U-Tapao International Airport
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| U-Tapao International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| IATA: UTP - ICAO: VTBU | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Joint Use (Civil/Military) | ||
| Serves | Pattaya | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 42 ft (13 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 18/36 | 11,500 | 3,505 | Asphalt |
U-Tapao (Thai: อู่ตะเภา; also spelt Utapao and U-Taphao) (IATA: UTP, ICAO: VTBU) is both an active civil airport (U-Tapao International Airport) and home of the Royal Thai Navy First Air Wing (U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield). During the Vietnam War it was a front-line base of the United States Air Force.
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[edit] Location
U-Tapao is approximately 90 miles south-east of Bangkok, near Sattahip on the Gulf of Siam, about 45 minutes drive from Pattaya (Thailand's most popular beach resort) and Rayong.U-Tapao lies south of route 3(Thanon Sukhumvit) at Km 189.The geographical location is .
[edit] Current Uses
[edit] Civil
Civilian airlines using U-Tapao are:
- Bangkok Airways (Koh Samui, Phuket) : (using (ATR-72)
- Transaero (Moscow) : (using Boeing 747-200).These flights have now stopped during the low season.It is expected they will re-commence in October 2007.
- Korean Air (Seoul-Incheon) : (using Boeing 737-800)These flights have now ceased effective from 25 March 2007.
[edit] Former Services
U-Tapao International Airport has been formerly serviced by Jetstar Asia Airways
[edit] Humanitarian
A multinational force headquarters was established at U-Tapao to coordinate humanitarian relief efforts for the Sumatran Tsunami of 26 December 2004.
[edit] Military
U-Tapao is the main flying base for the Royal Thai Navy.squadrons based include
No 101 Squadron flying Dornier DO-228-212(7 aircraft). No 102 Squadron flying P-3T/UP-3T(3 aircraft)and Fokker F-27-200ME aircraft(a total of 3,at least 1 of which is in store). No 103 Squadron flying Cessna 337 H-SP(10 aircraft,some may be stored).
No 201 Squadron flying Canadair CL-215(1 aircraft),GAF Nomad N-24A(3 aircraft,a fourth aircraft is in store) and Fokker F-27-400M (2 aircraft). No 202 Squadron flying Bell 212 helicopters(approx 6). No 203 Squadron flying Bell 214SP helicopters(recently grounded after a fatal crash killing 9 crewmembers on March 23,2007),Sikorsky S-76B(6 helicopters) and Super Lynx Mk.110(2 helicopters).
No 302 Squadron flying Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters(6 in service).
2 squadrons are 'dormant'
No 104 Squadron which flew 14 A-7E and 4 TA-7C Corsair strike aircraft. No 301 Squadron which flew AV-8S and TAV-8S(2 aircraft).
For several years, beginning in 1981, U-Tapao has hosted parts of Operation Cobra Gold - the largest U.S. military peacetime exercise in the Pacific - jointly involving U.S., Singaporean, and Thai Forces, and designed to build ties between the nations and promote interoperability between their military components.
Thailand is an important element in the Pentagon's new strategy of "forward positioning". Despite Thailand's neutrality on the war in Iraq, the Thai government allowed U-Tapao to be used by American warplanes flying into combat in Iraq, as it had earlier done during the war in Afghanistan. In addition, U-Tapao may be where Al Qaeda operatives have been interrogated, according to some retired American intelligence officials.
[edit] Military History
[edit] USAF Use During The Vietnam War
U-Tapao RTNAF was a front-line facility of the United States Air Force (USAF) during the Vietnam War from 1965 through 1975. The USAF forces at Korat were under the command of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The APO for U-Tapao was APO San Francisco, 96330
U.S. Air Force aircraft stationed at U-Tapao during the Viet Nam era included: B-52D bombers, KC-135 aerial refueling tankers, P-3 patrol aircraft, and Lockheed's U-2 and SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft.
Prior to 1965, U-Tapao was a small Royal Thai Navy airfield. At Dong Muang Air Base near Bangkok the USAF had stationed KC-135 air refueling tankers from Strategic Air Command (SAC) for refueling tactical combat aircraft over the skies of Indochina. Although Thailand was an active participant in the war, with a token ground force deployed to the Republic of Vietnam and a more substantial involvement in Laos, the visibiliy of the large USAF Boeing tankers in its capital was causing political embarrassment to the Thai government.[citation needed]
The USAF 7th Air Force wanted to have additional KC-135's in Thailand and the solution reached was to expand the Naval airfield at U-Tapao and base the tankers there. Expansion of U-Tapao began in October 1965, with the completed new facility opening at the end of 1967. The 11,000-foot runway became operational on 6 July 1966.
U-Tapao received its first complement of USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC) KC-135 tankers in August 1966. By September, the base was supporting 15 tankers.
