Types of Vietnam Military Weapons
Throughout the course of the Vietnam War, a number of different military weapons was used by all sides. A large variety of aircraft, boats and land vehicles was designed and used by the U.S., while Russia supplied much of the North Vietnamese forces' technology. In addition, U.S. forces used a variety of chemical weapons in an effort to destroy crops and livestock in both North and South Vietnam.
Guns
While a number of different firearms were used by both sides in the conflict, two types of rifles became popularized by the Vietnam War. The U.S. military most commonly used the M-16, while the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong used Russian-made AK-47s.
Land Vehicles
Both sides of the conflict used a wide variety of land vehicles. Due to the terrain of the country, tanks were relegated mostly to city warfare. However, the necessity of land vehicles remained. The military chose to utilize a World War II era, quarter-ton jeep known as the "Willy."
Boats
The rivers in Vietnam became heavily militarized during the conflict. While the Vietnamese forces used a wide variety of small river boats, U.S. forces developed a number of patrol craft, most notably swift boats. Swift boats were fast, all-aluminum, 50-foot-long vessels with a shallow draft.
Aircraft
The air war of Vietnam was limited in scope due to the superiority of the U.S. Air Force and Navy. The North Vietnam military primarily used Russian-designed MiG fighters, while the U.S. used a wide variety of aircraft, though it relied most heavily on large-scale bombers and various helicopter gunships.
Chemical Weapons
During the early 1960s, the Kennedy administration authorized chemical weapons to be used in Vietnam. For the next decade, a number of herbicides and chemicals was used to destroy vegetation. The most well known of these is Dioxin, otherwise known as Agent Orange.
