Vietnam plans to incorporate the T-6C Texan II into its pilot training program at Phan Thiet Air Base, according to Pacific Air Forces. (U.S. Air Force)
Vietnam this week received the first of 12 military training aircraft scheduled for delivery through a U.S. program to strengthen partner nation militaries facing China.
The commander of Pacific Air Forces, Gen. Kevin Schneider, was at the controls of one T-6C Texan II — a single-engine turboprop, next-generation trainer made by Beechcraft — when it landed Wednesday at Phan Thiet Air Base, according to a PACAF release that day.
“Today’s arrival of the first T-6 aircraft to the Vietnam Air Defense Air Force represents the promise we made to assist in your air force modernization efforts,” Schneider said in the release.
Five aircraft were delivered Wednesday, according to a statement on the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam website. The remainder are due next year.
The aircraft were made available through the Defense Department’s Building Partnership Capacity program, a form of foreign aid, according to a report Tuesday by a Belgian news site armyrecognition.com.
The delivery is part of an ongoing effort by the United States and Vietnam to modernize the Vietnam air force and deter Beijing’s aggression in the South China Sea, according to a 2021 news release from the 960th Cyberspace Wing. Vietnam and the U.S. first agreed to the T-6 transfer in 2021.
Pacific Air Forces' commander, Gen. Kevin Schneider, right, landed the first of five T-6C Texan IIs at Phan Thiet Air Base, Vietnam, on Nov. 20, 2024. Seven more training aircraft will be delivered to the country next year. (Elizabeth Taranto/U.S. Air Force)
Vietnam, like other countries that ring the South China Sea, is at odds with China over territorial claims, which sometimes result in confrontations between their respective coast guards or harassment of fishing boats by China.
Vietnam plans to incorporate the T-6C Texan II into its pilot training program at Phan Thiet Air Base, according to the PACAF release.
“With these aircraft and your well-trained forces, Vietnam, along with the United States and our international partners, will continue to deliver peace and stability,” Schneider said.
Vietnam’s air force handles every aspect of air defense in the country and buys much of its equipment from Russia, but in recent years has favored U.S. and Israeli equipment, according to the cyberspace wing.
This is not the first time Vietnam has acquired military equipment from the U.S. The Coast Guard has transferred two of its cutters to Vietnamese control since 2017 through the Excess Defense Articles Program.
That program offers excess military equipment to U.S. allies and partners to assist with military modernization efforts.
Vietnam’s acquisition of U.S. military equipment is just one part of the country’s strategy to counter Chinese influence in the region and follow its “three no’s” military strategy, which emphasizes no alliances, no foreign bases in Vietnamese territory and no reliance on any country to combat another, according to the 2021 release.