[edit] 4258th Strategic Wing
The 4258th Strategic Wing (SAC) was activated in June 1966 at U-Tapao under the 3rd Air Division, Andersen AFB, Guam. The wing was initailly charged with the responsibility of supporting refueling requirements of USAF fighter aircraft in Southeast Asia. Later, a second mission of hosting B-52 strategic bombers was added and these aircraft conducted bombing missions over Indochina on a daily basis from U-Tapao .
By the end of September 1966 SAC B-52 bombers were flying about 430 missions a month over targets in Indochina from Andersen AFB, Guam. The USAF wanted to increase this to 600/month by 1 November and 840/month by January 1967. To increase this rate, additional B-52's were deployed to Kadena AB, Okinawa. However, these bases were far from Vietnam. Plans were made to relocate the B-52's to the Philippines or Taiwan, but these plans were rejected due to political sensitivity.
The best solution was to base the B-52's in South Vietnam or in Thailand. The cost to upgrade an existing Vietnamese Air Base was high, and the security questions were also troubling. U-Tapao had an existing runway suitable for the bombers and the cost for upgrades to the base were minimal. In January 1967, negotiations between the Americans and Thai government started to base them at U-Tapao. The agreement, reacheed on 2 March 1967 allowed 15 bombers and their support personnel to be based at U-Tapao, with the provision that missions flown from Thailand would not overfly Laos or Cambodia on their way to their targets in Vietnam.
The first B-52's arrived on 10 April 1967. The very next day, B-52 operations were initiated at U-Tapao.
[edit] Operation Arc Light
Operation Arc Light was the 1965 deployment of B-52 heavy bombers to Guam. The B-52 bombers were directed at:
- Targets in South Vietnam not requiring deep penetration of Laos, Cambodia or North Vietnam.
- Targets in North Vietnam that were approved by Washington 24 hours in advance.
- Targets in the remainder of Laos that were approved by Washington 24 hours in advance.
By 1969, about 65 percent of all Arc Light sorties would originate from U-Tapao. In 1972 there were 54 B-52 aircraft stationed in Thailand, with missions commonly flown in three-plane formations known as "cells". B-52's were also employed in a tactical role when ground units in Vietnam in heavy combat requested fire support.
Arc Light missions continued until the cessation of hostilities by all U.S. forces on 15 August 1973.
At the peak of operations in 1969, the units assigned to U-Tapao RTNF were the following:
- Host Unit - 635th Combat Support Group
On 1 April 1970, in conjunction with the redesignation of the 3rd Air Division, Anderson AFB, Guam, as the Eighth Air Force, the 4258th SW was redesignated as the 307th Strategic Wing.
On 1 June 1972 the 307th SW was reorganized into the 17th Air Division (Provisional), the 310th Strategic Wing (Provisional).
Other missions of USAF at the U-Tapao included supplying other U.S. occupied Thai installations with equipment and materiel; support of the U.S. Army, Navy and Coast Guard units in the area; and jurisdiction for what has become known as the Sattahip complex. This complex includesd a nine-berth deep water port, a Coast Guard LORAN station, three U.S. transportation units, and approximately 10,000 American servicemen and Thai nationals.
[edit] Operation Linebacker II
Operation Linebacker II was a United States military operation during the Vietnam War. Sometimes referred to as the "Christmas Bombings" (or "The Eleven Day War" by aircrews), the operation in late December, 1972 had the heaviest bomber strikes of the war, ordered by U.S. President Nixon against targets in North Vietnam. Operation Linebacker II was a resumption of the Linebacker bombings conducted from May to October, except that the emphasis would be on massive attacks by B-52s rather than fighter aircraft.
At U-Tapao 54 B-52s were engaged in Linebacker II. The U-Tapao force had suffered the first loss of a B-52 to a Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) in November, and had had two others damaged by SAM hits. On 26 December 1972 two of U-Tapao's B-52s turned back for mechanical reasons but their cells continued the mission. As a consequence a B-52 in each cell was lost, including one that crash-landed on final approach returning to the base, killing most of its crew.
[edit] South Vietnamese Collapse
In the two years since the 1973 Paris Peace Accords and the War Powers Act the North Vietamese army underwent a massive rebuilding to recoup the losses suffered during the failed 1972 Easter Offensive. By the spring of 1975, the North Vietnamese Army had grown to be the fifth largest in the world, and in late December 1974 had began their drive towards Saigon. By the end of March 1975 North Vietnamese troops had taken over several key cities, either because the ARVN forces were undequipped and undermanned, or because they had fled from the approaching enemy.
By the second week of April, the situation had deteriorated to the point that most of South Vietnam was under the control of the North Vietnamese Army. A Congressional delegation had visited South Vietnam and was unable to convince President Ford to provide more aid. President Ford stated in a speech on April 23 that the Vietnam War ".. was finished".
An estimated 8,000 U.S. and third-country nationals needed to be evactuated from Saigon and the shrinking government-controlled region of South Vietnam, along with thousands of Vietnamese who had worked for the United States during the war who would be in dire straits under the Communists. The evacuation of Saigon was code-named Talon Vice. It called for the evacuation of personnel via commercial aircraft from Tan Son Nhut Air Base and other locations. The plan called for the ARVN to provide crowd control and to secure the evactuation areas. However as the situation deteriorted rapidly in South Vietnam, the plan was changed to use rooftops as helicopter landing pads for evacuating personnel.
