815 AS C130 Blind Bat Metal Nose Art
815 AS C130 Blind Bat Metal Nose Art by – Squadron Posters!
Originally, the phrase “Blind Bat” was just the call sign for C-130s on forward air controller/flareship duty over southern Laos. Soon, it came to have a wider meaning, deÂnoting an entire mission. By early 1966, all C-130 flareship operations in-theater went by the shorthand name Blind Bat.
The enemy used the cover of darkness to move and attack. In Laos, Air Force flareships played an important role in lighting the night sky over friendly positions. Flareship crews also directed night air strikes, often against trucks on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. They used night observation devices — or “Starlight scopes” — to detect the enemy, then dropped flares to mark and reveal the targets to strike aircraft. Two USAF units performed the flareship mission in Laos and on occasion in North Vietnam. The 606th Special Operations Squadron flew C-123Ks under the call sign “Candlestick.” Elements in the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing flew C-130 flareship missions under the call sign “Blind Bat” or “Lamplighter.”
815 AS C130 Blind Bat Metal Nose Art by – Squadron Posters!
In the early days, each C-130 opÂerated as part of a four-ship formaÂtion, filled out by a pair of B-57 bombers and a Marine EF-10 for electronic-countermeasure supÂport. Whether the group operated over North Vietnam or over Laos, the C-130 crew would “flare” while the B-57s bombed and the EF-10 jammed enemy radars. Later years found the C-130s working with F-4s and other fighters. The Blind Bat mission lasted six years, from mid-1964 to mid-1970. Initially, flights originated at Da Nang, South Vietnam, and routineÂly overflew the North. In the spring of 1966, the flareship mission moved to Ubon. By that time, stronger air defenses had forced USAF to restrict flareship flights to the southern part of North Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos.
In their day, Blind Bat crews managed to detect a great volume of trafÂfic moving from North Vietnam into Laos and on into South Vietnam. When things went right, crews found targets and directed fighters to them with effectiveness. ExperiÂence gained by Bat crews was passed to AC-130 gunship operaÂtors, who often used hardware first tested in flareships. Today, howÂever, these contributions go largely unrecognized. – At Squadron Posters, we honor all “Blind Bat” airmen!
815th Tactical Airlift Squadron was a squadron assigned to the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing (1 November 1968 – 15 December 1969 / detached until 1 April 1969).
Printed on Brushed Aluminum Sheets and mounted on a plexi-backing for durability. Each order includes the aluminum mounting studs. Only tool required for installation is a Philips screwdriver.
| Size | |
|---|---|
| Personalize? | No, I like it standard issue, Yes, I want to customize |
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