Lost Aussie plane found in Vietnam

CANBERRA - Australian investigators have found the wreckage of a Canberra bomber lost in Vietnam in 1970, possibly closing one of the final chapters of Australia's involvement in the conflict.

Lost with the bomber were Flying Officer Michael Herbert and Pilot Officer Robert Carver, the last two Australian servicemen missing in action in Vietnam.

Defence Personnel Minister Warren Snowdon says the Australian defence investigation team is confident they have found the wrecked bomber in a remote jungle in Quang Nam, near Vietnam's border with Laos.

No human remains have been found but there are military artefacts, including a badge unique to the RAAF's 2 Squadron.

Snowdon says the next step will be an archaeological dig.

Neil James from the Defence Force Association told the ABC: "What's always been the problem with this one is they weren't quite sure where the plane went down and indeed how it went down and whether the crew were able to eject when it was hit, if indeed it was hit or whether they were rendered unconscious when the aircraft was shot down and were in it when it crashed. There's a large number of unknowns."

- AAP