Missiles Fired Aircraft Lost Effectiveness
1965 194 11 5.7%
1966 1,096 31 2.8%
1967 3,202 56 1.75%
1968 322 3 0.9%
1972 4,244 49 1.15%
North Vietnam deployed the Soviet-built SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missile in 1965. Its effectiveness diminished as US airmen developed defensive tactics, added electronic countermeasures, and sent “Wild Weasel” aircraft to destroy, deter, and intimidate the SAM batteries. A few SA-3s, effective at lower altitudes, were introduced later in the war, as were shoulder-fired SA-7s, which were deadly against slow-flying aircraft in South Vietnam.
Source : John T Correll The Vietnam War Almanac, AIR FORCE Magazine / September 2004
