Operation Arc Light | |
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Part of Second Indochina War (Vietnam • Laos • Cambodia), Combat Skyspot | |
Type | Close air support operations |
Location | |
Commanded by | United States Air Force; National Security Agency; Lyndon B. Johnson; Richard Nixon |
Target | Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia |
Date | 1965–1973 |
Executed by | U.S. Air Force, Strategic Air Command, Combat Skyspot; National Security Agency |
Casualties | 16 B-52 Stratofortresses lost |
During Operation Arc Light (sometimes Arclight) from 1965 to 1973, the United States Air Force deployed B-52 Stratofortresses from bases in the U.S. Territory of Guam to provide battlefield air interdiction during the Vietnam War. This included strikes at enemy bases, supply routes, and behind the lines troop concentrations, as well as occasionally providing close air support directly to ground combat operations in Vietnam.[1]
The conventional bombing campaign was supported by ground-control-radar detachments of the 1st Combat Evaluation Group (1CEVG) in Operation Combat Skyspot. Arc Light operations usually targeted enemy base camps, troops concentrations, and supply lines.[citation needed]