1 - The Black Vault

PRAETORIAN STARSHIP
interest the conventional Air Force had backed
away from the controversial issue. 21
The year of 1984 had been a pivotal one for Air
Force SOF. From a position of high-level AFSOF
support (the SOF Master Plan) to an attempt to
divest itself of rotary-wing SOF (Initiative 17),
the Air Force had emerged in 1985 committed to
rebuilding its SOF capability. Support at the congressional
level undoubtedly turned the tide in
favor of special operations, but the roller-coaster
ride that had occurred during 1984 convinced
many in Congress (both in the House and Senate)
that special operations throughout the three services
was broken. Visionaries in Congress worked
over the next two years to fix the problem. For
Combat Talon II, the first aircraft was delivered
during 1984 without an operational radar, and
five more aircraft were scheduled to be delivered
during 1985. The coming year would be a frustrating
one for the Twenty-Third AF and for the
Combat Talon community.
New MAC-Sponsored SOF
Modernization Programs
Throughout 1984 MAC had been listening and
reacting to developments in Washington. The
command had strongly opposed Initiative 17, with
CINCMAC the only dissenting four-star at the
Corona fall commanders conference. Working on
the assumption that Initiative 17 would be eventually
turned around by Congress, the Headquarters
MAC staff, working in concert with the Twenty-
Third AF, developed its five-year POM for fiscal
years 1986–90 that recommended funding of
seven new SOF programs. Upon review the Air
Staff later added three additional programs based
on the SOF Master Plan. The 10 SOF programs
and the fiscal year proposed for funding them included
the following:
1. Night Vision Goggles: Procure 1,015 AN/AVS-6
Night Vision Goggles (FYs 87–90)
2. AC-130H Sensor Improvement: Provide improve -
ments needed to maintain gunship capability to
support JCS tasking, including ECM, moving-target
indicator, and low-light level TV (FYs 87–90)
3. AC/MC-130 Defensive System: Provide ECM upgrade
to the MC-130E, and ECM and navigation
equipment upgrade on the AC-130A (FYs 87–90)
4. Probe Refueling: Procure high-speed drogues and
“snap-top” probes for modifying SOF fixed-wing
aircraft (FYs 87–90)
5. HH-53 Conversion: Transfer and modify aircraft
from the 6594th Test Group to the AFSOF (FYs
87–90)
6. Pacific Build-up: Place six HH-53s and two HC-130
tankers from the 6594th in the Pacific (FYs 87–90)
7. CAMPS Maintenance: Fund hardware and maintenance
for four computer-aided mission planning
systems (CAMPS) (FYs 87–90)
8. Flying Hour Increase: Increase flying hours available
for JCS taskings (FYs 86–90)
9. Manpower: Provide manning at Pope and Charleston
AFBs to support MAC SOLL activities (FYs
87–90)
10. Combat Control Team Manpower: Fund 22 additional
CCT personnel in direct support of the Joint
Special Operations Command (JSOC) (FYs
87–90) 22
The Combat Talon II requirement had been increased
from the original 12 aircraft to 19 PAA/2
BAI (total of 21 aircraft) based on the SOF Master
Plan. A deputy secretary of defense memorandum
of 23 August 1984 included one additional Combat
Talon II aircraft in fiscal years 1988, 1989, and
1990 (for a total of 24 aircraft), and the Budget
Estimate Submission for 1985 included the additional
three aircraft. The Air Force Council also approved
a 90-aircraft HH-60A program to replace obsolete
AF rescue helicopters but did not support
funding of the 24 combat rescue HH-60Ds. 23 Without
the HH-60D program, the sophisticated glass
cockpit and integrated avionics systems earmarked
for Combat Talon II would not be developed. The
decision would result in a delay in the fielding of the
new Talons at a much higher cost per aircraft.
Along with the new programs, Headquarters
MAC also supported an aggressive Special Operations
Forces-Improvements program designed to
enhance existing SOF weapons systems. The
SOF-I program included $103.7 million in the fiscal
years 1984–88 period and included improvements
in the MC-130E and AC-130H fleets. The
SOF-I program included the following:
1. A highly accurate inertial navigation system,
an infrared warning receiver (AAR-44), radar
detection (WJ-1840), and digital burst
message communications.
2. A radar jammer (the ALQ-117 Pave Mint)
for six of the 14 MC-130Es.
3. Additional AAQ-10 FLIR sensors for the
Combat Talon.
4. Gunport covers for the AC-130H to allow aircraft
pressurization at high altitude.
5. An improved fire control system for the AC-
130H.
The SOF-I program also funded 23 AAQ-4 IR jammers
for the HH-53B/C/H helicopters. 24
The Air Force POM included additional improvements
not included in the proposed MAC
SOF-I program. Combat Talons would get radar
jammers for the remaining eight MC-130Es and
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