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Tactical
Air Control System |
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| The 407L TACS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1970s - 1980s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General Information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: 601st Tactical Control Wing - A Historical Perspective) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIXED RADAR SITES WITH 407L SYSTEM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| USAFE 407L RADAR UNITS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 601st Tactical Control Squadron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Rodrigo Genhard, Germany) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Close up of MUTATE, 2007 |
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| 602nd Tactical Control Squadron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Rodrigo Gebhard, Germany) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1976 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from A. Roy Olson, 602nd TCS, Neu Ulm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I happened on your website by accident yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see all the information on the USAFE TACS. I was with the 602 TCS at Neu Ulm from 1976 to 1979. I'd be happy to relate the history of the unit while I was a member. That period was a time of big changes for the 602nd and I was proud to be part of the effort. Thanks for producing the mobile TACS history. 602 TCS, Neu Ulm, GE 1976-1979 I was assigned to the 602 TCS (BIFORM) at Nelson Barracks, Neu Ulm, Germany in October of 1976. I was an Aerospace Ground Equipment Technician, AFSC 42375. I actually became familiar with the mobile TACS a year before as a technical instructor at Chanute AFB. I was teaching the EMU-30 gas turbine generator set to technicians who were being assigned to the various TACS sites in Germany. I went TDY to Wiesbaden AB in 1975 for eight weeks to teach several classes on the equipment and met folks from most of the sites including the 602nd. At the time the EMU-30 generators were being maintained by Civil Engineering Power Production mechanics and some higher headquarters decided that the jib wasn’t getting done because of the turbine engine. So it fell to the aircraft-oriented AGE techs to take over. I was part of this operation in the fall of 1976 and by the following year the equipment was being maintained solely by AGE personnel. The 602nd had two sister flights under its umbrella, 631 TCF (CHALET) at Würzburg and 632 TCF (CONSOLE) at Grafenwöhr. We deployed with them several times during my tour. One of the big changes for the 602nd came in 1978 when the entire squadron moved to Türkheim Air Station in the hills surrounding the Ulm-Neu Ulm metro area. Tuerkheim was an old German installation and well suited for the TPS-43E radar mission. The original site was at Nelson Barracks, located in a valley, not a good place for a radar to see from, nor was it very handy for microwave communications. It was rumored that a squadron member had contacted Sam Nunn of Georgia about the abysmal radar coverage available from the site at Nelson Barracks. Whether this was true or not, we did move the squadron to Türkheim. The move was accomplished very efficiently. We returned from a deployment supporting the annual Reforger exercises and, instead of returning to Nelson Barracks with all of the equipment, we just hauled it all to Türkheim, took the weekend off and started getting operational on the following Monday morning. This worked flawlessly and the 602nd was back on the air in no time. I should mention that there were some German hard sites that came up to provide radar coverage when the TACS went down at 5 PM every day. Our German counterpart was at Messtetten, a small city to the west of Neu Ulm almost directly south of Stuttgart. We socialized with the personnel there on occasion. They were a great bunch and it was nice to be able to meet with them. So from the time of the move until my departure in October of 1979, we worked the skies from Türkheim every day. Most of us still lived in Neu Ulm and bussed to the new spot. A small contingent lived at Türkheim for security and equipment maintenance functions. A few months into my tour I was asked to work in the squadron’s job control function. There apparently was a need for someone who understood site power production functions, especially when deployed. I jumped at the chance and was very happy in the position. It gave me a real insight into the everyday workings of a mobile CRP and how all that equipment interacted. I had opportunities to sit in the “bubble” during live missions and listen in to the intercepts being directed. It was an opportunity not to be missed. The squadron had two commanders during my tour. The first was LtCol Peter Cyr and the second was LtCol Ted Kerr. They were as different as night and day. I don’t recall the names of any other key squadron personnel. After I left I stayed in contact with some of my closer friends from the unit but all that has faded away by now, except for one who happens to live here in Tucson. We are in close contact. That’s about all I can remember for now but will certainly contact you if I find or recall anything more. I never followed the unit after my departure so I never knew what took place after October 1979 or what led up to the demise of the mobile TACS. |
