Covert sites of the Laotian Civil War were clandestine U.S. military installations for conducting covert paramilitary and combat operations in the Kingdom of Laos. Airstrips within the Kingdom of Laos were originally designated by Air America as "Site XX" (with XX being a number). In September 1961, the designation changed to "VS XX", meaning "Victor Site XX". On 16 May 1964, the airstrips received their final designation; the site names then used the abbreviation "LS"—Lima Site—for unimproved strips, or "L"—Lima—for paved runways. The terms "Victor" and "Lima" were taken from the existing military phonetic code.[1]
These sites typically were centered on a dirt landing strip for STOL aircraft such as the Air America Helio Courier or Pilatus Porter. These strips were often carved out along ridge lines, and were seldom flat, straight, or of sufficient length. However, they were crucial for resupply and personnel transport, including medical evacuations. To quote one source: "Some of these defied all the safety rules even of military aviation."[2] A U.S. Air Force inspection team noted that even the best of the Lima strips was inferior to any air strips in Vietnam.[3] Listing follows.
| Lima sites of the Laotian Civil War | |||||||
| No. | Name | Width × length | Elevation | Coordinates | Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS2 | San Tiau | 100 × 800 ft | 5,000 ft | Used as base for Kou Kiet[4] | |||
| LS03 | Nong Het | 100 × 1,200 ft | 4,700 ft | ||||
| L 05 | Paksong | 3,445 ft | |||||
| LS5 | Ban Pa Dong | 70 × 1,670 ft | 4,600 ft | Original site of Operation Momentum | |||
| LS6 | Vang Viang | 90 × 4,400 ft | 800 ft | ||||
| L08 | Vientiane | 561 ft | Air operations center for Military Region 5 | ||||
| L10 | Attopeu | 344 ft. | |||||
| LS10 | Ban Ban | 100 × 1,500 ft. | 1,888 ft | ||||
| L11 | Pakse | 330 ft | Air operations center for Military Region 4 | ||||
| LS15 | Ban Na | 75 X 1,200 ft | 5,050 ft | ||||
| LS19 | Phou Khe | 6,200 ft | |||||
| LS20 | Sam Thong | 50 X 1,900 ft | 3,800 ft | Center for USAID refugee relief | |||
| LS20A | Long Tieng | 60 X 4,450 ft | 3,250 ft | Air operations center for Military Region 2 | |||
| LS22 | Xieng Khouang | 32 X 3,030 ft | 3,444 ft | ||||
| L25 | Ban Huoeisay Airport | 1,380 ft | |||||
| LS26 | Xieng Dat | 150 × 4,000 ft | 2,350 ft | ||||
| LS30 | See LS20A. | ||||||
| LS32 | Bouamlong | 75 X 1,300 ft | 4,000 ft | ||||
| LS36 | Na Khang | 4,400 ft | |||||
| L39 | Savannakhet | 509 ft | Air operations center for Military Region 3 | ||||
| L44 | Salavan | 550 ft. | |||||
| L51 | Pha Khe (west of LS20A Long Tieng) | ||||||
| L54 | Luang Prabang International Airport | 997 ft | Air operations center for Military Region I | ||||
| LS57 | Phou So | 4,500 ft | 19.641184, 102.917037 | (Google coordinates) | |||
| LS61 | Muang Phalan TACAN Site | ||||||
| LS69 | Ban Xieng Lom | 1,900 ft | |||||
| LS85 | Phou Pha Thi | 4,500 ft | TACAN was overrun on 11 March 1968 | ||||
| LS88 | Bouam Long | 40 × 800 ft | 5,000 ft | Used as base for Kou Kiet | |||
| LS98 | Long Tieng | 3,120 ft | |||||
| L108 | Muang Soui | 3,600 ft | |||||
| L118A | Nam Yu | 1,900 ft | |||||
| LS123 | Xam Xauj | Commander, Major Wa Kai Vue | |||||
| LS178 | Phou Saly | 3,200 ft | |||||
| LS187 | Ban Y | ||||||
| LS189 | Ban Houei Sane | 480 ft | |||||
| LS265 | Old San Soak | ||||||
| LS272 | Ban Xong-Na Xu | ??? ft | |||||
| LS 289 | Khong Sedone | 450 ft | UTM WC8524[5] | ||||
| LS 337 | Phou Kang Neua (Xiangkhouang) | ||||||
| LS 449 | Toong Set | 4,100 ft | UTM XB3781 | Alternative designation PS 49[6] | |||