7499th Support Group
7499th Support Group 7575th Operations Group | |
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United States Air Forces in Europe | |
Insignia | |
Emblem of the 7499th Support Group | |
Emblem of the 7575th Operations Group |
The 7499th Support Group is an inactive
History
The 7499th participated in overt and covert reconnaissance throughout the European theater during the
Origins
The unit's origins begin on 9 August 1946, when an
Under threat of US cutoff of aid to Yugoslavia, Tito yielded, the interned Americans were released, and some compensation paid to the next-of-kin of the dead personnel. Relative calm ensued between the US and Yugoslavia, but a question lingered in the minds of officials in USAFE Headquarters at
USAFE acquired an
This mission was so successful that USAFE directed that further electronic "ferret" missions be flown along the border with the Soviet zones of Germany and
Thus began the ELINT mission. Detachment A would go on to join a flight of the
Most likely because of the Airlift and its accompanying sharp increase in tensions, USAFE decided to form the reconnaissance and ELINT units into a single squadron. The 7499th Air Force Squadron was activated at Fürstenfeldbruck on 1 November 1948.[1]
7499th Support Squadron
From Fürstenfeldbruck, the 7499th continued to fly frequent missions in the
Beginning in 1950, the unit upgraded to
7499th Support Group
In 1955, in response to increasing collection requirements and the pending inactivation of the MATS intelligence units, USAFE upgraded its reconnaissance effort, creating the 7499th Support Group at Wiesbaden with three squadrons.[2]
7405th Support Squadron
The former 7499th Squadron became the 7405th Support Squadron, remaining at Wiesbaden as the only unit to conduct corridor collection. The 7405th had been openly tasked with the courier mission to
A new aircraft, a specially modified Boeing
When flown on an occasional West Berlin Air Corridor mission, even at the required altitudes of less than 10,000 ft, the camera would produce spectacular, high-resolution photography, very useful for technical analysis of equipment. This aircraft would provide valuable imagery right up until 1972, when it was finally retired to AMARC after some productive missions around Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.[3]
Additional Boeing EC-97Gs that arrived in 1963 were ostensibly cargo carriers, but fitted with ELINT gear and, in one case, with oblique cameras. Aircraft 52-2686 and 52-2639 were equipped with multiple ELINT work stations in the upper, cargo section of the fuselage. Aircraft 52-2688 was equipped with cameras only. Aircraft 52-2687 was equipped with smaller, single work stations, one for ELINT and one for cameras on the lower deck of the double fuselage, leaving the upper deck normal in appearance and capable of carrying cargo. These aircraft were designed to gather high-quality technical data on the then-new Soviet
7406th Support Squadron
The 7406th Support Squadron was activated at
The RB-50s were replaced with specially configured
Under the 'Big Safari' programme of intelligence collection, E-Systems (now L-3 Mission Integration) in 1957 to convert ten C-130A aircraft for SIGINT duties under the 'Sun Valley' project. These C-130s replaced the RB-50Es which in turn were modified as RB-50Gs and transferred to the Pacific.[2]
One of these C-130's (56-0528)) was shot down with the loss of a crew of seventeen (six 7406th flight crew members and eleven USAFSS recon flyers) over
The 7499th operated temporarily out of
The 7406th SS continued flying reconnaissance missions from Rhein-Main in the C-130B models until 30 June 1973 when the squadron's sister Security Service flying squadron moved to
On 2 Sep 1997, the National Security Agency (NSA) dedicated at National Vigilance Park, Fort Meade, Maryland an Aerial Reconnaissance Memorial consisting of a refurbished C-130A tail number 57-0453 that has been restored to look identical to C-130A 60-528 when it was shot down. The Aerial Reconnaissance Memorial honors all SILENT WARRIORS (all military airborne recon crews) who paid the ultimate price while defending their country.[2]
7407th Support Squadron
The 7407th Support Squadron performed airborne photo surveillance. They used
In late 1955 the squadron received ten highly modified
Two other B-57s, designated RB-57A-2 were modified with a bulbous nose containing AN/APS-60 mapping radar and a SIGINT direction finder system in 1957 under project SARTAC. It is known that they carried a high-capacity data tape recorder in the bomb bay to store intelligence data obtained during sorties, and they were also equipped with doppler navigation radar. The aircraft and their missions were very secret and little information about them was ever released.[5]
The service of the RB-57As was brief, as in 1957, midair-refuelling capable
This squadron had a Detachment 1 organized at
The overflight operations these aircraft conducted are still classified, however, one details of one particular flight in 1956 have leaked out. On this sortie the pilot of 53–1551 took off from a base in Turkey to photograph a rocket base deep inside the Soviet Union. The RF-100A was quickly picked up by Soviet radar and, as the target was at the extreme range of the aircraft, the pilot had no option but to fly a virtually straight track. As a consequence the Soviets soon determined the intended target. Throughout the mission, the pilot was faced with the unnerving spectacle of a never-ending stream of Soviet interceptor fighters attempting to bring down the RF-100A by firing a variety of machine-guns, cannons and missiles at the aircraft.[6]