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| 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Email from Bill Parrish, 602nd TCS, Türkheim) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 603rd Tactical Control Squadron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: FRONTLINE, Jan 27 1984) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Air Force unit controls the skies by Gary Lindsley The people of Leighton Barracks refer to it as the "eyes and ears of Wuerzburg." To U.S. Air Force pilots, it is known as "the third wingman." The 631st Tactical Control Flight, provides radar support to the Army, Air Force, and other NATO forces. "Our mission is to provide radar support for aircraft intercepts;" says 2nd Lt. Paul A. Schwanitz, an air weapons controller for the 631st. |
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| Another part of Francis's job is to test and evaluate the controller's and technician's proficiency in their jobs on a monthly basis. "My job with the 631st has provided me with a lot of challenges. We have to know all of the war plans of all of the NATO countries. I like challenges that are new to me since they provide me with new knowledge. "That knowledge is essential and instrumental in the pilots being able to carry out their missions. The pilots really need us. In fact, a lot of pilots refer to us as their third wingman," Francis explains. "It's a lot of responsibility," says 2nd Lt. Gary M. Perdew, another air weapons controller and the unit's security officer. "If we don't give pilots enough information, they'll be casualties. That's why we're constantly training and running intercept flights," says Perdew. "In deploying to the forward area, we provide surveillance, close air support for the Army, and send out fighter aircraft to intercept or destroy targets the Army can't eliminate," explains Capt. Dale L. Goodell, commander of the 631st. Goodell says his unit's mission is very diversified. Besides running air to air intercepts, his unit runs refueling tacks for aircrafts. |
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| (Source: TRAINING TIMES, September 1983) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Air Force tactical radar unit can 'see' across threat border by Bob Shipp From the top of the hill near the Grafenwoehr Army Airfield you can "see" into Czechoslovakia. The U.S. Air Force 632nd Tactical Control Flight does it every day with their radar. The unit's primary mission is providing the 602nd Tactical Control Squadron, a Control and Reporting Post based at Neu Ulm, with an extension of its radar coverage into the forward battle area. "That mission can deal with both slow mover or fast mover aircraft," says Capt. Pat M. Armstrong, 632nd operations officer. "It can be in a defensive, offensive or surveillance role, looking into Czechoslovakia for possible hostile aircraft in NATO airspace." The unit's 65 personnel also get missions from Sector Operations Center III (SOC III), an air defense agency for the 4th Allied Tactical Air Force Region which runs from Fulda to the Karlsruhe area. "SOC III is responsible for the air defense of southern West Germany," explains Armstrong. "They may ask us to help track, say, some F-15s or F-16s that are scrambling from Bitburg Air Base. "They will tell us, `We have a critical track coming into NATO airspace and we need you to control them on an intercept.' "We haven't spotted anything unusual since I've been here, but I was told when I arrived that a MiG-25 flew over the ranges a few years back. I don't know that for a fact, but there are so many low flying fastmovers that come over the area..." The primary day-to-day peacetime mission here is close air support on the GTA ranges, tracking A-10s on training flights. "The desired scenario with A-10s is to pick them up on radar about 45 miles away," says Armstrong. "We then give them weather, traffic advisories and any pertinent command and control information they may need. "When we pick them up we give them bearing and range to Capt. Tasker, the contact point at Bleidorn Tower. We hand them off to Capt. Tasker and he brings them in on target. "It's pretty routine but the close air support scenario varies even though it is fluid. You must be flexible because it varies from pilot to pilot." Armstrong says the site's location on the hill has advantages and disadvantages. "We have a great panoramic view of the entire area," he states. "We've seen a lot of 'air shows' so to speak. The C-130s and C-141s come in and put on air shows with air drops or something. "You get a good sense of being in the woods here, but you know that five miles away you have a nice comfortable place to live. "We enjoy it up here, but it does get awfully cold in the winter time," he continues. "It even snows here when it's raining in Graf. "We occasionally have hearing problems and sometimes get jumpy when the firing starts because there are firing points on all sides of us. But we're used to that," he adds. Armstrong says being on an Army post is different until you get used to it. "Then it's just like being on any other base. A lot of things are the same, but at Graf it is even different for permanent party Army personnel because of the training aspect." Armstrong believes air attack is the biggest threat. His unit deploys about four times per year for training. "We don't function during wartime unless we get off this hill quickly," he says. "You have to stay in tune. The more practice you get doing your wartime job the more effective you will be and the greater your chances of surviving. That's true for the Air Force as well as the Army. "We are so close to the border that, when hostilities begin, you better have your stuff ready. We're going to have to roll out of here and do it quickly to survive." |
