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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 well as by the United States Air Force and Air Force Special Operations Command in its Federal capacity as part of the Air National Guard. The wing was organized as a group, the 193rd Tactical Electronic Warfare Group. Although it has never been mobilized as a unit, most of its equipment and personnel have been individually called up to serve in Southeast Asia and in Desert Storm.
The 193rd's primary wartime and contingency operations mission is to broadcast radio and television signals to target populations from an airborne transmitter, jamming existing television and radio signals where necessary. Messages are not developed within the wing itself, but are provided by staff of the United States Army's 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne), based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
In the Spring of 1964, the 140th Aeromedical Transport Squadron's mission and designation changed to 140th Air Transport Squadron and the Air National Guard operation at Olmsted Air Force Base expanded to a group, with the formation of the 168th Air Transport Group. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 168th Material Squadron (later replaced by the 168th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and 168th Supply Squadron), 168th Support Squadron, and the 168th USAF Dispensary. These units were located at Olmsted Air Force Base and operated the Lockheed C-121 Constellation. In 1966 the group became the 168th Military Airlift Group.
Following Operation Power Pack, the United States military intervention during the 1965 crisis in the Dominican Republic, Robert McNamara, the United States Secretary of Defense directed the Air Force to develop a capability to disrupt civilian broadcasting networks and guerilla command and control networks. In response, Tactical Air Command began to test a tactical electronic warfare support system that would be installed on C-121s, named Coronet Solo. Coronet Solo aircraft would be able to join or disrupt commercial radio and television and to broadcast prerecorded programs, in addition to having an ECM capability.
Threatened by the closure of Olmsted Air Force Base (now Harrisburg Air National Guard Base) and by the downsizing of all conventionally powered transport aircraft, the National Guard Bureau volunteered the unit for a psychological warfare capability named "Coronet Solo" in 1967. The 168th Military airlift Group and its components were inactivated and its resources were transferred to the new 193rd Tactical Electronic Warfare Group, becoming Tactical Air Command's first tactical electronic warfare unit that was not an active duty unit. Tactical Air Command replaced Military Airlift Command as its mobilization gaining command, although the unit continued to operate the C-121s of the old 168th Group until November 1977, when its last C-121C was flown to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
The first Lockheed EC-121S Coronet Solo was delivered to the unit on 16 July 1968. In July 1970, the Joint Chiefs of Staff directed the deployment of a task force of two EC-121s and supporting personnel to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base as Operation Coronet Cobra. The task force arrived at Korat on 31 July, where it began Operation Commando Buzz, retransmitting civilian radio broadcasts to outlying areas of Cambodia until improved ground transmitters were available to cover the area. The 193rd deployed guardsmen on temporary duty for periods of thirty to sixty days to support this mission. Although Commando Buzz was intended to last only ninety days, flights continued until 24 December, and the task force returned to the United States in early January 1971. Throughout the 1970s, the wing earned a reputation as being the most deployed Air National Guard unit, sometimes deploying 10 times in a single year.
In August 1977, the group received its first Lockheed C-130E Hercules. These aircraft were to be modified to Lockheed EC-130E Volant Solo standard, to perform the unit mission, but the first modified airplane did not arrive until March 1979. In May of that year, the unit's (and the Air Force's) last EC-121 departed for storage. Shortly thereafter, the unit designation became the 193rd Electronic Warfare Group.
The 193rd participated in the rescue of American citizens in Operation Urgent Fury in 1983. The aircraft acted as an airborne radio station, keeping the citizens of Grenada informed about the U.S. military action.
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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 well as by the United States Air Force and Air Force Special Operations Command in its Federal capacity as part of the Air National Guard. The wing was organized as a group, the 193rd Tactical Electronic Warfare Group. Although it has never been mobilized as a unit, most of its equipment and personnel have been individually called up to serve in Southeast Asia and in Desert Storm.
The 193rd's primary wartime and contingency operations mission is to broadcast radio and television signals to target populations from an airborne transmitter, jamming existing television and radio signals where necessary. Messages are not developed within the wing itself, but are provided by staff of the United States Army's 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne), based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
In the Spring of 1964, the 140th Aeromedical Transport Squadron's mission and designation changed to 140th Air Transport Squadron and the Air National Guard operation at Olmsted Air Force Base expanded to a group, with the formation of the 168th Air Transport Group. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 168th Material Squadron (later replaced by the 168th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and 168th Supply Squadron), 168th Support Squadron, and the 168th USAF Dispensary. These units were located at Olmsted Air Force Base and operated the Lockheed C-121 Constellation. In 1966 the group became the 168th Military Airlift Group.
Following Operation Power Pack, the United States military intervention during the 1965 crisis in the Dominican Republic, Robert McNamara, the United States Secretary of Defense directed the Air Force to develop a capability to disrupt civilian broadcasting networks and guerilla command and control networks. In response, Tactical Air Command began to test a tactical electronic warfare support system that would be installed on C-121s, named Coronet Solo. Coronet Solo aircraft would be able to join or disrupt commercial radio and television and to broadcast prerecorded programs, in addition to having an ECM capability.
Threatened by the closure of Olmsted Air Force Base (now Harrisburg Air National Guard Base) and by the downsizing of all conventionally powered transport aircraft, the National Guard Bureau volunteered the unit for a psychological warfare capability named "Coronet Solo" in 1967. The 168th Military airlift Group and its components were inactivated and its resources were transferred to the new 193rd Tactical Electronic Warfare Group, becoming Tactical Air Command's first tactical electronic warfare unit that was not an active duty unit. Tactical Air Command replaced Military Airlift Command as its mobilization gaining command, although the unit continued to operate the C-121s of the old 168th Group until November 1977, when its last C-121C was flown to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
The first Lockheed EC-121S Coronet Solo was delivered to the unit on 16 July 1968. In July 1970, the Joint Chiefs of Staff directed the deployment of a task force of two EC-121s and supporting personnel to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base as Operation Coronet Cobra. The task force arrived at Korat on 31 July, where it began Operation Commando Buzz, retransmitting civilian radio broadcasts to outlying areas of Cambodia until improved ground transmitters were available to cover the area. The 193rd deployed guardsmen on temporary duty for periods of thirty to sixty days to support this mission. Although Commando Buzz was intended to last only ninety days, flights continued until 24 December, and the task force returned to the United States in early January 1971. Throughout the 1970s, the wing earned a reputation as being the most deployed Air National Guard unit, sometimes deploying 10 times in a single year.
In August 1977, the group received its first Lockheed C-130E Hercules. These aircraft were to be modified to Lockheed EC-130E Volant Solo standard, to perform the unit mission, but the first modified airplane did not arrive until March 1979. In May of that year, the unit's (and the Air Force's) last EC-121 departed for storage. Shortly thereafter, the unit designation became the 193rd Electronic Warfare Group.
The 193rd participated in the rescue of American citizens in Operation Urgent Fury in 1983. The aircraft acted as an airborne radio station, keeping the citizens of Grenada informed about the U.S. military action.