Weapons of the Vietnam War
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US Weapons
Firearms
The M16 rifle had just been introduced and was still plagued with defects like jamming, especially when poorly maintained or when dirty. In some cases troops trained on the M14 were given M16s to fight with in Vietnam. Later modifications to the M16 would greatly improve this reliability problem; however, even today the M16 is more sensitive to dirt exposure than many other weapons. Vietnam also saw the first major use of the M60 .30 caliber (7.62 mm) machine gun. The gun attempted to combine the best qualities of the World War 2 era German MG-42, the FG-42, and the earlier '30 cal'. The weapon was lighter than earlier weapons but could sometimes 'run-away' for the shooter, continuing firing after the trigger was released. If it did not stop on its own it was necessary to stop the belt from feeding into it. Although this was not a common experience it occurred enough to be problematic in some situations. During the Vietnam conflict, snipers played an important part. The chief rifles used by US were Remmington bolt actions and modified M-14s also known as M-21s.
Other
- Bell 'Huey'
- AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter
- A-4 Skyhawk lightweight carrier attack plane
- A-6 Intruder carrier bomber
- A-7 Corsair II attack plane
- B-52 Stratofortress
- B-57 Canberra
- C-5 Galaxy
- C-130 Hercules
- C-141 Starlifter
- F-4 Phantom II carrier and land based fighter plane
- F-8 Crusader carrier fighter
- F-105 Thunderchief
- F-100 Super Sabre fighter plane
- Artillery
- M102 105 mm Howitzer
- M48 Tank
- M113 Armored Personnel Carrier
- Mark I PBR
- Redeye Anti-aircraft missile
- M19 60 mm Mortar
- Mark 2 anti-personnel hand-rifle grenade
Other weapons often associated with the Vietnam war include Napalm and the defoliant Agent Orange