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| 606th Tactical Control Squadron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Port Reporter, April 1987) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 606th TCS celebrates twice By Wayland Jessup BASDAHL, West Germany - The 606th Tactical Control Squadron celebrates two anniversaries this spring. March marks the 10th year the 606th has been operating in the Norddeutschland Military Community. In April, members of the 606th celebrate the fifth year of their move to their present location at Basdahl. In those 10 years, the 606th has been performing a rather unique mission. Being a tactical unit, it is one of the few Air Force squadrons that has the capability to move to locations that need their services. "About 90 percent of the Air Force is fixed installation units," said Col. Robert Zielinski, commander of the 606th Tactical Control Squadron. "We area mobile unit and practice that capability regularly." Of course, making sure they move to whatever location they are needed at is the responsibility of the Logistics Section. |
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| (Source: Port Reporter, Sept 26, 1986) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Air Force's Army" detects trouble and takes appropriate action By Wayland Jessup WANNA, West Germany - Norddeutschland is generally considered the U.S. Army's area of responsibility along with NATO forces from Belgium, England and the Netherlands. However, to protect these ground forces from possible air attack, the U.S. Air Force keeps units in NDL ready to deploy. The 626th Tactical Control Flight, with barracks located on Carl Schurz Kaserne and its training site here, is one of those units. The mission of this Forward Air Control Post (FACP) is to track and identify air traffic within a designated area. |
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| "Even though we are Air Force, we have to train to defend ourselves against ground attack because we are a mobile unit and have to move to wherever we are needed in a matter of hours. We call ourselves the `Air Force's Army' because just like the Army, we go to the field four, to six times a year," Boozer said. "It's tough," Weeks said. "Donning the mask, rolling in the mud; it tests your limits." "We are a self-contained unit and take all of our support people with us. We can go to our operations by land, sea, or air," Boozer said. As part of the NDL community, the 626th receives support from the NDL community staff. "The Army's support for us has been outstanding," Boozer said." Col. Hahn (deputy community commander) is responsive for our needs. Most of our people live in the housing areas and are full partners in the community." Sgt. Thomas Bellon, an engine mechanic, agreed, "We get real good support from the Army. They do the maintenance on our vehicles that we are not equipped to do." There are onl 78 persons in the 626th. It is a small unit compare to other FAPCs. "Because we're such a small unit and have to do the same work as a much larger unit, we have the opportunity to get much more experience than we would in another unit," said 2nd Lt. Paul Hershey, weapons director. As SSgt. Gary Cook, radar technician, said, "The hours can be long, but the job is rewarding." |
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| (Source: Port Reporter, March 1988) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Inspector of the Skies" is no stranger to the field |
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| The exercise was a combination of mission performance -- fullfilling the squadron's monitoring mission -- and tactical training. The squadron arrived at the site, set up its operations and communication equipment, prepared defensive positions and took on a rigorous training schedule. U.S. Air Force evaluators stood by and observed the squadron in action. While operations and communications personnel performed their tasks as "Inspectors of the Skies," tactical exercises kept others equally busy. Frequent attacks by aggressors kept perimeter guards and tactically trained personnel on their toes. Blanks, smoke grenades and artillery simulators gave reality to the attacks. The 606th's commander, Lt. Col. Timothy Davis had positive things to say about his unit's performance. "The evaluation and exercise went very well," Davis said. "As always, we found a few areas where we can improve. We'll take those home, work on them, practice more and be ready to do our mission." Commenting on the exercise, Airman 1st Class Julianne Laborczy said, "It's good training. It's not the same as simulating in garrison. We get to come out here and play it for real." |
