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The Lockheed MC-130 is the basic designation for a family of special mission aircraft operated by the
United States Air Force Special Operations Command Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component comma ...
(AFSOC), a wing of the
Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training ...
, and an AFSOC-gained wing of the
Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
. Based on the Lockheed
C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally design ...
transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...
, the MC-130s' missions are the
infiltration Infiltration may refer to: Science, medicine, and engineering *Infiltration (hydrology), downward movement of water into soil *Infiltration (HVAC), a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning term for air leakage into buildings *Infiltration (me ...
, exfiltration, and resupply of special operations forces, and the
air refueling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...
of (primarily) special operations helicopter and
tilt-rotor A tiltrotor is an aircraft which generates lift and propulsion by way of one or more powered rotors (sometimes called ''proprotors'') mounted on rotating shafts or nacelles usually at the ends of a fixed wing. Almost all tiltrotors use a tran ...
aircraft. The first of the variants, the MC-130E, was developed to support clandestine special operations missions during the Vietnam War. Eighteen were created by modifying C-130E transports, and four lost through attrition, but the remainder served more than four decades after their initial modification. An update, the MC-130H Combat Talon II, was developed in the 1980s from the C-130H and went into service in the 1990s. Four of the original 24 H-series aircraft have been lost in operations. The Combat Shadows were built during the Vietnam War for search and rescue operations and repurposed in the 1980s as AFSOC air-refueling tankers; the last of the 24 retired in 2015. The Combat Spear was developed in 2006 as an inexpensive version of the Combat Talon II but was reconfigured and designated the AC-130W Stinger II in 2012. The MC-130J, which became operational in 2011, is the new-production variant that is replacing the other special operations MC-130s."First HC/MC-130J Assembled"
, ''Air Force Magazine'' December 2009. Air Force Association. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
As of May 2016, the Air Force has taken delivery of 33 of the planned 37 -J models.


MC-130E Combat Talon


Development

The Combat Talon was developed between December 1964 and January 1967 by Lockheed Air Services (LAS) at
Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, i ...
, as the result of a study by ''Big Safari'', the USAF's program office that modifies and sustains special mission aircraft. Two highly classified testbed aircraft (originally serial no. ''64-0506'' and ''-0507'', but with all numbers "sanitized" from the aircraft), were assigned to Project ''Thin Slice'' to develop a low-level clandestine penetration aircraft for Special Forces operations in Southeast Asia. In 1964, Lockheed was ordered to adapt the C-130Es after six C-123B Providers modified for "unconventional warfare" under Project ''Duck Hook'' proved inadequate for the new MACV-SOG.Thigpen (2001), p. 20. The modifications under ''Thin Slice'' and its August 1966 successor ''Heavy Chain'' were code-named ''Rivet Yard'', and the four C-130Es came to be known as "Yards". Discrete modification tests were conducted by the
1198th Operational Evaluation and Training Squadron The 1198th Operational Evaluation and Training Squadron was a unit at Norton Air Force Base, San Bernardino, California from 1965 to 1972 which conducted the initial testing of Lockheed C-130 Hercules transports modified for special operations. Th ...
, out of Area II of Norton AFB at San Bernardino, California, 30 miles east of Ontario. As the ''Thin Slice'' aircraft were being developed, 14 C-130Es were purchased for SOG in 1965 for similar modification. The first aircraft were production C-130Es without specialized equipment that were produced at Lockheed's facility in Marietta, Georgia. Three production airplanes per month were given the Fulton STARS (then ARS) system. While awaiting the ARS equipment, the C-130s were ferried to
Greenville, Texas Greenville is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States, about northeast of Dallas. It is the county seat and largest city of Hunt County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557, and in 2019, its estimated population was 28,827. ...
, for painting by Ling-Temco-Vought Electrosystems with a low-radar reflective paint that added 168 kg (370 lbs) to their weight. The velvet black-and-green scheme drew the nickname "Blackbirds".Thigpen (2001), p. 58. That nickname lasted until the 1980s, when Dupont stopped manufacturing the paint. As installation was completed, the Blackbirds were returned to Ontario for installation of the electronics package, code-named ''Rivet Clamp''. The modified aircraft became known as "Clamps" (two of the original 14, ''64–0564'' and ''-0565'', were diverted to ''Heavy Chain'' in August 1966). The aircraft collectively were assigned the designation ''Combat Talon'' in 1967.Thigpen (2001), p. 88. The
Fulton surface-to-air recovery system The Fulton surface-to-air recovery system (STARS) is a system used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), United States Air Force and United States Navy for retrieving persons on the ground using aircraft such as the MC-130E Combat Talo ...
was used to extract personnel and materials via air. A large helium
balloon A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light s ...
raised a nylon lift line into the air, which was snagged by a large scissors-shaped yoke attached to the nose of the plane. The yoke snagged the line and released the balloon, yanking the attached cargo off the ground with a shock less than that of an opening parachute. A sky anchor secured the line and wires stretched from the nose to both leading
wing tip A wing tip (or wingtip) is the part of the wing that is most distant from the fuselage of a fixed-wing aircraft. Because the wing tip shape influences the size and drag of the wingtip vortices, tip design has produced a diversity of sha ...
edges protected the propellers from the line on missed snag attempts. Crew members hooked the snagged line as it trailed behind and attached it to the
hydraulic Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...
winch A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up) or let out (wind out) or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable"). In its simplest form, it consists of a spool (or drum) attach ...
, pulling the attached person or cargo into the plane through the rear cargo door. Following a death on 26 April 1982, at
CFB Lahr Canadian Forces Base Lahr (IATA:LHA, ICAO: EDTL, former code EDAN) was a military operated commercial airport located in Lahr, Germany. It was operated primarily as a French air force base, and later as a Canadian army base, beginning in the late ...
, Germany, the Fulton STARS system on the Clamp aircraft underwent intense maintenance scrutiny and employment of the system for live pickups was suspended. A major effort at upgrading the system, ''Project 46'', was pursued from 1986 to 1989, but at its conclusion, use of the STARS system for live extractions remained suspended. The Fulton STARS equipment of all Combat Talons was removed during 1998. ''Rivet Clamp'' installation began with four STARS-equipped C-130s completed by March 1966, followed by installations in eight further aircraft in July 1966 and January 1967. The ''Rivet Clamp''s, originally designated C-130E(I)sp, were equipped with an
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...
and infrared (IR)
countermeasure A countermeasure is a measure or action taken to counter or offset another one. As a general concept, it implies precision and is any technological or tactical solution or system designed to prevent an undesirable outcome in the process. The fi ...
s suite; and the SPR2 later the AN/APQ-115 TF/TA multimode radar. This radar, adapted from the Texas Instruments AN/APQ-99 radar used in the RF-4C Phantom photo reconnaissance aircraft, featured terrain following/terrain-avoidance (TF/TA) and mapping radar modes, to enable it to operate at low altitudes at night and in all weather conditions and avoid known enemy radar and
anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
weapons concentrations.Thigpen (2001), p. 21. The 12 original C-130E(I) "Clamps" were ''64–0523'', ''-0547'', ''-0551'', ''-0555'', ''-0558'', ''-0559'', ''-0561'', ''-0562'', ''-0563'', ''-0566'', ''-0567'', and ''-0568''. Beginning in 1970, Texas Instruments and Lockheed Air Service worked to adapt the existing AN/APQ-122 Adverse Weather Aerial Delivery System (AWADS) with terrain following/terrain avoidance modes to replace the original APQ-115, which suffered throughout its life with an unacceptably adverse mean-time-between-failure (MTBF) rate. In 1970 they succeeded, and coupled the APQ-122 with the Litton LN-15J Inertial Navigation System (INS). Known as MOD-70, the modified radar was installed in all 12 operational Combat Talons and the four ''Heavy Chain'' test beds between 1971 and 1973. The system proved so successful that it continued in service until the late 1980s.Thigpen (2001), p. 66. Following the completion of MOD-70, the Combat Talons were divided into three designations: C-130E(CT) for the "Clamp" aircraft, C-130E(Y) for the "Yank" (formerly "Yard") Talons, and C-130E(S) for the "Swap".Thigpen (2001), p. 70. The "Swap" Talons were originally Rivet Clamp modifications without the Fulton STARS apparatus. The Combat Talon I designations were consolidated in 1977 as the MC-130 and have remained under that designation since.Thigpen (2001), p. 168. The Combat Talon became the ''Combat Talon I'' in 1984 with the authorization for the modification of 24 C-130Hs to Combat Talon II specifications. The "Yank" Talons conducted
top secret Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to know ...
operations worldwide, under the project name ''Combat Sam'', until late 1972. Two of the original "Clamps" were lost in combat in Southeast Asia and were replaced by two C-130Es (64-0571 and −0572). These remained as Combat Talons until 1972, when ''Heavy Chain'' was gradually discontinued and its four "Yank" aircraft were integrated into the Combat Talon force. The two original ''Thin Slice'' aircraft were given the serials of two destroyed C-130s, ''62-1843'' and ''63-7785'' respectively, to disguise their classified origins. The replacements had their modifications removed and returned to airlift duties, although known as "Swaps", they remained available for future Combat Talon use. Both eventually became Combat Talons again after further losses in the Combat Talon inventory. Capability to act as a Forward Area Refueling Point (FARP) for helicopters on the ground was begun in 1980 in preparation for '' Operation Eagle Claw'' (see below), although only one system could be installed before the mission was executed. The refueling system consists of two palletized 6,800 L (1,800 gal) tanks (known as Benson tanks) mounted on rails within the Talon that tie into the C-130's own pressurized fuel dumping pumps and require no further equipment. A major modification between 1986 and 1994, MOD-90, modernized the capability and serviceability of the Talon I to extend its service life. All 14 Combat Talon Is were equipped with upgraded navigational radars, an enhanced electronic warfare suite and provided new outer wings. By 1995 all Combat Talon Is were equipped with helicopter-
air refueling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...
pods.


