1 - The Black Vault

PRAETORIAN STARSHIP
down and began slowing to taxi speed, the lights
were turned off to prevent burn through. On that
night, 17 December 1979, safe blacked-out landings
on NVGs became a reality for fixed-wing aircraft.
The IR paper first located by Oliver and
then by Vaught’s JTF staff, and the lenses developed
by Oliver’s team at Detachment 4, revolutionized
Combat Talon airland capabilities. 43
The First Night One/Night Two
Combined Exercise Is Flown
On the nights of 18 and 19 December, the first
two-night joint exercise was flown in the deserts
of southern California and western Arizona.
Vaught had seen pieces of the two-night operation,
but he wanted to put them together for a run
through to see where additional work was needed.
Air Force objectives for the exercise were threefold:
to refine NVG blacked-out landing tactics
(utilizing the newly acquired IR paper lenses), to
test helicopter refueling procedures from the
3,000-gallon bladder system installed on one of
the Combat Talons, and to evaluate the AC-
130H’s ability to covertly illuminate the MC-130E
landing zone. Night One refueling operations
would take place at Twenty-Nine Palms Marine
Corps Expeditionary Airfield, California, while
the Night Two exfiltration would utilize Holtsville
Airport, California. Norton AFB and Laguna
Army Airfield (AAF) at Yuma, Arizona, were used
as staging and onload locations. 44
While the 8th SOS was refining its NVG procedures,
Turczynski and his 1st SOS crews had continued
their no-light practice landings. From 19 to
23 December, Turczynski was scheduled to attend
the PACAF Commander’s Conference in Hawaii.
Soon after his arrival in Hawaii, Kyle contacted
Turczynski and told him to proceed to Norton
AFB and link up with Brenci. Turczynski flew as
an extra crew member on Brenci’s aircraft during
the combined exercise, took notes, and observed
blacked-out NVG approaches and landings.
For the Night One operation, Brenci’s Combat
Talon onloaded the ranger security force at
Laguna AAF and departed low level en route to
Twenty-Nine Palms. Concurrently, six Navy RH-
53Ds lifted off from Laguna AAF with Beckwith
and his Delta Force onboard. At Norton AFB the
number two Talon , commanded by Uttaro, was
loaded with the 3,000-gallon fuel bladder, while
the number three aircraft, commanded by Meller,
simulated carrying a bladder the same as the
number two aircraft (there was only one fuel bladder
system available at the time). The launch of
the number two and number three Talons from
Norton AFB was timed to allow the two aircraft to
fall in behind Brenci’s aircraft as the three made
their approach to Twenty-Nine Palms. After a
two-hour low-level route, Brenci lined up on the
totally blacked-out airfield for his approach and
landing. On short final he extended the IR-covered
landing lights and made a textbook touchdown
on the aluminum-clad runway. It was a moonless
night, and those viewing the landing with the
naked eye could not see the aircraft as it rolled
out to its preplanned off-load location. 45
As Brenci’s aircraft came to a stop, Williford’s
rangers exploded from the back of the aircraft and
dispersed across the airfield. Part of Brenci’s assault
force, which was made up of CCT personnel
from Hurlburt Field, raced to mark the runway in
a newly developed light pattern known as the
“box four and one.” The lights were covered with
the same IR paper used for the Talons landing
lights and provided additional landing cues for
the follow-on aircraft. Just as Brenci had done,
Uttaro and Meller made flawless landings utilizing
the IR-covered landing lights. The two Talon
tankers moved to their preplanned positions, and
Uttaro’s crew set up hoses to refuel the soon-toarrive
helicopters. After some delay four of the
original six helicopters landed at Twenty-Nine
Palms and were marshaled by the CCT to Uttaro’s
location. (Two of the helicopters had
aborted en route, thus leaving only four aircraft to
participate in the refueling operation.) 46
Helicopter refueling from Uttaro’s Talon was
an awkward operation. The hoses were not long
enough to permit safe operations, and the loadmaster’s
intercom cord was too short, thus requiring
hand signals between the loadmaster and the
refueling crew while wearing NVGs. Uttaro had
to back his aircraft into position dangerously close
to the helicopters for the hose to reach. Marshaling
helicopters and the Talon was extremely difficult
with no illumination whatsoever and with
everyone on NVGs. The refueling operation was a
limited success, but it was apparent to Vaught
and to Kyle that more work was required to make
ground operations on NVGs safe. After receiving
their fuel, the four helicopters departed Twenty-
Nine Palms with Delta Force on board, and the
three Combat Talons departed with the rangers.
After an operation’s stop at Laguna AAF to offload
rangers, Brenci and the other two Talons returned
to Norton AFB for crew rest in anticipa -
tion of Night Two. 47
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