Fairchild AU-23

The Fairchild AU-23 was an American Cold War transport, anti-guerrilla, and direct fire support aircraft. The flight of the prototype took place in 1971. The AU-23 aircraft is a development of the Fairchild Porter civilian machine. It was designed for use by American troops operating in Vietnam, and its main task was to conduct operations against the Viet Cong and provide fire support to its own infantry. However, during field tests and limited participation in activities, it became clear that the structure did not meet the requirements set for it. First, it was very slow, didn't have the best rate of climb, and also lacked armor, which was a big mistake given the nature of the missions the AU-23 was meant to perform. Eventually, virtually all Fairchild AU-23s were donated to Thailand.