| 553d Reconnaissance Squadron | |
|---|---|
Emblem of the 553d Reconnaissance Squadron |
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| Active | 1967-1971 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
The 553d Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing and stationed at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Germany.
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Established in 1967 at Korat RTAFB as an electronic warfare squadron to detect vehicles along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Indochina. If enemy vehicles could be detected then stopped, then a major quantity of enemy supplies into South Vietnam would be halted.
The "electronic fence" concept envisioned using Navy sonobouys delivered along the Ho Chi Minh Trail by air, with special receivers in the 553d Reconnaissance Wing EC-121 aircraft to pick up the signals. The EC-121 would, when in range, automatically relay the signals picked up to the Infiltration Center at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB. Several target areas along the Ho Chi Minh Trail were outside of the range of the relay equipment; during out of range flights the signals were processed manually by the crew on board the EC-121R, then radioed via High Frequency Single Side Band radio directly to Seventh Air Force HQ in Saigon, South Vietnam.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.