in action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr-X Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share #2 Posted January 6, 2009 Det A-404, Co D, 5th SFG(A), IV Corps Vietnam 1970. From VetFriends.com flickr photostream. Co's Boat, El Cid; my boat, Head Frog (my call sign) When we think of the Vietnam War we Often think of soldiers jumping in and out of helicopters as this was the major strategy for combat. In late 1964, another form of transportation and combat made its debut in the Mekong Delta, the Hurricane Aircat (Airboats).Capable of operating in just four inches of water, it was powered by a rear mounted airplane propeller and could reach almost 35mph...perfect for the Marsh land and rice fields. This speed of 35mph made the craft perfect for flank security of Riverine assault boats or for fast reconnaissance. CIDG and Mike Force units also used them in the rainy season to pursue and intercept the Viet Cong throughout the flooded areas of the Mekong Delta. The Aircat was armed with a Browning 30cal. machine gun mounted on the bow and could carry a maximum of 6 soldiers. Some were mounted with a 50cal. mounted on the bow but that would push the boats back and they would have to keep pulling forward as they lit up the tree lines firing on the Viet Cong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr-X Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share #3 Posted January 6, 2009 Photos taken by myself in April 2008 of the preserved Aircat Airboat at the Korean National War Memorial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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gunbarrel Posted January 6, 2009 Share #10 Posted January 6, 2009 Mr-X, Thanks for this interesting post. I had no idea that air boats were used in Viet Nam. Must have been a Florida boy that came up with that idea One thing is fer sure--they were not used in stealth operations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr-X Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share #11 Posted January 6, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Flick Posted January 7, 2009 Share #12 Posted January 7, 2009 Hello Mr-X: I thought that perhaps you might like to see this pic from my photo archives. Regards, Charlie Flick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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