553rd
Reconnaissance Wing “Batcats”, Korat 1968
The 553rd RW flew EC-121R reconnaissance
aircraft, as part of program Igloo White : sensors were dropped by helicopter
and fixed-wing aircraft over the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos ; when North
Vietnamese trucks triggered the sensors, they sent a signal which was picked up
by the EC-121s and transmitted to the Infiltration Surveillance Center (also
known as Task Force Alpha) in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. Task Force Alpha could
then dispatch any available fighters to destroy the trucks.
Squadron Commander and NCOs on the ramp
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