1 - The Black Vault

COMBAT SPEAR
Korean government. 139 To ensure that the squadron
would not be caught again with a sole source for
low-level training, the 1st SOS began preparing additional
training routes in Taiwan. 140
Throughout the spring of 1973, the 1st SOS
was assigned five aircraft—three Yank and two
Clamp (62-1843, 63-7785, 64-0564, 64-0566, and
64-0567). Yank aircraft 64-0564 arrived in April,
with Clamp aircraft 64-0567 being retained by
the unit until 10 August. During the summer the
PSYOPS campaign continued to target Cambodia.
North Vietnam had invaded that country,
and the US government attempted to turn the
tide of battle in favor of the provisional Cambodian
army. Captured North Vietnamese soldiers
indicated that PSYOPS leaflets dropped by 1st
SOS aircraft were definitely having an effect on
both soldiers and civilians on the ground. A
North Vietnamese company commander surrendered
to a South Vietnamese unit and indicated
that he had personally seen the effects of leaflets,
radios, and counterfeit bank notes during the
past year. He further stated that all were quite
effective and were a deciding factor in influencing
him to surrender. 141
In March the squadron received the SA-1800CC-
AN/UNH airborne speaker system, project codenamed
Big Mouth, to augment its PSYOPS capabilities.
On 9 May the system was tested over the Ie
Shima training range, and optimum operational altitudes
were established. By 25 June the results of
the tests had been tabulated, and aircrew checklists
were sent to PACAF for approval and incorporation
into MCM 55-130, volume 2. The speaker system
provided either a microphone or tape input capa -
bility that was amplified and then transmitted outside
the aircraft through the left paratroop door.
Although not immediately employed in SEA, the
new system promised to improve PSYOPS capabilities
for the squadron. 142
On 23 August 1973 the 1st SOS ferried aircraft
64-0566 to the 318th SOS at Pope AFB. With its
departure the Fulton STARS capability was no
longer deployed to the Pacific region. Remaining
Fulton equipment was sent back to Pope AFB.
Unit personnel remained current in the capability
until the end of the year, although no additional
recoveries were made from August onward. The
system had proved to be a unique capability, but
the cost associated with maintaining proficiency
and keeping the system operational by maintenance
personnel proved to be an expensive undertaking.
The 318th SOS maintained a STARS commitment
to PACAF, and it could be tasked to
forward deploy if the capability was needed intheater.
143
With its requirement to fly low-level training
missions in South Korea, the 1st SOS sought to
become more involved in Korean exercises. The
squadron was not earmarked for Korean employment
in time of war, and unless it participated in
the joint/combined exercise program there, its approval
to train in country would eventually be rescinded
by the Korean government. Exercise Foal
Eagle was sponsored by the JCS and included participation
by US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, and
Republic of Korea forces. The 1st SOS was successful
in getting itself force listed for Foal Eagle 74,
which was scheduled for the February–March 1974
period. In preparation for its participation, the
squadron began expanding its low-level route structure
during the fall of 1973. Also in preparation for
the exercise, 1st SOS crews began dropping US
Navy SEALs into water drop zones off the coast of
South Korea. The water drops marked the first time
the squadron had dropped SEALs into open water
drop zones. As its Korean commitment expanded,
the FOL at Takhli RTAFB continued in operation
with one aircraft stationed there on a continuous
basis. Daily combat missions were flown over Cambodia
in support of the PSYOPS campaign.
On 29 October 1973 the 1st SOS received its
fourth Yank aircraft (64-0565) from LAS Ontario.
This aircraft was the first Talon equipped with the
S3-A FLIR system and the new System 56 ECM
suite. A basic requirement of the installation of
the equipment was that it had to be covert and
could not be identified from outside the aircraft
while on the ground. To accommodate this requirement,
the FLIR ball was mounted in a retractable
turret located behind the nose landing gear. Inside
the FLIR ball was an infrared lens that differentiated
between objects by determining their relative
temperatures. A display screen, resembling a
television screen, was mounted at the navigation
console on the flight deck. The remainder of the
FLIR system was mounted in the cargo compartment.
FLIR allowed the navigator to view unmarked
and unlit drop zones, and it also provided
the capability to display terrain during low-level
operations. Such major areas as airfields, rivers,
and lakes could be seen on the screen, which displayed
a picture similar to a black and white television.
In operation the navigator could zoom in on
a particular target by way of the FLIR’s telephoto
system, thus providing the navigator with an expanded
close-up view of the target. The system was
developed by Texas Instruments and was designed
117