To compound the pilots problems, his heavy fuel load and four drop tanks allowed only very limited evasive manoeuvring. Thanks to poor Soviet gunnery, inadequate planning by the Soviet Fighter Controllers and a fair slice of luck, the pilot reached the target and took the required photographs. However, his problems were far from over, as the target was at the extreme limits of the aircraft's range and no other airfields were available, he had no choice but to reverse course and retrace his route. The pilot made it back to Turkey, but with virtually empty tanks having kept the aircraft in continuous afterburner for over half an hour as he shot past some extremely agitated Russians – as the RF-100A was officially limited to just a few minutes of afterburner, this effectively destroyed the entire aft fuselage.[6]
As far as it can be established, none of the "Slick Chicks" were lost over unfriendly territory. In June 1958 the Detachment was inactivated and the two remaining RF-100A's were transferred to the 3131st Maintenance Group at Châteauroux-Déols AB, France and eventually were sent to Taiwan.[6]
Intelligence gathering sorties by the RB-57D's continued until 1964 when wing fatigue problems caused type to be withdrawn from service. In late 1963, the two prototype
On 14 December 1965, one of the prototype RB-57Fs (63-13287) operating TDY out of Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, was lost during a mission over the Black Sea. What actually happened is still uncertain. There were reports that the aircraft had been shot down by a Soviet S-75 Dvina Surface-to-air missile, but at the time, the official statement by the USAF was that the aircraft crew had probably perished from an oxygen system failure, since it took over an hour for the aircraft to spiral down from altitude and fall into the Black Sea. Although searches for the wreckage continued through 28 December, only small bits and pieces of it were ever found. However, there were also reports that the two crewmembers were captured alive by the Soviets, with their ultimate fate being uncertain.[7]
Stress cracks began appearing in the wing spars and ribs of the RB-57Fs in the early 1970s and the activities of the RB-57Fs were restricted. The last of the RB-57Fs were retired in early 1974 and 7407th squadron was inactivated 30 June 1974.[5]
Downsizing of the 7499th
All along, the 7405th and its sister squadrons were also flying peripheral reconnaissance missions throughout Europe and, increasingly, the Middle East, but beginning in the late 1960s
7575th Operations Group
In late December 1975, the 7405th flew its last EC-97G mission from Wiesbaden Air Base when the USAF turned the base over to the
On 1 July 1977, the squadron was assigned to the newly organized 7575th Operations Group at Rhein-Main AB. Along with the 7575th OG, the 7580th Operations Squadron was activated on 1 July 1977 at Rhein-Main AB. The 7580th OS was a non-flying squadron staffed with C-130 Electronic Warfare Officers (EWOs) and aircraft maintenance personnel.[8]
In 1977, when the 7575th Operations Group was formed at Rhein-Main AB, HQ USAFE realigned the
The 7th SOS's MC-130Es were spotted in every corner of Europe. These sightings were perhaps connected with NATO marine unit exercises with which the 7th SOS is also involved. One of the most bizarre sightings dates from January 1976 when a traveller from
The 7405th's corridor/Control Zone collection missions, with their pivot at
The 7405th Operations Squadron was inactivated on 1 January 1991; the 7575th Operations Group and 7580th Operations Squadron were inactivated on 31 March 1991.[8]
Lineage
7499th Support Group
- Designated as the 7499th Air Force Squadron and organized on 1 November 1948
- Redesignated as 7499th Composite Squadron in 1949
- Redesignated as 7499th Support Squadron in 1954
- Redesignated as 7499th Support Group on 10 May 1955
- Inactivated on 30 June 1974[10]
7575th Operations Group
- Designated as the 7575th Operations Group and activated on 1 July 1977
- Inactivated on 31 March 1991
Assignments
- United States Air Forces in Europe, 1 November 1948 – 1 January 1991
Stations
- Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base, Germany (later: West Germany), 1 November 1948
- Wiesbaden Army Airfield, West Germany, 1 August 1950
- Rhein-Main Air Base, West Germany (later Germany), 31 December 1975 – 1 January 1991
Components
- 7405th Support Squadron (Wiesbaden AB), 10 May 1955
- After 30 June 1974, assigned directly to HQ USAFE.
- Redesignated as 7405th Operations Squadron, 31 December 1975
- Assigned to 7575th Operations Group, 1 July 1977 – 1 January 1991
- 7406th Support Squadron (Rhein-Main AB), 10 May 1955 – 30 June 1974
- 7407th Support Squadron (Rhein-Main AB), 10 May 1955 – 30 June 1974
- 7580th Operations Squadron Rhein-Main AB), 1 July 1977 – 31 March 1991
- 7th Special Operations Squadron, 1 Jul 1977 – 1 March 1983
Aircraft
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- RF-100A Super Sabre, 1955–1958
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See also
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f 7499th Support Group
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "7406th Support Squadron History". 7406suppron.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ a b c d "7405th Support Squadron Factsheet". 9websites.com. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ Knaack, p. 315
- ^ a b c d e Mikesh, p. __
- ^ a b c d Anderson, p. __
- ^ Jackson, p. __
- ^ a b c "7575th Operations Group Factsheet". 9websites.com. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ISBN 978-1853100758.
- ^ 7405th Operations Squadron assumed mission of inactivated group
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Anderson, David A. (1987) North American F-100 Super Sabre (Osprey Air Combat), Osprey Publishing Company, ISBN 0-85045-662-2
- Jackson, Robert. Canberra: The Operational Record. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989. ISBN 0-87474-502-0.
- Knaack, Marcelle Size (1988). Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems. Vol. 2, Post-World War II Bombers 1945-1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-59-5.
- Mikesh, Robert C. Martin B-57 Canberra: The Complete Record.Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1995. ISBN 0-88740-661-0.