Two A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft and one C-130J Super Hercules military transport plane of the U.S. Air Force touched down consecutively at Gia Lam military airport in Hanoi on Sunday afternoon, ahead of the 2024 Vietnam International Defense Expo.

As scheduled, the exhibition will take place at Gia Lam Air Base in Hanoi from December 19 to 22, drawing nearly 200 enterprises from 27 countries, including the U.S., Russia, the UK, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, China, and others.

As part of the expo, the U.S. will display these two military aircraft along with a Stryker armored vehicle and an M777 gun in an area of 3,000 square meters outdoors at the air base.

The A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft manufactured by Fairchild Republic, an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company, for the U.S. Air Force.

It is equipped with a high-power 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary autocannon capable of firing armor-piercing ammunition, AGM Maverick air-to-ground missiles or AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles, and GPS- and laser-guided bombs.

With a weapons payload of up to 7.3 metric tons, A-10 attack aircraft provide close air support (CAS) to ground troops by attacking enemy armored vehicles, tanks, and other ground forces.

The C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin, a U.S. aerospace, military support, security, and technology company.

As a medium-sized, wide-body transport aircraft, it has an empty weight of over 34 metric tons and a maximum take-off weight of more than 70 metric tons.

It can carry 20 metric tons of cargo or 92 paratroopers.

The U.S. has 13 exhibitors at the expo, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Teledyne Flir.

The exhibition will feature combat vehicles, weapons, military equipment, and technological solutions for the navy, army, air defense force, logistics, and technical support.

According to the exhibitor list, 77 units from Vietnam will join the expo, showcasing 69 types of weaponry and military equipment that have been researched and produced by the Southeast Asian country’s military since 2022.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 1:30 pm on December 21 to 3:00 pm on December 22, with entry free for all ages.

Themed ‘Peace, Friendship, Cooperation for Mutual Development,’ the event, in its second edition, is scheduled to coincide with the 80th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army and the 35th anniversary of the All-People's National Defense Festival (December 22).

This year’s expo aims to showcase Vietnam’s defense industry capabilities, advance international defense cooperation, and diversify procurement and technology transfer channels related to weapons and technical equipment.

It will also seek opportunities to export Vietnam’s defense products.

The first Vietnam International Defense Expo was held in 2022, attracting 174 enterprises from 30 countries.

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