Key Facts
- Duration
- 3 April 1965 – 11 November 1968
- Tactical air sorties flown
- 103,148
- B-52 Arc Light strikes
- 1,718
- U.S. aircraft shot down over Laos
- 132
- PAVN troops infiltrated (est. 1965)
- 4,500 per month
- Materiel infiltrated (est. 1965)
- 300 tons per month
Strategic Narrative Overview
Initiated on 3 April 1965 by the U.S. 2nd Air Division, Steel Tiger employed Air Force, Marine, and Navy aircraft flying from carriers in the South China Sea and bases in South Vietnam and Thailand. A subsidiary operation, Tiger Hound, was added to focus on the southern portion of the trail. From April to June 1966 alone, 400 B-52 sorties targeted the trail. Fixed-wing gunships—AC-47, AC-119, and AC-130—proved the most effective aircraft in disrupting supply movement.
01 / The Origins
By late 1964, U.S. intelligence detected a significant build-up of regimental-size PAVN units operating in South Vietnam, supplied via logistical routes through southeastern Laos collectively known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The escalating American military commitment in South Vietnam, combined with the launch of Operation Rolling Thunder, prompted planners in Washington and Saigon to intensify aerial bombing of the Laotian corridor to choke off North Vietnamese infiltration.
03 / The Outcome
On 11 November 1968, Steel Tiger and Tiger Hound were merged into Operation Commando Hunt. By then, 103,148 tactical sorties and 1,718 B-52 strikes had been flown, with 132 U.S. aircraft lost. The campaign slowed infiltration and forced North Vietnam to divert resources to trail maintenance, but airpower never succeeded in closing the Ho Chi Minh Trail entirely, and PAVN logistics continued to sustain operations in South Vietnam.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent