| 42 Electronic Combat Squadron | |
|---|---|
Patch of the 42d Electronic Combat Squadron |
|
| Active | 1945--present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Role | Electronic Combat |
The 42d Electronic Combat Squadron a United States Air Force unit. Its current assignment is with the 55th Electronic Combat Group, based at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.
Contents |
Provides the 55th Electronic Combat Group with combat ready EC-130H COMPASS CALL trained aircrews. Directs all EC-130H aircrew initial academic and flying qualification, difference and requalification training for 20 different aircrew specialties with more than 200 aircrew students trained annually. Provides registrar support to students. Maintains quality control for all aspects of contracted aircrew training and manages courseware development for 17 Air Combat Command syllabi. Provides the group with simulator support for both continuation and initial qualification training.
Established under VIII Bomber Command, Continental Air Forces as a very long-range strategic reconnaissance squadron. Equipped with B-29 Superfortress bombers converted into F-13 reconnaissance/mapping configuration. Was designated to operate from Alaska, however squadron suffered from lack of personnel due to demobilization after the end of World War II, never became fully operational and was inactivated in August 1946.
Reactivated as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe in March, 1954 at Spangdahlem AB, West Germany. Equipped with RB-26B Invader reconnaissance aircraft, painted in black to perform night reconnaissance which were transferred from the 1st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron when the 1st TRS received RB-57A Canberras. In 1956 the B-26s were sent to reclamation and the squadron was upgraded to the Douglas RB-66C Destroyer. The RB-66C was a specialized electronic reconnaissance and electronic countermeasures aircraft designed for jamming Soviet RADAR. It's mission was to fly with tactical fighter and fighter bomber aircraft and provide an aerial defense. An extensive suite of specialized equipment was fitted to locate and identify enemy radar emissions. Additional ECM equipment was carried in wingtip pods. Chaff dispensing pods could be carried underneath the wing outboard of the engine nacelles. In addition, it was fitted with a removable in flight refueling probe attached to the right side of the forward fuselage.
In 1959 the squadron moved to the United Kingdom as part of a USAFE realignment. The parent 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was assigned to RAF Alconbury. A shortage of facilities at Alconbury led to the 42d being stationed at RAF Chelveston, about 20 miles west of Alconbury, where it remained as a detachment of the 10th TRW. In 1962 the runway at Chevelston was closed, and the squadron operated out of Toul-Rosieres AB, France, where it operated for a few years as Det #1, 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. On 10 March 1964, a 42d TRS RB-66C deployed to Toul was shot down over East Germany after it crossed over the border due to an instrument malfunction. The crew ejected and were taken prisoner briefly before being released.
These rotational deployments to France continued until October 1965 with the activation of the 25th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Chambley-Bussieres Air Base and the 42nd TRS being permanently assigned to the 25th TRW. With France's withdrawal from NATO's integrated military organization in 1966, Chambley AB was closed and the 25th TRW was inactivated. The specially-equipped EB-66C's of the 42nd ECS and their aircrews were sent directly to Southeast Asia for use over the skies of North Vietnam and the squadron was inactivated.
Reactivated in 1968 at Takhli Royal Thai Air Base under the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing. The squadron carried out electronic warfare operations over North Vietnam, locating and identifying North Vietnamese radar sites that directed missiles and AAA fire, so that strike aircraft could avoid them. The RB-66C had no offensive capability, so it could not attack the radar sites directly. Squadron were transferred to Korat RTAFB in August 1970. Continued operations until the end of hostilities in January 1973, remained in Thailand until being inactivated in March 1974.
Reactivated in 1983 with EF-111A Ravens at RAF Upper Heyford, England, the replacement for the Douglas EB-66 electronic warfare aircraft. Performed ECM operations for NATO aircraft. Provided electronic countermeasures to US Navy aircraft for combat in Libya, 15 April 1986 as part of Operation El Dorado Canyon. During that mission, the 42nd ECS provided three EF-111As plus two spare aircraft to jam the Libyan radar network.
Deployed flights to Turkey and Saudi Arabia in 1991 as part of Operation Desert Shield; engaged in combat operations in 1991 as part of Operation Desert Storm. Eighteen EF-111A Ravens flew over 900 sorties. None were lost in combat, but one was lost in a non-combat related accident and both crew members were killed. The 42d ECS was even credited with a "kill" during Desert Storm. On the night of January 17, 1991, an Iraqi Mirage F.1 flew into the ground while chasing EF-111A serial number 66-0016. Even though the Raven was unarmed and had no air-to-air capability, the Raven crew was given credit for the kill.
Inactivated in 1992 as part of the post Cold War drawdown of the USAF, it's aircraft reassigned to the 429th ECS at Cannon AFB, New Mexico.
Reactivated in 1994 specifically providing procedural air control via the Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center (ABCCC).
The EC-130E ABCCC consisted of seven aircraft that were used as an Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center. The EC-130E is a modified C-130 "Hercules"; aircraft designed to carry the USC-48 Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center Capsules (ABCCC III). While functioning as a direct extension of ground-based command and control authorities, the primary mission was to provide flexibility in the overall control of tactical air resources. In addition, to maintain positive control of air operations, ABCCC can provided communications to higher headquarters, including national command authorities, in both peace and wartime environments.
Inactivated in 2002. Reactivated in 2006 as part of the Global War on Terror. Provided 'schoolhouse training' for EC-130E Compass Call squadrons at Davis-Monthan AFB.
The ABCCC provided unified and theater commanders the capability for combat operations during war, contingencies, exercises, and other missions. A highly trained force of mission ready crew members and specially equipped EC-130E aircraft to support worldwide combat operations. Mission roles include airborne extensions of the Air Operations Center (AOC) and Airborne Air Support Operations Center (ASOC) for command and control of Offensive Air Support (OAS) operations; and airborne on-scene command for special operations such as airdrops or evacuations.
|
|
|
|
Lt.Col. Iceal Hambleton, a navigator aboard a EB-66 who was shot down during the Easter Offensive and spent 11½ days behind enemy lines, was a member of the 42nd Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (42 TEWS). His rescue was the "largest, longest, and most complex search-and-rescue" operation during the entire Vietnam War.[1] The rescue was dramatized in the movie Bat*21.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.