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| (Source: Port Reporter, March 1990) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NDL airmen work with Red Baron's squadron by Leslie Harold The U.S. Air Force's 606th Tactical Control Squadron deployed to Witmundhaven recently, setting up operations right outside the German military airbase there. With its huge, mobile radar antenna and accompanying air-surveillance and combat air control capabilities, the 606th plays a vital role in NATO's ability to defend against hostile air attacks. A tactical squadron, it can deploy as many as 100 fully-loaded vehicles in as few as 24 hours if necessary. Everything - radar equipment, scopes, plotting boards, mobility gear, weapons, tent stoves and sleeping bags go to the field. Once they're moved out, the 606th's base site in Basdahl looks like an empty lot. |
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| Face-to-face talks with the pilots involved in air intercept missions were another factor that made the Witmundhaven deployment unique. The 606th's weapons directors, who provide radar target information to fighter pilots through radio links, usually debrief missions over the telephone. Face-to-face briefings and debriefings provide excellent training for all personnel involved in the missions. Training was the major purpose of the Witmundhaven deployment. While the 606th provides a radar air picture of Northern Germany to the fixed NATO sites, it cannot perform its mission if it is taken out by enemy attack. To avoid that, the squadron maintains its mobile and tactical wartime readiness. "We handle our own site security," said 21Lt. Kimberly Smith, a weapons director. "We also do our own battle damage assessments and deal with unexploded ordnance." In addition, all of the 606th's airmen are trained to handle medical casualties and how to survive chemical attacks. They spend a great deal of time in chem suits or behind sandbags with M16's defending the site against simulated aggressor attacks. |
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| (Source: Port Reporter, March 1991) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deactivation ceremonies for the US Air Force's 626th Tactical Control Flight took place Feb. 1 (1991) at Wanna, Germany. Unit commander, Maj. Lester C. Ferguson, and Col. Kenneth Reynolds, 601st Tactical Control Wing commander took part in the casing of the unit's colors. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Port Reporter, November 1992) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 606th ACS sings 'Bye-Bye Blues' By Leslie Harold After 15 years of helping NATO to defend the skies over northern Germany, the 606th Air Control Squadron recently announced that it is moving south to Bitburg Air Base. The mission of the small Air Force squadron, located at a complex in Basdahl, a town about 30 kilometers from Bremerhaven, has been to provide radar control to allied aircraft, radar surveillance of the skies over northern Germany, and to collect, evaluate and distribute air radar defense information and data to other command and control systems in behalf of NATO. An integral part of the squadron's mission has been its ability to move its radar, command and control, and communications equipment rapidly to other locations in the event of a conflict. The airmen of the 606th spent a great deal of their time deployed to various locations in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, practicing and training their wartime mission. Many of the 606th ACS's people and some of its equipment also deployed to Southwest Asia in support of the Gulf War. "The move to Bitburg is a result of the changing missions of NATO and the U.S. Air Forces in Europe," said Col. Rudnaldo "Butch" Hodges during a recent telephone interview. Hodges said that the Air Force's senior leadership feels that the 606th ACS should be located along with fighter units as part of the Air Force's new Composite Wing Concept. And, its ability to be airlifted has improved with new, recently acquired command and control equipment. "It makes sense to be located near an airfield so we can be moved quickly to other areas in the theater," Hodges said. "In addition, our training would be enhanced, being able to work directly with the fighters. The move will also help the squadron support-wise, reducing the logistics problems caused by distance from Air Force support centers. Hodges said the 606th has enjoyed its time in northern Germany. "The support we've received from the Army in Bremerhaven for our airmen and their families has been superb," he said. In the past, the squadron has had as many as 270 airmen and their families assigned to northern Germany, the vast majority living in Bremerhaven and commuting to the Basdahl radar complex each day. But the end of the Cold War, the drawdown of U.S. Forces in Europe, the changing shape of NATO, and the manning requirements for the new command and control equipment have greatly reduced the number of people assigned to the squadron. The 606th ACS will hold a formal site closure ceremony on November 6 acknowledging the support of local NATO forces and the military and civilian communities in Bremerhaven and Basdahl. After the airmen and their families move south, a small contingent of airmen from the 601 st Support Group OL-A will remain at Carl Schurz Kaserne for a short time to take care of any administrative tasks that arise. |
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| 609th Tactical Control Squadron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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