Southeast Asia operations

The aircraft received for modification as Combat Talons were assigned in July 1965 to the 464th Troop Carrier Wing at
Pope Air Force Base Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal Aviation Administratio ...
, North Carolina. Because of a lack of ramp space caused by the buildup of forces for deployment to South Vietnam, they were temporarily housed at
Sewart Air Force Base Sewart Air Force Base (1941–1971) is a former United States Air Force base located in Smyrna, about 25 miles southeast of Nashville, Tennessee. During World War II, it was known as Smyrna Army Airfield. History World War II The War Dep ...
, Tennessee. The wing's
779th TCS The 779th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron was a provisional United States Air Force unit. Its most recent activation was in 2018 for Operation Inherent Resolve. The squadron was based at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, and was filled by rotating Air ...
was designated as the training squadron for the modified C-130E(I)s, under Project ''Skyhook'', in addition to its normal airlift function. Selected crew members received instructor training in their respective systems and returned to Pope by 1 May to begin crew training of six crews for deployment to Vietnam under Project ''Stray Goose''. The Combat Talon I first saw operational action in the Vietnam War, beginning 1 September 1966. The six ''Stray Goose'' crews deployed to
Ching Chuan Kang Air Base Ching Chuan Kang Air Base ( zh, t=清泉崗空軍基地, CCK) is a Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) base located in Taichung, Taiwan. It is the home to the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, with three squadrons of AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo ...
, Taiwan, and forward deployed to
Nha Trang Air Base Nha Trang Air Base (also known as Camp McDermott Airfield and Long Van Airfield) was a French Air Force, Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF), United States Air Force (USAF) and Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) ''(Khong Quan Nhan Dan Viet N ...
, South Vietnam. The deployment, known as ''Combat Spear'', preceded operational deployment of other Combat Talons to Europe (''Combat Arrow'') and the United States (''Combat Knife''). ''Combat Spear'' was administratively assigned as Detachment 1, 314th Troop Carrier Wing, but was operationally controlled by MACV-SOG.Thigpen (2001), pp. 77–78. On 9 October 2009, Detachment 1, 314th Troop Carrier Wing received the Presidential Unit Citation for its support of MACV-SOG activities. Chief of Staff of the Air Force General
Norton A. Schwartz Norton Allan Schwartz (born December 14, 1951) is a retired United States Air Force General who served as the 19th Chief of Staff of the Air Force from August 12, 2008, until his retirement in 2012. He previously served as commander, United State ...
presented the award to the unit during a ceremony at Hurlburt Field, culminating a six-year campaign by former ''Stray Goose'' member Richard H. Sell to achieve the recognition after the unit was not included in a PUC awarded 4 April 2001, to MACV-SOG for the same period. On 15 March 1968, the detachment was designated the 15th Air Commando Squadron, and then the
15th Special Operations Squadron The 15th Special Operations Squadron is part of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It operates Lockheed MC-130H Combat Talon II and Lockheed MC-130J Commando II aircraft in support of special operations. The squadron ...
on 1 August 1968, and made part of the
14th Special Operations Wing 014 may refer to: * Argus As 014 * 014 Construction Unit * Divi Divi Air Flight 014 * Pirna 014 * Tyrrell 014 The Tyrrell 014 was a Formula One car, designed for Tyrrell Racing by Maurice Philippe for use in the season. The cars were powered ...
. In Vietnam, the aircraft was used to drop leaflets over North Vietnamese positions, and to insert and resupply special forces and indigenous units into hostile territory throughout Southeast Asia. Combat Talon crews operated unescorted at low altitudes and at night.Thigpen (2001), pp. 82–83. By 1970 twelve Combat Talons were operational in three units of four aircraft each:Thigpen (2001), p. 139. *
7th Special Operations Squadron The 7th Special Operations Squadron is an active flying unit of the United States Air Force. It is a component of the 752d Special Operations Group (752 SOG), United States Special Operations Command, and is currently based at Royal Air Force ...
, Ramstein Air Base, Germany; * 15th Special Operations Squadron, Nha Trang Air Base, South Vietnam; and * Detachment 2,
1st Special Operations Wing The 1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW) at Hurlburt Field, Florida is one of three United States Air Force active duty Special Operations wings and falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The 1st Special Operations Wing i ...
, Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, (redesignated 318th SOS in 1971 and 8th SOS in 1974).Thigpen (2001), p. 67. By tradition, the Talon base within the continental United States, because of its training responsibilities, is referred to as "the schoolhouse," a nickname first passed to Hurlburt Field, then to Kirtland Air Force Base when the 550th SOS began operations. The 15th SOS was redesignated the 90th SOS on 23 October 1970, relocated to
Cam Ranh Bay Air Base Cam Ranh Air Force Base is located on Cam Ranh Bay in Khánh Hòa Province, Vietnam. It was one of several air bases built and used by the United States Air Force (USAF) during the Vietnam War. Cam Ranh Air Force Base was part of the large Ca ...
, then moved to
Kadena Air Base (IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a highly strategic United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific" because of its hi ...
, Okinawa, in April 1972 as part of the drawdown of U.S. forces in Vietnam. It was again redesignated, becoming the 1st SOS on 15 December 1972, and began transition from the "Clamp" to the "Yank" variant.


Kingpin

Two Combat Talons were employed as navigation escorts and for airborne control during '' Operation Kingpin'', the operational phase of the attempted rescue of prisoners of war from Son Tay prison camp in North Vietnam on 21 November 1970. 64-0523 was drawn from the 15th SOS at Nha Trang and 64-0558 from Det. 2, 1st SOW at Pope AFB. The aircraft were modified at LAS Ontario with installation of FL-2B
FLIR Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras, typically used on military and civilian aircraft, use a thermographic camera that senses infrared radiation. The sensors installed in forward-looking infrared cameras, as well as those of other thermal ...
sets borrowed from the ''Heavy Chain'' project to compensate for difficulties in terrain-following created by the slow speeds necessitated by the mixed aircraft force. 24 primary and five backup crew personnel, all ''Stray Goose''/''Combat Spear'' veterans detached from 7th SOS (''Combat Arrow'') and 1st SOW (''Combat Knife''), developed helicopter-fixed wing formation procedures for low level night missions and jointly trained with selected Special Forces volunteers at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Between the end of August and 28 September 1970, Talon, helicopter, and
A-1 Skyraider The Douglas A-1 Skyraider (formerly known as the AD Skyraider) is an American single-seat attack aircraft in service from 1946 to the early 1980s. The Skyraider had an unusually long career, remaining in front-line service well into the Jet Age ...
crews supervised by Combat Talon Program Manager Lt. Col. Benjamin N. Kraljev rehearsed the flight profile in terrain-following missions over southern
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
, flying 368 sorties that totalled more than 1,000 hours. A month of intensive joint training with the Special Forces rescue force followed at a replica of the prison camp. In early November the task force deployed to
Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base is a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) facility in central Thailand, approximately 144 miles (240 km) northwest of Bangkok in Takhli District, Nakhon Sawan Province. Units Takhli is the home of the Royal Th ...
, Thailand. The 24 primary crew members, a 7th SOS crew (''Cherry 01'') under Major Irl L. "Leon" Franklin and a 1st SOW crew (''Cherry 02'') commanded by Lt Col Albert P. "Friday" Blosch, conducted the mission, which was successfully executed without loss of any personnel. However the operation failed when the prison was found not to contain any prisoners.Thigpen (2001), pp. 139–157.


Post-Vietnam developments

In 1974 the Combat Talon program was nearly dismantled as the Air Force sought to reverse its Vietnam emphasis on special operations. The 1st Special Operations Wing was redesignated the 834th Tactical Composite Wing and its Combat Talons of the 8th SOS became a
TAC TAC, or tac, may refer to: People * Pablo Tac, US scholar * Pham Cong Tac, a leader of the Cao Dai religion Places * Tác, a village in Fejér County, Hungary Organisations * TAC (building automation), a Swedish building automation company * T ...
asset. However the use of 1st SOS "Yank" Talons in a sea surveillance role off North Korea in 1975 revived interest in the Combat Talon,Thigpen (2001), p. 160. as did the Israeli hostage rescue at Entebbe Airport. The same year, a Combat Talon of the 1st Special Operations Wing was deployed in support of US Marines forces on Koh Tang island during the Mayaguez incident, dropping a single
BLU-82 The BLU-82B/C-130 weapon system, known under program "Commando Vault" and nicknamed " Daisy Cutter" in Vietnam for its ability to flatten a section of forest into a helicopter landing zone, is an American conventional bomb, delivered from eith ...
6,800 kg (15,000 lb) bomb to enable their extraction. However, as late as 1978–79, Air Force Special Operations Forces was still disregarded by many staff planners, who saw it as a drain on resources and not a force enabler, and wanted the entire Talon force transferred to the
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
.Koskinas (2006), p. 103. In early 1977 the Combat Talon was redesignated ''MC-130E'' by Headquarters Air Force for all three variants of the aircraft. By November 1979, the Combat Talon force of 14 MC-130Es was divided among three squadrons, the first two of which were operationally deployed, and the third at Hurlburt essentially the force training squadron:Thigpen (2001), p. 184. *
1st Special Operations Squadron The 1st Special Operations Squadron is part of the 353d Special Operations Group at Kadena Air Base, Japan. It operates the MC-130J Commando II, providing special operation capabilities. Air crews are trained in night low-level flying, using ...
, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa – (four MC-130 Yanks); * 7th Special Operations Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany – (four MC-130 Clamps); and *
8th Special Operations Squadron The 8th Special Operations Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command, stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The squadron is equipped with the B ...
,
Hurlburt Field Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation and is home to Headquarters Air Force Spe ...
, Florida – (six MC-130 Clamps).


Eagle Claw

Following the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, on 4 November 1979, training operations for a rescue mission of the 53 hostages began as early as 7 November by Talon crews at Kadena AB, and 26 November by crews at Hurlburt.Thigpen (2001), p. 182. At that time only seven Combat Talons had the
in-flight refueling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...
capability necessary for the mission, which was to be mounted out of either Egypt or Diego Garcia (
Masirah Island Masirah Island ( ar, جَزِيْرَة مَصِيْرَة, Jazīrat Maṣīrah), also referred to as Mazeira Island or ''Wilāyat Maṣīrah'' ( ar, وِلَايَة مَصِيْرَة), is an island off the east coast of mainland Oman in the ...
did not become available as a base until April 1980). All were assigned to the operation, a complex two-night plan called ''Eagle Claw''. Talon crews using
night vision goggles A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The dev ...
practiced blacked-out landings to insert Delta Force operators and
U.S. Army Rangers United States Army Rangers, according to the US Army's definition, are personnel, past or present, in any unit that has the official designation "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the US Army Ranger School, even if t ...
deep into Iran, and developed several methods for delivering extra fuel for the US Navy RH-53D Sea Stallion helicopters chosen to carry out the rescued hostages. Four transcontinental, all-component, two-night rehearsals were held between December 1979 and March 1980, including a full-scale rehearsal 25–26 March that involved every element of the final plan except three EC-130s chosen to fly in fuel for the helicopters. The four Talons (including a spare) of the 1st SOS staged to Masirah Island off the coast of
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
on 19 April 1980, to lead the Night One infiltration phase, while the three of the 8th SOS deployed to
Wadi Qena Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet ( ephemeral) riverbed that contains water o ...
, Egypt, on 21 April to lead the Night Two exfiltration phase.Thigpen (2007), pp. 213–215. Of the eight crews assigned, five were from 8th SOS and three from 1st SOS. The extra 1st SOS Talon and its crew were both a spare and the primary aircraft for ''Elbow Rub'', an alternative, highly classified project to heavily damage Iran's power grid had it been ordered as a retaliatory mission for harming the hostages (Thigpen, p. 203). To establish a "normal" C-130 presence in Egypt, Talons of the 7th SOS (none of which had aerial refueling capability) conducted regular flights using Military Airlift Command call signs in and out of Wadi Qena between 2 January and 8 April 1980. They also used the deception to discreetly pre-position needed equipment, including ammunition for AC-130 gunships, at the staging base.Thigpen (2001), p. 196. The Talon crews also manned three borrowed EC-130E ABCCC aircraft configured to carry 68,100 L (18,000 U.S. gal) of jet fuel in six collapsible bladders for refueling the helicopters. After returning to Masirah, three of the 8th SOS Night One crews would be flown to Wadi Qena to carry out the Night Two mission. The first phase of the rescue mission began the evening of 24 April, led by Lt Col Robert L. Brenci of the 8th SOS in Talon 64-0565, ''Dragon 1''. The 1st SOS Talons successfully secured the forward operating location ("Desert One") in the Iranian Desert, but the helicopter portion of the mission ended in disaster. Although the mission was an embarrassing failure costing eight lives, seven helicopters, and an EC-130E aircraft in a ground accident, the MC-130s performed nearly flawlessly.Thigpen (2001), p. 228. Planning initiatives for a second rescue attempt, under the project name ''Honey Badger'', began two weeks after the failed raid and continued through November. Combat Talon participation in ''Honey Badger'' amounted largely to tactics development, but ECM improvements included chaff and flare dispensers and new ALR-69 threat receivers that improved its defensive countermeasures capability well beyond that existing prior to ''Eagle Claw''.


Urgent Fury

Five Combat Talons of the 8th Special Operations Squadron participated in '' Operation Urgent Fury'', the United States invasion of
Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and ...
between 25 and 31 October 1983. Unlike previous operations that involved months of planning, training, and reconnaissance, the 8th SOS prepared in less than 72 hours after being alerted. Its assignment was to insert Rangers of the 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalions at night to capture
Point Salines International Airport Maurice Bishop International Airport , formerly known as Point Salines Airport, is an international airport located in the parish of St. George's. The town of St. George's is about north of the airport and is the capital of the island natio ...
, defended by both Cuban and Grenadan troops, in the opening moments of the operation. The five Talons divided into three elements, two of them leading formations of Special Operations Low Level-equipped (SOLL) C-130 transports. In clouds at above the sea and west of its objective, the lead Talon (64-0562) experienced a complete failure of its APQ-122 radar. Reorganization of the mission formations delayed the operation for 30 minutes, during which U.S. Marines made their amphibious landing. To compound the lack of surprise, the
U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
, apparently in a good faith but inept diplomatic gesture, contacted Cuban authorities and compromised the mission, further alerting the defenses, including a dozen
ZU-23-2 The ZU-23-2, also known as ZU-23, is a Soviet towed 23×152mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon. ZU stands for ''Zenitnaya Ustanovka'' (Russian: Зенитная Установка) – anti-aircraft mount. The GRAU index is 2A13. Developm ...
antiaircraft guns. An AC-130 Spectre gunship, directed to observe the main runway for obstructions, reported it blocked by construction equipment and barricades. Loadmasters aboard the inbound Combat Talons reconfigured them for a parachute drop in less than thirty minutes. Talon 64-0568, flown as ''Foxtrot 35'' by 8th SOS commander Lt Col James L. Hobson and with the commander of the
Twenty-Third Air Force Twenty-Third Air Force (Air Forces Special Operations Forces) was a Numbered Air Force that was assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command. It was stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida and was active from 1 January 2008 until 4 April 2013. ...
, Maj Gen William J. Mall, Jr., aboard as a passenger, combat-dropped runway clearing teams from the Ranger Battalions on the airport, despite being targeted by a searchlight and under heavy AAA fire. Two Spectre gunships suppressed the AAA so that the other Combat Talons and the SOLL C-130s could complete the parachute drop of the Rangers, with the only damage to the Talons being three hits by small arms fire to 64–0572. For his actions, Hobson was awarded the
MacKay Trophy The Mackay Trophy is awarded yearly by the United States Air Force for the "most meritorious flight of the year" by an Air Force person, persons, or organization. The trophy is housed in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museu ...
in 1984.Thigpen (2001), p. 296.


