Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 4 (VQ-4), nicknamed the Shadows, is a
naval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases.
Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...
squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
based at
Tinker Air Force Base
Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City.
The base, origina ...
,
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
. The squadron flies the
Boeing E-6B Mercury airborne command post and communications relay aircraft. It is part of the U.S. Navy's
TACAMO
TACAMO (Take Charge And Move Out) is a United States military system of survivable communications links designed to be used in nuclear warfare to maintain communications between the decision-makers (the National Command Authority) and the t ...
community, whose mission is to enable the
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
and the
Secretary of Defense to directly communicate with U.S. submarines, bombers, and missile silos during a nuclear war.
Operations
VQ-4 has a complement of 78 officers and 426 enlisted personnel. Since 1992, it has operated under
Navy Strategic Communications Wing 1 at Tinker Air Force Base. It deploys aircraft to fly operational patrols out of
NAS Patuxent River
Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station located in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River.
It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air Sys ...
, Maryland. The acronym "TACAMO" stands for "TAke Charge And Move Out", supposedly the first operational directive given to the squadron at its inception.
History
The TACAMO mission began in 1961 as a test program to determine if an airborne Very Low Frequency (VLF) communications system was feasible. Weapons Systems Test Division conducted this program, using a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130 aircraft as a test vehicle. The overwhelming success of the test program prompted funding for the first production aircraft. The project was designated TACAMO, which stands for
Take Charge and Move Out."
[ ]
In order to avoid long lead-time delays, four U. S. Air Force C-130 aircraft were taken from the production line in early 1963. After extensive modification, the aircraft was designated a C-130G. The first of these aircraft, BUNO 151890, was delivered on 26 December 1963. At that time, the communications equipment consisted of removable vans that could be installed in a matter of hours. Plans were formulated in 1966 to expand the TACAMO Program. The expansion included permanently installing the communications suites in eight aircraft and their designation as EC-130Qs. On 1 July 1968, VQ-4 was established at NAS Patuxent River, MD as a permanent operational squadron.
In 1974, the next major aircraft modification incorporated a new power amplifier, a dual trailing wire antenna system and a high-speed reel system for deploying and retracting of the trailing wire antennas. Additional improvements included satellite communications and an enhanced VLF capability.
In the 1980s, it was recognized that the C-130s, in some cases the oldest in the fleet, were in need of replacement. The hunt was on for the successor to “The Mighty Herc.” Eventually, the B707-320 airframe was chosen, modified extensively and designated the E-6A. The Navy E-6s were the last 16 aircraft to roll off of Boeing’s venerable 707 line after 30 years of production.
On 25 January 1991, VQ-4 took delivery of its first E-6A Mercury aircraft and in November 1992, changed homeport to Tinker AFB, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. On 20 September 1999, VQ-4 took delivery of its first E-6B. The E-6B contains upgraded systems that enable it to perform the USSTRATCOM Airborne Command Post (ABNCP) “Looking Glass” mission. Upgrades include: a Battle staff module to provide enhanced command, control and communications for the Nation’s nuclear arsenal; the Airborne Launch Control System to permit airborne launch and control of ICBMs; UHF C3 Radio Subsystem; Digital Airborne Intercommunications Switching System; MILSTAR Airborne Terminal System (Satellite communications) and a High Power Transmit Set for enhanced communications.
Since its commissioning, VQ-4 evolved into a Squadron of approximately 400 Officers and Enlisted personnel making it one of the largest operational aviation squadrons in the Navy. At one point the Squadron surpassed 42 years and 380,000 flight hours of Class A mishap-free operations.
![Lockheed EC-130G 151888 HL VQ-4 MILD 14](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Lockheed_EC-130G_151888_HL_VQ-4_MILD_14.10.72.jpg)
From 1968, the squadron first operated the EC-130G Hercules aircraft, a specially modified radio relay version of 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 ...
aircraft. It was based at both NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, and NAS Agana, Guam. In the late 1970s, the squadron based at NAS Agana relocated to NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii. In the mid 1980s, the squadron based at NAS Patuxent River began receiving EC-130Q aircraft, transferring the older EC-130G aircraft to the squadron based at Barbers Point. Both squadrons transitioned to the
E-6A Hermes in 1991–92, and co-located at Tinker Air Force Base in 1992.
References
External links
*
{{United States Navy Aircraft Squadrons
Fleet air reconnaissance squadrons of the United States Navy