Nguyen Hong Nhi
Encyclopedia
Nguyễn Hồng Nhị was a MiG-21
fighter ace of the Vietnam People's Air Force
's 921st Fighter Regiment. Eight kills have been attributed to him with three confirmed by the United States Air Force
. However, it was common practice for American pilots to claim that they were downed by surface-to-air missiles or anti-aircraft guns, this being considered "less embarrassing" than losing in a dogfight
He successfully ejected on 1 August 1968 after being shot down by two Sidewinder
s from a US Navy VF-51
squadron F-8 Crusader
.
The following kills are known to be credited to him by the VPAF:
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek by Polish pilots due to...
fighter ace of the Vietnam People's Air Force
Vietnam People's Air Force
The Vietnam People's Air Force is the air force of Vietnam. It is the successor of the former North Vietnamese Air Force and the absorbed Republic of Vietnam Air Force following the re-unification of Vietnam in 1975.-Beginning-1964 :The first Vietnamese aircraft were two trainers, a de Havilland...
's 921st Fighter Regiment. Eight kills have been attributed to him with three confirmed by the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. However, it was common practice for American pilots to claim that they were downed by surface-to-air missiles or anti-aircraft guns, this being considered "less embarrassing" than losing in a dogfight
He successfully ejected on 1 August 1968 after being shot down by two Sidewinder
AIM-9 Sidewinder
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried mostly by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. The missile entered service with United States Air Force in the early 1950s, and variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces...
s from a US Navy VF-51
VF-51
VF-51, Fighter Squadron 51 was an aviation unit of the United States Navy known as the "Screaming Eagles". The squadron established in 1943 and retired and its personnel reassigned in 1995.- History :...
squadron F-8 Crusader
F-8 Crusader
The Vought F-8 Crusader was a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass...
.
The following kills are known to be credited to him by the VPAF:
- 4 March 1966, a USAF AQM-34 unmanned aerial vehicleUnmanned aerial vehicleAn unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
; - 14 March 1966, another AQM-34;
- 8 November 1967, a USAF F-4DF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
(pilot Gordon, WSO Brenneman); - 17 December 1967, a USAF F-105D;
- 1 August 1968, a USN F-8;
- 18 May 1972, an American F-4.