Other Combat Talon operations


Just Cause

Talons supported '' Operation Just Cause'', the United States invasion of Panama in December 1989 and January 1990. Three MC-130Es of the 1st Special Operations Wing deployed to Hunter Army Air Field,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
within 48 hours of being alerted, then airlanded Rangers of the 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment into
Rio Hato Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...
Military Airfield on 18 December 1989. The operation was conducted under total blackout conditions, using night vision goggles, 35 minutes after the opening parachute assault. One of the MC-130s had an engine disabled by a ground obstruction while taxiing, then made an NVG takeoff on three engines under intense ground fire, earning its pilot the Distinguished Flying Cross. The lead Talon, the only MC-130E equipped with the Benson tank refueling system, remained on the airfield as a Forward Area Refueling and Rearming Point (FARRP) for U.S. Army OH-6 helicopters. When Panamanian General Manuel Noriega surrendered on 3 January, he was immediately flown to
Homestead Air Force Base Homestead Air Reserve Base (Homestead ARB), previously known as Homestead Air Force Base (Homestead AFB) is located in Miami–Dade County, Florida to the northeast of the city of Homestead. It is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing (482 FW) of t ...
, Florida, by a Combat Talon.


Desert Storm

The 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq resulted in the deployment of four Combat Talons and six crews of the 8th SOS in August 1990 to King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia as a component of ''
Operation Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
''. During '' Operation Desert Storm'', the combat phase of the Gulf War in January and February 1991, the Combat Talon performed one-third of all
airdrop An airdrop is a type of airlift in which items including weapons, equipment, humanitarian aid or leaflets are delivered by military or civilian aircraft without their landing. Developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible tr ...
s during the campaign, and participated in psychological operations, flying 15 leaflet-drop missions before and throughout the war. Combat Talon crews also conducted five
BLU-82 The BLU-82B/C-130 weapon system, known under program "Commando Vault" and nicknamed " Daisy Cutter" in Vietnam for its ability to flatten a section of forest into a helicopter landing zone, is an American conventional bomb, delivered from eith ...
B "Daisy Cutter" missions during the two weeks preceding the onset of the ground campaign, dropping 11 bombs on Iraqi positions at night from altitudes between and , once in concert with a bombardment by the battleship USS ''Wisconsin''. Two 7th SOS Talons deployed to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, as part of ''Operation Proven Force''. They supported the first Joint Search and Rescue mission over Iraq, attempting to recover the crew of ''Corvette 03'', a downed
F-15E Strike Eagle The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle is an American all-weather multirole strike fighter derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high-speed interdiction without relyi ...
. However permission from the Turkish government to fly the mission was delayed for 24 hours, and the crew was not recovered.


Air Force Reserve Command

On 6 October 1995, the Air Force began shifting the Combat Talon I force with the transfer of MC-130E, AF Ser. No. 64-0571, to the
Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
's
919th Special Operations Wing The 919th Special Operations Wing (919 SOW) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) unit of the United States Air Force. The 919 SOW is assigned to the Tenth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and is stationed at Duke Field (Eglin Air F ...
,
711th Special Operations Squadron The 711th Special Operations Squadron was part of the 919th Special Operations Wing at Duke Field, Florida. It was an Air Force Reserve Command unit that was operationally gained by Air Force Special Operations Command if called to active duty. ...
, based at
Duke Field Duke Field , also known as Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #3, is a military airport located three miles (5 km) south of the central business district of Crestview, in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. History Duke Field was one of the ...
(Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #3), Florida. The 919th had previously flown the
AC-130 The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance, ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport, fixed-wing aircraft. It carries a wide array of ground-attack weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, naviga ...
A Spectre in the gunship / close air support mission, and the increasing age of the AC-130A aircraft necessitated their retirement. Six MC-130E aircraft went to the 711th SOS over the next year for crew training, and the squadron became operational on 1 March 1997. On 5 March 1999, the
8th Special Operations Squadron The 8th Special Operations Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command, stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The squadron is equipped with the B ...
became the first active force squadron to become an Associate Unit to an Air Reserve Component organization, co-located with the 711th SOS, but without aircraft of its own, flying those of the reserve unit. Ten of the Combat Talon Is were primary assigned aircraft (PAA), two were assigned to crew training, and two were placed in backup inventory aircraft (BIA) storage.Thigpen (2001), p. 461. A Combat Talon I was the first aircraft to land at
New Orleans International Airport Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport ( French: ''Aéroport international Louis Armstrong de La Nouvelle-Orléans'') is an international airport under Class B airspace in Kenner, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is o ...
after
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cos ...
in August 2005. On 14 July 2006, the 8th SOS flew its last Combat Talon I mission and began conversion to the
CV-22 Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a convention ...
, ending 41 years of active service for the MC-130E Combat Talon I. Although retired from the Regular Air Force, the MC-130E continued to remain in service with the
Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
's
919th Special Operations Wing The 919th Special Operations Wing (919 SOW) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) unit of the United States Air Force. The 919 SOW is assigned to the Tenth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and is stationed at Duke Field (Eglin Air F ...
.


Retirement

The MC-130E Combat Talon I has been replaced by the MC-130J Commando II, which has the capability to complete missions faster and more efficiently than its MC-130H Combat Talon II and MC-130P Combat Shadow counterparts. Recapitalization was a stated priority of Lt Gen Donald C. Wurster, former commander of
Air Force Special Operations Command Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...
."MC-130J rollout accelerates AFSOC recapitalization"
by Rachel Arroyo,
AFSOC Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...
Public Affairs, 5 April 2011
Only eight MC-130E aircraft were still active in 2009, and four in 2013. On 15 April 2013, the four MC-130Es took off on their final mission. The MC-130E Combat Talon I was finally retired on 25 April 2013 in ceremonies at
Duke Field Duke Field , also known as Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #3, is a military airport located three miles (5 km) south of the central business district of Crestview, in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. History Duke Field was one of the ...
. Three of the aircraft were then flown to the
309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309th AMARG),Offici ...
at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, while the fourth aircraft, AF Ser. No. 64-0523 (nicknamed "Godfather") was flown to
Cannon AFB Cannon Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base, located approximately southwest of Clovis, New Mexico. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The host unit at Cannon is the 27th Special Operation ...
, New Mexico on 22 June 2012, for eventual display at that base's airpark. The retirement date marked the 33rd anniversary of the Desert One, the mission to free American hostages in Iran, of which several MC-130Es were a part.


MC-130H Combat Talon II


Combat Talon II Development


Credible Sport

One of the measures considered for a second hostage rescue attempt in Iran was a project to develop a "Super STOL" aircraft, to be flown by Combat Talon crews, that would use a soccer stadium near the US Embassy as an improvised landing field. Called ''Credible Sport'', the project acquired three C-130H transports from an airlift unit in late August 1980, one as a test bed and two for the mission, and quickly modified them. Designated the XFC-130H, the aircraft were fitted with 30 maneuvering rockets in five sets: eight firing forward to stop the aircraft, eight downward to slow its descent, eight rearward for takeoff assist, four on the wings to stabilize them during takeoff transition, and two at the rear of the tail to prevent it from striking the ground because of over-rotation. Other STOL features included a dorsal and two ventral fins on the rear fuselage, double-slotted flaps and extended
aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement aroun ...
s, a new radome, a
tailhook A tailhook, arresting hook, or arrester hook is a device attached to the empennage (rear) of some military fixed-wing aircraft. The hook is used to achieve rapid deceleration during routine landings aboard aircraft carrier flight decks at sea, ...
for landing aboard an
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for Carrier-based aircraft, carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a ...
, and Combat Talon avionics, including a TF/TA radar, a defensive countermeasures suite, and a
Doppler radar A Doppler radar is a specialized radar that uses the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance. It does this by bouncing a microwave signal off a desired target and analyzing how the object's motion has altered the fr ...
/
GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...
tie-in to the aircraft's inertial navigation system. Of the three aircraft, only one received full modification. The program abruptly ended when one crashed during testing on 29 October 1980; international events soon rendered another rescue attempt moot.


