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Chapter 26 |
The EB-47E |
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The B-47 shown on this page is not just an
EB-47E....it is an "EB-47E Tell Two". There were three of
these special models...53-2315, 53-2316, 53-2320....used for Telemetry (TELINT)
collection against Russian missile and space launches at
Kapustin-Yar and Tyura-Tam missile-dromes in the early 1960s,
flown by crews of the 55th SRW (Forbes AFB).
There were usually 1 or 2 of the planes TDY to TUSLOG
Det-50 (a SAC Detachment) at Incirlik AB, Turkey. They flew off of a
"live Alert" status to collection areas in the Black Sea
and/or eastern Iran near the Turkmenistan border. These missions
were un-refueled, about 8½ hours long. The entire mission, from start
engines was radio silent until returning from the collection area,
at 100 miles out from Incirlik.
The Tell Twos were also used to collect telemetry from
Russian long range ICBM missile tests to the mid-Pacific test range. The
missions were flown from Hawaii, or Wake Island, unrefueled.
One of these aircraft crashed in 1965 at
Incirlik, after post mission holding over Incirlik due to high
crosswinds. After holding long enough not to have sufficient fuel to get
to an alternate, and needing to land due to low fuel, the aircraft
porpoised and crashed with the high crosswinds.
The above information was provided by Jack Kovacs a
55th SRW pilot (for 5 years) on the Tell Two for 4 years, flying
three 90-day plus deployments to Turkey, as well as a deployment to
Hawaii/Wake Island. After leaving Forbes he went to Turkey as an Ops
Officer to manage the Tell Two missions from the SAC Detachment for 2
years.)
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