There were heavy aircraft losses during the Vietnam War. Hundreds of U.S. fixed-wing aircraft were lost to ground fire of anti-aircraft artillery (AAA); surface-to-air missiles (SAMs); and fighter interceptors (MiG)s. The great majority of U.S. combat losses in all areas of Southeast Asia were to AAA.

In 1972; Following the bombing of Hanoi and the North during Operations Linebacker 1 and Linebacker 2; North Vietnam announced that the 4;000 USAF planes had been shot down during the Second Indochina War / Vietnam War to date.

The USA disputes this figure but concedes that during the course of the war the US Air Force flew 5.25 million sorties over South Vietnam; North Vietnam; northern and southern Laos; and Cambodia; losing 2;251 aircraft: 1;737 to hostile action; and 514 to operational causes. 110 of the losses were helicopters and the rest fixed-wing.