Testing and delivery

One of the two surviving ''Credible Sport'' airframes, 74-1686, became the ''YMC-130H'' test bed for the next generation of Combat Talons, under the project name ''Credible Sport II''. Phase I testing, conducted between 24 August and 11 November 1981, identified design deficiencies in the airframe and determined that the ''Credible Sport'' configuration did not have the safety margins necessary for peacetime operations. Phase II testing began 15 June 1982, continued through October 1982, and determined that the final Combat Talon II configuration, with significant improvements in design, avionics, and equipment, was ready for production. The initial purchase was authorized in 1982 at 12 aircraft, even though war-fighting requirements were estimated at more than 100, but was cut from funding until 1984. In 1983, USAF Special Operations Forces were transferred to the Military Airlift Command, seen as another move by USAF to divest itself of its special operations role. Creation of the 23rd Air Force reinforced that perception; SOF represented less than 35% of its personnel and virtually none of its headquarters staff, dominated by the "rescue community". However, the moves did remove the Combat Talon program from three fighter-oriented commands to a single command where promotion cycles were more favorable. In 1983, MAC established a Special Operations Force Master Plan that called for 21 Combat Talon IIs, including two attrition backups, with initial operational capability in the third quarter of 1987 and full delivery by 1991. The first Combat Talon II, 83-1212, was delivered in June 1984, but an earlier decision by USAF not to equip it with the navigational radar suite of the MC-130E slowed its development for years. In the meantime, Initiative 17, part of the "31 Initiatives" agreement between the Army and Air Force in May 1984, was deferred later that year (and eventually killed) after objections from members of Congress who saw it as a divestiture of the SOF role by the Air Force. As a result, the Air Force cut procurement of new HH-60D Nighthawk combat rescue aircraft from its budget requests—further delaying the Combat Talon II program, whose
glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic (digital) flight instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, rather than the traditional style of analog dials and gauges. While a traditional cockpit relies on numerous me ...
and integrated avionics systems were tied, for cost reasons, to those of the HH-60D. Five Combat Talon IIs were delivered in 1985 but the problem of acquiring a navigation radar had not been resolved (the APQ-122 was no longer being built). IBM was contracted to develop a new terrain following/avoidance radar, who then subcontracted the task to
Emerson Electric Company Emerson Electric Co. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Ferguson, Missouri. The ''Fortune'' 500 company manufactures products and provides engineering services for industrial, commercial, and consumer markets.
. The resulting radar performed so poorly that the Combat Talon II was nearly cancelled, but special operations advocates in Congress kept the program alive. Ultimately the AN/APQ-170(V)8 radar was developed into a system that exceeded specifications, but at a large cost overrun and with a further three-year delay in the Combat Talon II becoming operational. Deliveries in 1987, 1988, and 1989 brought the inventory to 18 aircraft, but all were still in modification, testing, or long term storage.


Operations 1993–2000

The first fully operational MC-130H Combat Talon II (87-0024) was received by the 8th SOS on 29 June 1991, with three others delivered over the summer. The official acceptance ceremony for the Talon II was held at Hurlburt in October, and by December 1991 the 8th SOS was equipped with six. The Combat Talon II features a stronger
airframe The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system. Airframe design is a field of aerosp ...
and modifications to the rear and
aft "Aft", in nautical terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning towards the stern (rear) of the ship, aircraft or spacecraft, when the frame of reference is within the ship, headed at the fore. For example, "Able Seaman Smith; lie aft!" or "Wh ...
cargo doors. The electronics suite has been upgraded, and includes
Global Positioning System The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sys ...
navigation, special radars for navigating in adverse weather, and night vision goggles (NVG) capability. These new technologies allow the Combat Talon II to fly as low as above ground level (AGL) in inclement weather, and make faster, more accurate airdrops. The MC-130H Combat Talon II, like the MC-130E Combat Talon I, can perform a variety of mission profiles, from daytime mid-level overwater flight and Jumpmaster Directed (JMD) personnel airdrop to night-time adverse weather terrain-following flight in mountainous terrain supporting airdrop and airland to covert and clandestine objectives. Increases in
automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...
reduced the aircrew by two and allowed the Combat Talon II to carry an additional pallet of cargo when compared to the Combat Talon I. Initial Operational capability was reached on 30 June 1993. Three MC-130H Combat Talon IIs of the 7th SOS were deployed in December 1995 to deliver peacekeeping forces to Tuzla and Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
, as part of ''
Operation Joint Endeavor The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background NAT ...
'', during which one Talon was hit by ground fire. The first combat deployment of a Combat Talon II was on 8 April 1996, during ''Operation Assured Response''. Special operations forces were deployed to Liberia to assist in the evacuation of 2000 civilians from the American embassy when the country broke down into
civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policie ...
. However orders to combat drop an 18-man SEAL team off
Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As t ...
were rescinded and the mission landed in Sierra Leone. Similar circumstances brought the Combat Talon II to Zaire in 1997. Talon II deployments for joint exercises in 1997 included Australia, Guam, Indonesia, South Korea, and Thailand. In July 1997, three Talon IIs deployed to Thailand as part of ''Operation Bevel Edge'', a proposed rescue of 1000 American citizens trapped in
Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become ...
,
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...
, by a possible civil war, but the crisis ended when the Cambodian government allowed all non-citizens who desired so to leave by commercial air. A 7th SOS Combat Talon II aircrew, ''Whiskey 05'', earned the
Mackay Trophy The Mackay Trophy is awarded yearly by the United States Air Force for the "most meritorious flight of the year" by an Air Force person, persons, or organization. The trophy is housed in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museu ...
for an embassy evacuation mission in the Republic of the Congo in June 1997. The crew rescued thirty Americans and twenty-six foreign nationals, and logged twenty-one hours of flight time. Full Operational Capability for the Talon II was reached in February 2000. At that time 24 MC-130Hs were deployed to four squadrons: * 15th Special Operations Squadron, eleven at Hurlburt Field, Florida; * 1st Special Operations Squadron, five at Kadena AB, Okinawa; * 7th Special Operations Squadron, five at RAF Mildenhall, U.K.; and *
550th Special Operations Squadron The 550th Special Operations Squadron (nicknamed "Wolfpack") was a special operations flying training squadron of the United States Air Force. It was activated in 1971 as the 1550th Flying Training Squadron, responsible for helicopter flying tr ...
, three at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico.


Operations in Southwest Asia


Afghanistan

On the night of 19–20 October 2001, four Combat Talon IIs infiltrated a task force of 199 Rangers of the 3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment and tactical PSYOP teams 658 miles inside Taliban-held
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. The force dropped onto ''Objective Rhino'' (), an unused airfield in Kandahar Province southwest of Kandahar, to secure a landing zone as a temporary operating base for Special Forces units conducting raids in the vicinity. A month later, two MC-130Hs, flying from Masirah Island, inserted a platoon of U.S. Navy SEAL Team Three and four Humvee vehicles to within ten miles of the same airfield on the night of 20–21 November. The SEAL platoon was inserted to establish an observation post at the airstrip, then assist two USAF combat controllers inserted by military free fall in preparing a landing zone for the
15th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (15th MEU) is one of seven such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) with a strength of about 2,200 per ...
. The 15th MEU landed in CH-53 helicopters on 25 November 2001, and established
Camp Rhino Forward operating base (FOB) Rhino, also known as Camp Rhino, was a U.S. military base located in the Registan Desert of Afghanistan, southwest of Kandahar. It was the first U.S. land base established in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring ...
, the first
forward operating base A forward operating base (FOB) is any secured forward operational level military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support strategic goals and tactical objectives. A FOB may or may not contain an airfield, hospital, machine ...
in Afghanistan for United States forces. Combat Talon IIs of the 7th SOS, augmented by crews from the 15th and 550th SOSs, flew 13- to 15-hour airdrop and airlanding night resupply missions from Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, to Special Forces Operational Detachments-Alpha (ODAs) in Afghanistan during the opening phase of '' Operation Enduring Freedom'' in December 2001. Operating in mountainous terrain, they innovated an airdrop tactic by replicating maximum-effort landing techniques to rapidly descend from to AGL to ensure accurate gravity drops after clearing high ridgelines into deep valleys.McCool, John (2005)
Interview with Major David Diehl, USAF
, ''Operational Leadership in the Global War on Terrorism''. Combat Studies Institute, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Diehl was a crew commander detached from the 550th SOS to the 7th SOS.


