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Aviation History
1968
1968 - 0173.PDF
klGHT International, I February 1968 171 elligcnce monitoring ship. Other horne- Lsed USAF squadrons were placed at .adiness to move. These measures followed the move of fighter squadrons from Okinawa to Eases in South Korea to supplement the Ismail US air elements in that country, [nd the immediate deployment to waters Korea of the nuclear-powered 75,000- |on carrier USS Enterprise together with tscorts. The naval forces were later sup- plemented by the carrier Yorktown 130,800 tons), the GW cruiser Canberra, tjx' submarines and numerous support Vessels. Last Thursday, President Johnson ordered the mobilisation of 14,600 Air Force reservists (of both the USAF Reserve and the Air National Guard) and naval air reservists—about 5 per cent of the total being aircrew. The effect of this mobilisation, the first since the Berlin crisis of 1961, was to add 372 air- craft to the active strength—46 of them long-range transports able to carry men and materials to reinforce forces in South Korea. Meanwhile, efforts to free the Pueblo and its crew were being made on the diplomatic front and some comfort was derived in Washington from Moscow's apparent wish not to exploit the situation unduly. In military circles in London and elsewhere, there were numerous questions being voiced about the affair. One was why such a vulnerable ship— armed only with two 0.50in machine guns —was sent on a hazardous mission in a hostile area unescorted, and why de- stroyer escorts for such ships were re- cently withdrawn by the USN. The other questions centred upon an Army aviation gets teeth. Recent weapon trials at the AAC Development Wing at Middle Wallop have included the fitting of a 7.62mm GPMG to a Sioux helicopter, left, and a 7.62 six-barrelled GE Minigun in a Scout, right. The big tubes are spent-case collectors, to prevent cartridges flying into the tail rotor. Next week's "Flight" will contain a feature on British Army aviation apparently slow American response to the Pueblo's initial difficulties. About (two hours elapsed between the Pueblo being challenged and being seized— time enough for US air support to have been provided from Japan or South Korea, it is reasoned. Against this argu- ment is the fact that ships of this sort are frequently harassed, without neces- sarily being boarded and seized, and the Pueblo's captain, or those with whom he was in contact, may have discounted the seriousness of the predicament until it was too late. Mediterranean Sub Searches RAF AKROTIRI was the co-ordinating centre last weekend and early this week of the international seaTch for the missing Israeli submarine Dakar. The vessel, It got as far as this: UK-I, the first F-l I IK on the GDjFort Worth production line, stands neglected, work suspended by the British Government's decision to cancel the order for SO. It is the most advanced of several F-IIIKs on the production line. GD awaits a Defence Department decision on what to do with these aircraft, the most likely course being their conversion into F-l 11 As for the USAF. Ultimate cancellation charges to Britain will depend upon the extent to which F-l I IK assemblies can be incorporated into other variants formerly HMS Totem, was sold to Israel in 1964, given an extensive refit at Ports- mouth and was engaged in post-refit trials when the Middle East war occurred last June. Formally commissioned into the Israeli Navy in November, she was on her delivery voyage from Portsmouth to Haifa when she disappeared on Thurs- day south of Cyprus and about 250 miles west of her destination. Three 204 and 210 Sqn Shackletons flew from Ballykelly to Akrotiri and two helped in the search, in which Israeli, US and Greek ships and aircraft also took part. The assistance of the Soviet Navy, now strong in the Eastern Medit- erranean, was not sought. Israeli liaison officers flew to Cyprus to .take part in operating the search, controlled from the RAF Rescue Co- ordination Centre, Episkopi. As we closed for press no trace of the submarine had been found. Vessels taking part included RN destroyer HMS Diana, and the frig- ates Tenby, Eastbourne and Scarborough were offered. The disappearance of an Israeli submarine naturally raised the suspicions of possible Arab, and specifi- cally Egyptian action, though Israeli authorities and others were discounting this and Cairo denied involvement. Meanwhile, in a grim parallel in the Western Mediterranean, a search began last Saturday evening for a missing French submarine, the Minerve, one of the ten-strong Daphne class of modern 1,040-ton submarines, which failed to make a routine signal on Saturday even- ing when cruising only 20 miles or so off her home port of Toulon, in 8,000ft of water. As Flight went to press, the search was wholly French, with warships combing the area supplemented by both sea and land-based helicopters and other search aircraft. The carrier Clemenceau put to sea at short notice from Toulon. SAAF Buying P.166s THE SOUTH AFRICAN AIR FORCE is expected to place an order very soon for a number of Piaggio P.166 light transports. These aircraft are being purchased for the roles foreseen for the 14 Beagle 206s which it wanted but which were blocked by a US embargo on their Rolls-Royce Continental engines. SAAF personnel have lately been at the Piaggio factory
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