The evacuation plans were completed by 18 April and the name was changed to Frequent Wind. U-Tapao Airfield was used as a jumping-off point by the USAF with eight CH-53 and two HH-53 "Sea Stallion" helicopters. Additional helicopters were standing by on board the USS Midway, Nakhon Phanom and Ubon air bases. Korat placed a force of F-4's, A-7's and AC-130's on alert. Udon discontinued its training flights and put its F-4 fighters on alert for combat missions over South Vietnam to support the evacuation.
On 25 April South Vietnamese President Thieu fled the country, and the final collapse of the South Vietnamese government was imminent. Aircraft started to arrive at U-Tapao in South Vietnamese markings. They arrived all that day and the next several days. C-119's, C-130's, C-47's were filled to capacity with men, women and children. After their arrival, the Vietnamese were sequestered in tents near the runway. The adjacent parking ramps and grassy areas were being filled to capacity with South Vietnamese helicopters and aircraft, including many F-5E/F aircraft which were just delivered to South Vietnam in the previous few months.
By 29 April the North Vietnamese had brought in Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) and mobile Surface-To-Air Missiles (SAM) to the Saigon area. Mortar and artillery rounds were impacting at Tan Son Nhut Air Base serverely disrupting the evacuation activities. United States aircraft were being fired upon and USAF fighters from Korat and Udon returned fire, knocking out several AAA and SAM batteries to keep the evactuation corridor open. At the United States Embassy in Saigon, Marine guards shut off the electricity to the elevators and exploded tear gas canisters as they went to the roof to join the evacuees. The last helicopter left the embassy at 7:53 AM.
On 30 April South Vietnam surrendered. A handful of South Vietnamese Air Force aircraft that had been performing last-ditch air strikes completed their missions and flew on to U-Tapao. On 2 May the last air rescue helicopters returned to Nakhon Phanom. The war in Vietnam was over.
[edit] Mayaguez Incident
On 12 May 1975, less than two weeks after the fall of Saigon, a unit of the Cambodian Khmer Rouge navy seized the American-flagged container ship SS Mayaguez, taking the crew hostage. U-Tapao Airfield served as a staging point for United States Marines which deployed to U Tapao and assaulted Koh Tang Island aboard Air Force special-operations and air-rescue H-53 helicopters , hitting the beach at sunrise on the 15 May in the Air Force’s first-ever helicopter-assault operation.
However, virtually everything that could go wrong did. The Marines and helicopter crews never received the good intelligence available about the island’s defenders; they went in expecting 18 to 40 lightly armed militia but instead found a reinforced battalion of elite Khmer Rouge naval infantry. The Cambodians shot down three of the first four helicopters to approach the island, one of them carrying the Marine forward air controller (FAC) team; the fourth was badly damaged and forced to abort. For hours, Air Force A-7's from Korat RTAFB provided fire support failed to find the marines, let alone support them. The Marines hung on by a thread while the remaining H-53s of the assault wave fed in reinforcements trickle by trickle; the enemy badly shot up most of the remaining seven helicopters—only three landed in commission at U Tapao. A boarding party, transferred to the U.S.S. Holt by helicopter, seized the Mayaguez, only to find the ship deserted; the Cambodians had taken its crew to the mainland two days earlier.
When the extraction began, only four H-53s were available, and one was quickly shot up and put out of commission. Maintenance provided one more as the rescue proceeded, providing a razor-thin margin of success.
Also see the Mayaguez incident main article.
[edit] USAF Withdrawal
U-Tapao had come a long way since the first American personnel arrived in the mid 1960's. With the fall of both Cambodia and South Vietnam in the spring of 1975, the political climate between Washington and Bangkok had become very sour, and the Royal Thai Government wanted the USAF out of Thailand by the end of the year. In response, the USAF implemented Palace Lightning which was the plan by which the USAF would withdrawal its aircraft and personnel from Thailand.
The SAC units left in December 1975 however the base remained under American control until it formally handed control to the Thai government on 13 June 1976.
[edit] USAF Major Units At U-Tapao
- 4258th Strategic Wing {1966-1970)
- 307th Strategic Wing (1970-1975)
- 310th Strategic Wing (Provisional)
- 17th Air Division (Provisional) (1972)
- 11th USAF Hospital
- 635th Combat Support Group
- 1985th Communications Squadron
[edit] References
- Glasser, Jeffrey D.: The Secret Vietnam War. The United States Air Force in Thailand, 1961-1975 (1995).
- Martin, Patrick, Tail Code: The Complete History Of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings, 1994
- Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings: Linege and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Office OF Air Force History, United States Air Force, 1984
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- U-Tapao International Airport (official site)
- U-Taphao Airport (thaiflyingclub.com)
- Destinations from U-Tapao International Airport
- World Aero Data airport information for VTBU
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