Iraq

The 7th SOS, commanded by Lt Col Mark B. Alsid and part of the
352d Special Operations Group The 352nd Special Operations Wing is an operational unit of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command currently stationed at RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom. The unit's heritage dates back to 1944 as an air commando unit. The 352nd ...
, received the
Gallant Unit Citation The Gallant Unit Citation (GUC), a United States Air Force unit award, was approved in March 2004 and is awarded to any Air Force unit which distinguishes itself by extraordinary heroism while engaged in armed combat with an enemy force on or afte ...
in 2006 for operations conducted during Operation Iraqi Freedom between 12 February and 12 May 2003. The 7th SOS was tasked to Joint Special Operations Task Force – North, known as
Task Force Viking Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – North (CJSOTF–N), also known as Task Force Viking, was the U.S. joint task force responsible for the northern front during the initial period of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq (OIF Rotation I). ...
, whose objective was to hold 13 Iraqi Army divisions along the " Green Line" in northeastern Iraq to prevent those divisions from reinforcing other Iraqi operations against United States forces invading from Kuwait. Forward-based at Constanţa, Romania, its primary mission was to infiltrate the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Army's
10th Special Forces Group The 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (10th SFG (A), or 10th Group) is an active duty United States Army Special Forces (SF) Group. 10th Group is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions: unconventional warfare (UW), foreign in ...
and the 3rd Battalion of the
3rd Special Forces Group The 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) – abbreviated 3rd SFG(A) and often simply called 3rd Group – is an active duty United States Army Special Forces (SF) group which was active in the Vietnam Era (1963–69), deactivated, and then reac ...
into Kurdish-held territory in preparation for
Operation Northern Delay Operation Northern Delay occurred on 26 March 2003 as part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It involved dropping paratroopers into Northern Iraq. It was the last large-scale combat parachute operation conducted by the U.S. military since Operation ...
. Denied permission by Turkey to fly into Iraq from its airspace, the 7th SOS flew the first 280 troops on a circuitous path around Turkey to a base in Jordan on 20–21 March 2003. On 22 March, six Combat Talon IIs (four from the 7th SOS) infiltrated 16 ODAs, four ODBs, battalion command elements, and Air Force Combat Control Teams to complete the fifteen-hour mission, the longest in U.S. Special Operations history. The insertion profile consisted of a four and one-half-hour low level flight at night through western and northern Iraq to Bashur and Sulaymaniyah airfields, often taking heavy ground fire from the integrated air defenses. The Talon IIs, at emergency gross weight limits, operated blacked-out, employed chaff and
electronic countermeasures An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting inf ...
, flew as low as AGL, and carried their troops tethered to the floor of the cargo holds. Three of the Talons were battle-damaged, with one forced to seek permission to land at Incirlik Air Base. The operation became known informally as "Operation Ugly Baby".McCool, John (2005)
Interview with Major David Harris, USAF
, ''Operational Leadership in the Global War on Terrorism''. Combat Studies Institute, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Briscoe and Robinson attribute the term "Ugly Baby" to a quip by a Special Forces trooper after seeing the flight path from Romania. However Harris, a radar navigator on one of the aircraft, states that the Talon II Electronic Warfare Officer mission planner coined the term for the infiltration route inside Iraq after analyzing the Iraqi air defenses.
Major Jason L. Hanover was individually honored for commanding a mission that seized two austere airstrips during the operation. After airlanding their troops, the Talon IIs then had to fly back through the alerted defenses to recover to their launching point. Overflight permission was granted by Turkey on 23 March, and the Combat Talon IIs delivered a total of 50 ODAs into Iraq. The Talon IIs then resupplied Task Force Viking, assisted in operations to capture
Kirkuk Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...
and Mosul, airlanded supplies at remote outposts using Internal Airlift Slingable Container Units (ISUs), and acted as pathfinders for conventional C-130 airlift missions.


MC-130P Combat Shadow

The MC-130P series of aircraft entered service in 1965 during the Vietnam War as HC-130H CROWN airborne controllers to locate downed aircrew and direct
Combat Search and Rescue Combat search and rescue (CSAR) are search and rescue operations that are carried out during war that are within or near combat zones. A CSAR mission may be carried out by a task force of helicopters, ground-attack aircraft, aerial refueling t ...
operations over North Vietnam. After tanker equipment was added to 11 HC-130Hs, they entered service as HC-130P SAR command and control/helicopter aerial refueling aircraft in November 1966. Combat Shadows have been part of the Air Force special operations force since 1986. In February 1996, AFSOC's 28-aircraft tanker fleet was redesignated the MC-130P, aligning the variant with other M-series special operations mission aircraft. Combat Shadows provided air refueling support in Panama to Army and Air Force helicopters during '' Operation Just Cause''. In 1990, four Combat Shadows of the
9th Special Operations Squadron The 9th Special Operations Squadron is part of the 27th Special Operations Wing (27 SOW) at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. The squadron operates MC-130J Commando II aircraft in support of special operations. The 9th SOS specializes in the us ...
deployed to King Fahd International Airport, Saudi Arabia for ''Desert Storm'', and three of the
67th Special Operations Squadron The 67th Special Operation Squadron (67th SOS), nicknamed ''the Night Owls'', is an active United States Air Force unit operating the Lockheed MC-130J Commando II. It is based at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, in the United Kingdom and assigned to th ...
to Batman Air Base, Turkey for ''Proven Force''. Since the Gulf War, the MC-130P has been involved in numerous operations, including ''Northern Watch'' and ''Southern Watch'' (Iraq), ''Deny Flight'' (Yugoslavia), ''Restore Democracy'' and ''Uphold Democracy'' (Haiti), ''Deliberate Force'' and ''Joint Endeavor'' (Bosnia), ''Assured Response'' (Liberia), ''Guardian Retrieval'' (Zaire), ''Enduring Freedom'' (Afghanistan) and ''Iraqi Freedom''. The Combat Shadow flew single or multi-ship low-level air refueling missions for special operations helicopters conducting infiltration, exfiltration, and supply missions, with command and control capability in limited situations. The primary emphasis for Combat Shadows was on night operations using NVGs, to reduce probability of visual acquisition and intercept by airborne threats. The last two AFSOC MC-130Ps were retired on 15 May 2015. However, four MC-130P aircraft continue to be flown by the
129th Rescue Wing The 129th Rescue Wing (129 RQW) is a unit of the California Air National Guard, stationed at Moffett Federal Airfield in Sunnyvale, California. The wing is equipped with the HC-130J Combat King II and the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter. If activat ...
(129 RQW) of the
California Air National Guard The California Air National Guard (CA ANG) is one of three components of the California National Guard, a reserve of the United States Air Force, and part of the National Guard of the United States. As militia units, the units in the California ...
. Although the MC-130P was ostensibly an AFSOC aircraft, the examples still flown by the 129 RQW are part of a rescue squadron assigned to a combat search and rescue/personnel recovery (CSAR / PR) mission and are therefore operationally-gained by the
Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...
(ACC) versus AFSOC. These MC-130P aircraft will eventually be replaced by the
HC-130 The Lockheed HC-130 is an extended-range, search and rescue (SAR)/combat search and rescue (CSAR) version of the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, with two different versions operated by two separate services in the U.S. armed for ...
J Combat King II.


