Five Vietnam War Photos of American Air Boats

Five Vietnam War Photos of American Air Boats. During the Vietnam War (1965–1973), the United States military extensively employed airboats—shallow-draft, flat-bottomed vessels powered by large, aircraft-style propellers mounted above the waterline—in the riverine and marshy environments of the Mekong Delta and the Rung Sat Special Zone southeast of Saigon. Known officially as Patrol Airboats (PABs), these craft were uniquely suited for operations in flooded rice paddies, dense mangroves, and shallow waterways where conventional boats could not navigate, often operating in water as shallow as six inches. The U.S. Navy’s “Brown Water Navy” under Task Force 116 integrated airboats into River Assault Squadrons, particularly River Division 53 and the Mobile Riverine Force, operating from bases such as Dong Tam, My Tho, and Can Tho. These units used airboats for armed patrol, troop insertion, fire support, and interdiction of Viet Cong supply lines. The U.S. Army’s 9th Infantry Division, in coordination with the Navy, deployed airboats to support infantry assaults, often pairing them with helicopter insertions for rapid, multi-dimensional strikes into enemy territory. Navy SEAL teams also relied heavily on airboats for clandestine operations, modifying them with silenced engines and blackout paint for nighttime infiltration and extraction in remote, enemy-controlled wetlands. Typically constructed with aluminum or fiberglass hulls measuring 16 to 20 feet and powered by Lycoming or Continental aircraft engines producing 260 to 300 horsepower, these rugged, maneuverable craft became indispensable tools in America’s riverine warfare strategy, enabling control over terrain previously considered inaccessible.