Phan Rang Air Base 2.8

Phan Rang Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located 5.2mi north-northwest of Phan Rang – Tháp Chàm in Ninh Thuận Province.Initially built by the Imperial Japanese Army about 1942, the airfield was also used by the French Air Force during the First Indochina War then abandoned in 1954. The United States rebuilt the airfield in 1965 and it was used by the South Vietnamese Air Force and the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War in the II Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam.It was seized by the Vietnam People's Army in April 1975 and has been in use by the Vietnam People's Air Force ever since.OverviewPhan Rang Air Base is located along the coast, with the airfield located about 3mi inland. The facility is located near the base of rugged jungle-clad mountains to the west. Near the entrance to the base are ruins of a Cham temple, reportedly built in the 12th Century.After April 1975, the VPAF operated various captured VNAF Cessna A-37a and Bell UH-1 Huey helicopters at the base until about 1998. They were replaced by Russian Sukhoi Su-30MK2Vs, a variant of the Su-30MK2 tailored to VPAF requirements. Additionally, 12 earlier models Sukhoi Su-27SK and 3 Su-27UBK were in the VPAF service at Phan Rang.