Educational historical project visualizing recorded herbicide spray missions during the Vietnam War.
A mixture of two herbicides (2,4-D and 2,4,5-T). It was the most widely used herbicide during the war.
Primary purpose: Defoliation of forest cover to deny cover to enemy forces.
Contained traces of TCDD (dioxin), a highly toxic compound linked to severe long-term health issues and environmental contamination.
A mixture of 2,4-D and picloram. Used when Agent Orange was not available or near sensitive crops.
Purpose: Defoliation and forest degradation. Persisted in soil longer than Agent Orange.
Did not contain dioxin, but picloram is persistent in the environment.
An arsenic-based herbicide (cacodylic acid). Unlike Orange and White, it killed plants by desiccation.
Primary purpose: Crop destruction (rice) to deprive enemy forces of food supplies.
Arsenic is toxic and persists in the soil, posing long-term agricultural risks.
Aerial spraying was the primary method of delivery, consolidated under **Operation Ranch Hand**. The primary aircraft used was the **Fairchild C-123 Provider**, equipped with specialized spray tanks. Helicopters and ground-based trucks, and even backpacks, were also used for smaller-scale or perimeter operations around bases.
From the early 1960s to early 1970s, the U.S. military employed herbicides as part of a strategy to remove forest cover and destroy food crops used by the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong. This environmental warfare tactic aimed to improve visibility for military operations and disrupt enemy supply lines.
The most in-depth work on the political and scientific controversies surrounding defoliants.
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Technical and historical analysis by the leading expert on the topic.
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How war and chemistry changed the landscape of Vietnam; perfectly complements the map.
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