South Vietnam Air Force

Republic of Vietnam Air Force
Không lực Việt Nam Cộng hòa
Emblem of the South Vietnamese air force
Founded	1955
Disbanded	1975
Country	South Vietnam
Type	Air force
Role	Air defense Air warfare
Size	63,000 personnel (at height) 2,075 aircraft (at height)
Part of	Republic of Vietnam Military Forces
Garrison/HQ	Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon
Nickname(s)	KLVNCH (VNAF in English)
Motto(s)	Tổ Quốc — Không Gian ("Fatherland — Space")
March	Không quân Việt Nam hành khúc
Anniversaries	1 July (VNAF Day)
Engagements	Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Laotian Civil War
Commanders
Notable commanders	Nguyễn Khánh Nguyễn Xuân Vinh Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Trần Văn Minh
Insignia
Flag
Roundel
Fin Flash
Fin Flash (type 2)
Aircraft flown
Attack	MD 315 Flamant, T-28, A-1, A-37, AC-47, AC-119G/K
Bomber	B-57 Canberra
Electronic warfare	EC-47
Fighter	F8F Bearcat, F-5A/B/C/E
Patrol	Republic RC-3 Seabee
Reconnaissance	RF-5A, MS 500 Criquet, O-1 Bird Dog, O-2 Skymaster, U-17
Trainer	T-6, T-28, T-41, T-37, H-13
Transport	Dassault MD 315 Flamant, C-45, Aero Commander, C-47, DC-6, C-7 Caribou, C-119, C-123, C-130, H-19, H-34, UH-1, CH-47

The South Vietnam Air Force, officially the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF; Vietnamese: Không lực Việt Nam Cộng hòa, KLVNCH; French: Force aérienne vietnamienne, FAVN) (sometimes referred to as the Vietnam Air Force or VNAF), was the aerial branch of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, the official military of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) from 1955 to 1975.

The RVNAF began with a few hand-picked men chosen to fly alongside French pilots during the State of Vietnam era. It eventually grew into the world's fourth largest air force at the height of its power, in 1974, just behind the Soviet Union, the USA, and the People's Republic of China.^[1] Other sources state that VNAF was the sixth largest air force in the world, just behind the Soviet Union, the USA, China, France and West Germany.^[2] It is an often neglected chapter of the history of the Vietnam War as they operated in the shadow of the United States Air Force (USAF). It was dissolved in 1975 after the Fall of Saigon; many of its members emigrated to the United States.