Tinker AFB, VQ-3 Ironmen E-6 Mercury

Tinker AFB, VQ-3 Ironmen E-6 Mercury poster art.

Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ) 3, also known as the“Ironmen”, is one of two squadrons assigned to Strategic Communications Wing 1, headquartered at Tinker Air Force Base Oklahoma. TACAMO (“Take Charge and Move Out”) is a U.S. military system of survivable communications links designed to be used in nuclear war to maintain communications between the decision makers (the National Command Authority) and the triad of strategic nuclear weapon delivery systems. Its primary mission is to receive, verify and retransmit Emergency Action Messages (EAMs) to US strategic forces.

Two squadrons, the “Ironmen” of VQ-3 and the “Shadows” of VQ-4 deploy more than 20 aircrews from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. They provide communications relay and a strategic airborne command post with the E-6 “Mercury” aircraft. The Boeing E-6 Mercury (formerly E-6 Hermes) is an airborne command post and communications  relay. Like the E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, the E-6 is adapted from Boeing’s 707-320 airliner.

Tinker Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Naval and other Department of Defense missions, located in Midwest City, Oklahoma, directly southeast of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma The base, originally known as Midwest Air Depot, is named in honor of Oklahoma native Major General Clarence L. Tinker, the first Native American Major General.