MC-130W Combat Spear

The MC-130W Combat Spear, unofficially and facetiously nicknamed the "Combat Wombat", performed clandestine or low visibility missions into denied areas to provide aerial refueling to SOF helicopters or to air drop small SOF teams and supply bundles. The first of 12 MC-130Ws, AF Ser. No. 87-9286, was presented to Air Force Special Operations Command on 28 June 2006. The MC-130Ws were 87–9286 and 9288, 88–1301 through 1308, 88–1051 and 1057. The aircraft was developed to supplement the MC-130 Combat Talon and Combat Shadow forces as an interim measure after several training accidents and contingency losses in supporting the Global War on Terrorism. The program modified C-130H-2 airframes from the 1987–1990 production run, acquired from airlift units in the
Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
and
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
. Use of the H-2 airframe allowed installation of SOF systems already configured for Combat Talons without expensive and time-consuming development that would be required of new production C-130J aircraft, reducing the flyaway cost of the Spear to $60 million per aircraft. The Combat Spears, however, do not have a Terrain Following/Terrain Avoidance capability. A standard system of special forces avionics equips the MC-130W: a fully integrated
Global Positioning System The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sys ...
and Inertial Navigation System, an AN/APN-241 Low Power Color weather/navigation radar; interior and exterior NVG-compatible lighting; advanced threat detection and automated countermeasures, including active infrared countermeasures as well as chaff and flares; upgraded communication suites, including dual satellite communications using data burst transmission to make trackback difficult; aerial refueling capability; and the ability to act as an aerial tanker for helicopters and
CV-22 Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a convention ...
aircraft using Mk 32B-902E refueling pods. The MC-130Ws were assigned to the 73rd Special Operations Squadron at
Cannon Air Force Base Cannon Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base, located approximately southwest of Clovis, New Mexico. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The host unit at Cannon is the 27th Special Operation ...
, New Mexico, with all twelve operational by 2010. Initially nicknamed the "Whiskey" (NATO phonetic for the "W" modifier), the MC-130W was officially dubbed the Combat Spear in May 2007 to honor the historical legacy of the Combat Talons in Vietnam.


MC-130W Dragon Spear

Operational demands on aging AC-130s led the Air Force to seek a replacement until new AC-130Js could enter the fleet. A first idea—acquire and develop an AC-27J "gunship light"—fell through, so in May 2009, the Air Force began looking at converting MC-130Ws into interim gunships.LaGrone, Sam
"AFSOC fills gunship gap with C-130s"
''Air Force Times'', 14 May 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
On 17 November 2009, a contract was awarded to
Alliant Techsystems Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) was an American aerospace, defense, and sporting goods company with its headquarters in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States. The company operated in 22 states, Puerto Rico, and other countries. ATK's ...
to produce 30 mm ammunition for the Dragon Spear. In September 2010, the Air Force awarded a $61 million contract to L-3 Communications to give a gunship-like attack capability to eight MC-130W Combat Spear special-mission aircraft. Under the deal, L-3 added the weapons kits, called "precision strike packages". MC-130Ws fitted with the weapons were renamed ''Dragon Spears''. Air Force Special Operations Command eventually converted all 12 MC-130W aircraft to Dragon Spears. The Dragon Spears were equipped with a
Bushmaster II The Mk44 Bushmaster II is a 30 mm chain gun manufactured by Northrop Grumman. It is a derivative of the 25 mm M242 Bushmaster, and uses 70% of the same parts as the M242 while increasing the firepower by as much as 50% with the 20% increase i ...
GAU-23/A 30mm gun (an improved version of the MK44 MOD0 30mm gun), sensors, communications systems, and the Gunslinger
precision-guided munition A precision-guided munition (PGM, smart weapon, smart munition, smart bomb) is a guided munition intended to precisely hit a specific target, to minimize collateral damage and increase lethality against intended targets. During the First Gulf ...
s system: a launch tube designed to fire up to 10
GBU-44/B Viper Strike The GBU-44/B Viper Strike glide bomb was a GPS-aided laser-guided variant of the Northrop Grumman Brilliant Anti-Tank (BAT) munition which originally had a combination acoustic and infrared homing seeker. The system was initially intended for us ...
or
AGM-176 Griffin The AGM-176 Griffin is a lightweight, precision-guided munition developed by Raytheon. It can be launched from the ground or air as a rocket-powered missile or dropped from the air as a guided bomb. It carries a relatively small warhead, and wa ...
small standoff munitions in quick succession.Hambling, David
"Spec Ops Shops for 10-pack of precision guided bombs"
. WIRED, 25 June 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
Reed, John. ''Inside The Air Force'', 17 July 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009. Initial supplemental funds to the 2010 Defense Authorization Bill were for two kits to be installed in 2010. The MC-130W Dragon Spear went from concept to flying with a minimum capability in less than 90 days, and from concept to deployment in 18 months. Its success won its program the William J. Perry Award, and it became the model for the
AC-130J The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance, ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport, fixed-wing aircraft. It carries a wide array of ground-attack weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, naviga ...
gunship program. The first partially converted MC-130W arrived in Afghanistan in late 2010. It fired its first weapon one month after arriving, killing five people with a Hellfire missile. In May 2012 the Dragon Spear was redesignated the AC-130W Stinger II. By September 2013, 14 aircraft had been converted into gunships. The conversion added a sensor package consisting of day/night video cameras with magnification capability.


MC-130J Commando II

Beginning in 1997, studies of the vulnerability of the non-stealthy MC-130 force reflected concerns about its viability in modern high-threat environments, including the prevalence of
man-portable air-defense systems Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS or MPADS) are portable surface-to-air missiles. They are guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters. Overview MANPADS were developed in the 1950s to provide military ...
in asymmetric conflicts. At least two studies were conducted or proposed to explore the prospect of a replacement aircraft (known variously as "MC-X" or "M-X"), with USAF at that time hoping for an Initial Operating Capability date of 2018. One analyst questioned the survivability of slow non-stealthy platforms such as the MC-130 in future threat environments in a 2007 presentation to the
Center for Strategic and International Studies The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. CSIS was founded as the Center for Strategic and International Studies of Georgetown University in 1962. The center conducts polic ...
, and stated his opinion that development of a stealthy replacement for the MC-130 is a "strategic priority". The U.S. Department of Defense's ''2006 Quadrennial Defense Review Report'' also recognized the concern, asserting DoD's intention to "enhance capabilities to support SOF insertion and extraction into denied areas from strategic distances.", p. 45. Despite these concerns, the USAF decided to proceed with modernization of the current force. The Air Force stated it is to build 37 MC-130Js to replace its MC-130Es and MC-130Ps, both of which were 40 years old. Based on the
KC-130J The Lockheed Martin (previously Lockheed) KC-130 is a family of the extended-range tanker version of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The KC-130J is the latest variant operated by the United States Marine Corps (USMC), with 48 delivered ...
tanker operated by the United States Marine Corps, the new MC-130J has added features for both combat search and rescue and special operations missions, introducing major modifications to the Block 6.5 KC-130J. The MC-130J adds an Enhanced Service Life Wing, an Enhanced Cargo Handling System, a Universal Aerial Refueling Receptacle Slipway Installation (UARRSI) boom refueling receptacle, more powerful electrical generators, an electro-optical/infrared sensor, a combat systems officer (CSO) station on the flight deck, provisions for the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures System, and armor. Production of the first MC-130J aircraft was started at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Marietta, Georgia, on 5 October 2009. Lockheed Martin also contracted to build an HC-130J tanker variant for Air Force Special Operations Command on its standard
C-130J The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The C-130J is the newest v ...
production line. The MC-130J is the first C-130 specifically built for special operations, making it lighter and more efficient. Most special operations aircraft are modified after production to accommodate special operations missions. The MC-130J was initially called the Combat Shadow II to honor the service of the aging MC-130P platform that it was replacing but was officially named the Commando II in March 2012. The Air Force Special Operations Training Center conducted the initial MC-130J training program in conjunction with the
Pennsylvania Air National Guard The Pennsylvania Air National Guard (PA ANG) is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States of America. It is, along with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, an element of the Pennsylvania National Guard. As commonwe ...
's
193rd Special Operations Wing The 193rd Special Operations Wing is a unit of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, stationed at Harrisburg Air National Guard Base, Middletown, Pennsylvania. The wing is gained by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania when in a "state" status, as we ...
, using its four EC-130J Commando Solo aircraft to develop the training syllabus for MC-130J aircrew members. The MC-130J operates with a 5-member crew, eliminating the CSO navigator and the enlisted flight engineer positions that had been in the Combat Shadow's crew, with the remaining CSO handling electronic warfare as well as the navigation and aerial refueling duties formerly conducted by the navigator and flight engineer. The
415th Special Operations Squadron The 415th Special Operations Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 58th Operations Group at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The 415th Night Fighter Squadron was formed in February 1943, and it carried out miss ...
, a unit of the
58th Operations Group The 58th Operations Group (58 OG) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 58th Special Operations Wing. It is stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. During World War II, the units predecessor unit, the 58t ...
at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, was reactivated on 22 September 2011 as the main training unit for both MC-130J and
HC-130 The Lockheed HC-130 is an extended-range, search and rescue (SAR)/combat search and rescue (CSAR) version of the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, with two different versions operated by two separate services in the U.S. armed for ...
J Combat King II crews. The 522nd Special Operations Squadron was the first unit to operate the MC-130J Commando II, and achieved Initial Operational Capability in 2012. The first MC-130J, AF Ser. No. 09-6207, undertook its initial test flight on 22 April 2011. The 522nd Special Operations Squadron received its first MC-130J in late September 2011. A total of 37 MC-130J aircraft are programmed to replace all other MC-130 variants by the end of the fiscal year 2017. MC-130Js completely replaced Combat Talons at RAF Mildenhall in 2014 and began replacing those at
Kadena AB (IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a highly strategic United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific" because of its high ...
in 2015. 20 were in service in FY 2015 with seven additional airframes in production. On 26 October 2019, MC-130J Commando II special mission aircraft accompanied Joint Special Operations Command 160th SOAR MH-60 and MH-47s, which carried 1st SFOD-D and 75th Ranger RRC operators, into Idlib province during the
Barisha raid On 26–27 October 2019, the United States conducted a military operation code named Operation Kayla Mueller that resulted in the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the then-leader and self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist orga ...
.


