1 - The Black Vault

PRAETORIAN STARSHIP
the 7th SOS faced during this period was a shortfall
of qualified aircrews. The unit possessed all
four of its authorized aircraft but only four of its
six authorized crews. The aircrew shortfall was
due in part to the loss of Lewis’s crew the previous
April and the domino effect that the loss
caused throughout the Talon community. Several
crew members, who were scheduled to move from
the 8th SOS to Rhein Main AB, were extended at
Hurlburt Field and were unavailable to the
USAFE unit. Although new personnel were selected
and brought into the pipeline, it was not
until mid-1981 that the Combat Talon school at
Hurlburt Field trained enough personnel to make
up for the loss.* 5
At the 8th SOS Honey Badger initiatives continued
to be the focus, even as the possibility of a
second rescue attempt dimmed. On 10 October
1980 8th SOS personnel and one Combat Talon
aircraft deployed to Yuma, Arizona, to test the
feasibility of high-speed personnel and cargo
parachute airdrops. The deployment was the first
of a three-phase test to determine if personnel
could survive an airdrop at airspeeds up to 250
knots. The existing speed for personnel airdrops
was 125 knots, with 150 knots the maximum acceptable.
Cargo drops were normally made at 130
knots. With an en route airspeed of 250 knots
maximum, the Combat Talon had to decrease its
speed for personnel and cargo drops. This slow -
down could be detected by enemy radar, and it
placed the aircraft in a vulnerable situation close
to the ground for an extended time. The
HSLLADS had been perfected in the early 1970s
and provided the capability to drop at airspeeds
up to 250 knots, but the system was not designed
to drop personnel, nor could it drop cargo that
exceeded certain size and weight limitations. Both
the USAF and USA wanted a system that would
eliminate the need for a slowdown. A high-speed
sled was developed for personnel drops, which included
special rigging and cushioning to reduce
the shock of parachute opening and the resultant
impact of the load with the ground. Specially instrumented
dummies were used to measure the
forces exerted on the load during the drop sequence.
From 8 to 15 December, the second phase
of the test was conducted. 6 After experiencing system
failures, which would have resulted in fatal
injuries to personnel and the destruction of the
cargo, testing was suspended indefinitely, awaiting
additional engineering.
1981: Combat Talon II
Testing Begins
The operations tempo for the 7th SOS continued
at a high rate as 1981 began. The squadron
trained for its wartime mission of unconventional
warfare operations as outlined in commander in
chief, US Air Forces Europe, Operations Plan
4102 and COMSOTFE Operations Plan 4304. To
fulfill its tasking under the two war plans, the
squadron was given specific responsibilities. It
maintained liaison with United States Army
Europe (USAREUR) Special Forces units and
conducted joint training in unconventional warfare
operations. The squadron was prepared to
deploy all or part of the unit to a forward-operating
base and provide support as required by
SOTFE. The 7th SOS was also tasked to train
other special operations supporting units, including
MAC special operations low-level (SOLL)
crews. Once deployed, the 7th SOS provided the
bulk of the command element for the 7575th
SOW and provided mission control of assigned
air resources. To fulfill its responsibilities, the
squadron maintained a Special Operations Combat
Control Team (SOCCT) and a ground communications
flight equipped with radios and communications
gear capable of communicating with the
Combat Talon aircraft during mission execution.
Each crew was required to plan and brief a realworld
mission annually using actual wartime targets
and threats. The squadron maintained an
intelligence section that was assigned respon -
sibility (along with contingency response) for
the mission planning exercises. Deployments
throughout the year were designed to provide
training opportunities so that the squadron could
maintain proficiency in its various wartime
skills. 7
The annual Combat Talon Management Review
Conference was held at LAS Ontario from 10
to 13 February 1981. Headquarters personnel
from PACAF, USAFE, and TAC attended the conference
along with representatives from each
Combat Talon squadron. The conference addressed
personnel, equipment, and other operational
and maintenance issues facing the Combat
__________
*When Kirk’s crew was lost in February 1981, a similar situation arose in the 1st SOS. Two unprogrammed crew losses within a year severely
strained the schoolhouse at Hurlburt Field. An additional problem faced by the 1st SOS was the lack of available aircraft. With 64-0564 lost and
64-0565 at LAS Ontario, only two aircraft were available to the 1st SOS, and one of those two departed for PDM in the spring of 1981. In July 1981
Clamp aircraft 64-0572 was transferred from the 8th SOS to the Pacific until 64-0571 could be recalled from Air Force Systems Command and
modified as a Yank aircraft.
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