Operation Arc Light was the code name for the U.S. Air Force’s deployment of B-52 Stratofortress bombers during the Vietnam War, starting on June 18, 1965. Initially aimed at supporting South Vietnamese forces against the Viet Cong, this operation marked the first use of strategic bombers in a tactical role in Southeast Asia. Operating from bases in Guam, Okinawa, and Thailand, B-52s delivered about 30 tons of ordnance per mission. The raids targeted Viet Cong strongholds, supply routes along th