Operational losses

Between 1967 and 2005, nine MC-130 special operations aircraft have been destroyed in operations, two of them in combat in the Vietnam War, resulting in the deaths of 68 crewmen and passengers: * C-130E(I) / MC-130E Combat Talon I – four * MC-130H Combat Talon II – four * MC-130P Combat Shadow – one


Combat Talon I losses

Two of the four aircraft assigned to Project ''Stray Goose'' were lost in combat: 64-0563 was destroyed on 25 November 1967, by a direct hit of a mortar round while parked on the Nha Trang flightline. The aircraft had been scheduled for a mission and had just completed preflight of the exterior when the mission was cancelled. Soon after the crew left the ramp, the aircraft was hit and destroyed by fire.Thigpen (2001), p. 89. 64-0547 was
missing-in-action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, execu ...
with its entire 11-man crew on 29 December 1967, on a mission to drop leaflets inside North Vietnam. The Blackbird had completed its leaflet drop leg of the mission at and begun its descent to its terrain-following exit altitude. Communication was lost without the Blackbird reporting any threats detected. SOF commanders at the time discounted the possibility of its being shot down because the flight, conducted by an inexperienced aircraft commander under new moon conditions, was not claimed as such by North Vietnam. In November 1992 the wreckage was located near the peak of a mountain northeast of Dien Bien Phu, and it was surmised that its descent was too steep for its TF/TA radar to stabilize. 64-0547 was the only special operations MC-130 lost on a combat mission over hostile terrain in the history of the program.Thigpen (2001), p. 90–101. 64-0558 was lost in a mid-air collision during a night training exercise 15 miles north of
Conway, South Carolina Conway is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 24,849 at the 2020 census, up from 17,103 in 2010 census. It is the county seat of Horry County and is part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. It is the hom ...
on 5 December 1972. An F-102 Delta Dagger of the
South Carolina Air National Guard The South Carolina Air National Guard (SC ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of South Carolina, United States of America. It is, along with the South Carolina Army National Guard, an element of the South Carolina National Guard. As state m ...
, attempting a night intercept of the Talon, flew into the fuel
drop tank In aviation, a drop tank (external tank, wing tank or belly tank) is used to describe auxiliary fuel tanks externally carried by aircraft. A drop tank is expendable and often capable of being jettisoned. External tanks are commonplace on modern ...
on its right wing, with the loss of both aircraft, killing all 12 aboard the C-130E(I). 64-0558 had been one of the two Talons assigned to the Son Tay POW camp rescue mission. Former ''Heavy Chain'' and Desert One veteran 64-0564 crashed into the ocean shortly after a pre-dawn takeoff from NAS Cubi Point, Philippines, on 26 February 1981, killing 15 passengers and eight of nine crewmen. The Talon was taking part in ''Special Warfare Exercise 81'' and had flown 12 missions in the preceding 16 days. Following an administrative flight the day before, the crew was scheduled for its last mission, a night exercise that was set back from 01:00 local time to 04:30. The flight profile consisted of a normal takeoff, a tactical landing a half-hour later to onload 15 Navy SEALs, followed by a tactical takeoff. The Talon reported normal flight conditions six minutes after the tactical takeoff, but crashed nine minutes later. No cause was determined, but investigators found that the likely causes were either crew fatigue from operations tempo, or failure of the terrain following radar to enter "override" mode while over water.


Combat Shadow/Talon II losses

Combat Shadow 66-0213 (''Ditka 03'') was lost when it flew into a mountain top in eastern Afghanistan on 13 February 2002. Assigned to the 9th SOS, the aircraft was refueling an MH-47E helicopter on a CSAR mission when it was forced to make an emergency climb in poor visibility to escape a box canyon in the mountainous terrain. The MC-130P ran out of climb performance and crash-landed wheels-up in deep snow. The aircraft was a total loss but the crew of eight survived with relatively minor injuries. Combat Talon II 84-0475, assigned to the 15th SOS, was lost in a takeoff crash on 12 June 2002, near Gardez, Afghanistan. During a night exfiltration mission of two Special Forces soldiers from a landing strip at the
Sardeh Band dam The Sardeh Band Dam ( ps, د سردې بند برېښناکوټ) is located near Sardeh Band town, in the eastern part of Andar District of Ghazni Province of Afghanistan. It was constructed in 1967 (1346 in the Islamic calendar) by the Soviet Uni ...
, the Talon crashed less than three miles from the airstrip shortly after takeoff. Conflicting reports point to overweight cargo and windshear as possible causes. The Talon's two loadmasters and a passenger were killed. According to Steve Coll in his 2018 book ''Directorate S'', this C-130 was actually blown up by Taliban or Al-Qaeda guerrillas while sitting on a runway. The Pentagon released a false story about the incident to downplay the dangers of Afghanistan. Combat Talon II 90-0161, also of the 15th SOS, crashed into Monte Perucho, south of
Caguas, Puerto Rico Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founde ...
, during a training mission on 7 August 2002, killing all ten aboard. The Talon was flying a terrain-following night mission in blowing rain and fog, along a low level route commonly used by the
Puerto Rico Air National Guard The Puerto Rico Air National Guard (PR ANG) — es, Guardia Nacional Aérea de Puerto Rico— is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States of America. It is, along with the Puerto ...
. The crew misinterpreted and disregarded terrain obstacle warnings. Combat Talon II 85-0012 was severely damaged during a landing accident at Mosul, Iraq, on 29 December 2004. The 15th SOS aircraft was on a resupply mission and struck a repair trench dug into the runway while still at 80 knots, shearing off part of its landing gear and partially separating its left wing from the fuselage. The trench was part of a U.S. Army construction project and a Notice To Airmen (
NOTAM A Notice to Airmen/Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM), is a notice filed with an aviation authority to alert aircraft pilots of potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect the flight. NOTAMs are unclassified notices or ...
) warning had not been filed by the airfield or disseminated to the aircrew, despite a safety hazard report filed in the week previous by another aircrew. No fatalities occurred but the aircraft was destroyed by explosive demolition to prevent its classified equipment from being compromised. A Combat Talon II of the 7th SOS, 87-0127 (''Wrath 11''), crashed during a terrain-following-and-avoidance night training exercise on 31 March 2005, near Rovie, in the Drizez Mountains in southeast
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares la ...
, 60 miles southeast of Tirana. The Talon had taken off from Tirana-Rinas Airport 20 minutes before and was one of two flying at AGL at a reduced power setting. An investigation revealed that the plane stalled attempting to clear terrain following the crew's "loss of situational awareness." All nine crew members aboard were killed.


Specifications (MC-130H Combat Talon II)


See also


Footnotes


References

*


External links


Herkybirds C-130 forum
{{USAF system codes C-130, M C-130, M 1960s United States special-purpose aircraft Four-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft Four-engined turboprop aircraft Air refueling
MC-130 The Lockheed MC-130 is the basic designation for a family of special mission aircraft operated by the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), a wing of the Air Education and Training Command, and an AFSOC-gained wing of the ...