The use of air power in the Vietnam War would change the way wars were fought both in the Twentieth century and beyond. New technological advances and more sophisticated weapons made the Vietnam War a testing ground for the US military, and new tactics and approaches were used with varying degrees of success. Air power would now be used as a bargaining tool and Vietnam also introduced the attack helicopter as a vital weapon. The conflict began with the training and advising of the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF), and culminated with the Christmas bombing of 1972, and saw the US involved in the skies of Southeast Asia for over fifteen years. Consistent with US military as well as political objectives, the air war in Vietnam gradually increased throughout the campaign and air components from all four military services were utilised. Jet bombers and fighters were used extensively for the first time in the history of modern warfare, and a new age of warfare dawned. The North Vietnamese, with the help of the Soviet Union, had developed an extensive air defence network, and as a result the US suffered heavy helicopter, aircraft and pilot losses throughout the war.
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