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here's an oddball for you


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way back in the stone age (think 1967/1968) they flew a specially modified airframe built off the P2v Neptune out of Thailand, and mostly flew up the Ho Chi Mein Trail dropping sensors. Three were lost to radar guided 57mm AA (I know some claim 37mm). The airframes were heavily armored, and had some secretive radar on them, plus electronic sensors to listen in on what was happening below them. They normally flew at 500 ft and lower. Appears to be a most interesting Navy plane. Now wouldn't it be nice if we had a conversion to build one. Hasegawa has a kit, and now we need all the add on parts. I know it had somekind of an added radar blister, plus added armor protection (one reason I said 57mm).

 

Plus we really need a new toll Neptune in 1/48th scale!

gary

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11 hours ago, Cubs2jets said:

The Igloo White is not right for the OP-2e. The real OP-2e's were unarmed. The first conversion looks like the descriptions I have read. 

gary

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On 1/12/2021 at 3:43 PM, ChesshireCat said:

The Igloo White is not right for the OP-2e. The real OP-2e's were unarmed. The first conversion looks like the descriptions I have read. 

gary

I thought igloo white was a sensor system and not armament?

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My impression was that they carried SUU-11s on angled pylons on the wing and sometimes M60s in the aft fuselage windows...

 

I did my own scratch-built conversion of the OP-2E a couple of years ago:

 

 

HAJO

 

 

Edited by Hajo L.
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23 hours ago, Da SWO said:

I thought igloo white was a sensor system and not armament?

from what I read on the subject, they are two different operations. Both dropped sensors and homing beacons. I kinda gather that Igloo White was a bigger operation. Also think that the operation I'm thinking of happened in an area that would probably start near the south end of the Ashau Valley (but over the fence) and go north to the Mu Gai Pass. I do know there was a similar operation going on in the Plain Of Jars area of the Ho Che Mein Trail. On the otherhand, I never heard of an Op2e till earlier in the week when reading a daily KIA report. I do remember coming across the name Igloo White about a month ago, and I'll have to back track to see what little data is listed. Anyway this whole thing is interesting, and takes in several different airframes. From the EC47 and C123b to who only knows what. Did finally run across a Black Spot mission awhile back, and had began to wonder if they ever really used them. A guy named Roy Spencer seems to know as much as anybody on downed aircraft over there (if he's still alive). Some of his reports are very detailed, and others seem glossed over.

gary

 

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7 hours ago, Hajo L. said:

My impression was that they carried SUU-11s on angled pylons on the wing and sometimes M60s in the aft fuselage windows...

 

I did my own scratch-built conversion of the OP-2E a couple of years ago:

 

 

HAJO

 

 

your going to be surprised as to what they Navy used (and didn't tell you). One that seriously interests me is the EC47. Both the Navy and Airforce used them. There was a similar C130, and probably a couple others as well. 

       When I came thru Cam Rahn Bay, there was a row of Neptunes that had to be 24 airframes or more. Right across from them were B26 (K) bombers. Road right past them, but never gave them much thought. I'd been in country about thirty minutes. 

gary

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On 1/12/2021 at 5:02 AM, Cubs2jets said:

Let's not forget the recently released Caracal CD72057. with OP-2E markings.

Edited by Dutch
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On 1/15/2021 at 2:58 PM, ChesshireCat said:

your going to be surprised as to what they Navy used (and didn't tell you). One that seriously interests me is the EC47. Both the Navy and Airforce used them. There was a similar C130, and probably a couple others as well. 

       When I came thru Cam Rahn Bay, there was a row of Neptunes that had to be 24 airframes or more. Right across from them were B26 (K) bombers. Road right past them, but never gave them much thought. I'd been in country about thirty minutes. 

gary

Those P-2’s at Cam Rahn were ARMY AP-2E’s belonging to the 1st Radio Research Group; the Crazy Cats.

 

Mig

 

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2 hours ago, Rob Mignard said:

Those P-2’s at Cam Rahn were ARMY AP-2E’s belonging to the 1st Radio Research Group; the Crazy Cats.

 

Mig

 

that's interesting. I know they didn't stay there long as I had to fly back down there six weeks later (forgot to sign the little green pay card). The B26's were still there, but the others were gone. Were they part of the radio relay teams that flew thru the slot?

gary

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18 hours ago, Rob Mignard said:

They flew Army Security Agency missions. Not sure what that entailed. They’d take off from Cam Rahn and disappear. They were normally on the ramp during the day. There are lots of articles online, but they don’t say much about the mission.

 

Mig

sounds a lot like radio relay missions, or simply reading sensors during a flyover. I know they used EC47's to do that as well. There were radio relay sites up and down the fence, but doubt they had the range to reach the coast

gary

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They may have been predecessors of Guardrail. The Army had RU-8's and RU-21's doing that mission in South Vietnam; my guess is the Neptunes were doing that mission in Laos and the Gulf of Tonkin. The AP-2E's were the heaviest Neptunes in service and flew with a crew of 15! They were slow (like all P-2's) and vulnerable. I doubt they flew directly into North Vietnam.

 

Mig

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10 hours ago, Rob Mignard said:

They may have been predecessors of Guardrail. The Army had RU-8's and RU-21's doing that mission in South Vietnam; my guess is the Neptunes were doing that mission in Laos and the Gulf of Tonkin. The AP-2E's were the heaviest Neptunes in service and flew with a crew of 15! They were slow (like all P-2's) and vulnerable. I doubt they flew directly into North Vietnam.

 

Mig

I used to know the flight path, but seems like it went across near Vinn with a refuel in DaNang.  Deeper penetration was often done with EB-66 and probably some others. I have heard that they flew some big four engine stuff near the coast. Then there was Apache that pretty much flew a figure eight pattern along the fence, but never violating air space. It did everything from one airframe. They did fly EC-130's up the trail, and even a reworked Locheed Electra (can't remember the number). At least one was shot down north of Tcephone (sp). Just read the casualty reports over the last week. And lest we not forget about U2 and SR71 flights that went diagonally across the north and down the trail. I've seen the ZZYflash photos in the flesh that were less than a day old. Abrams killed most of that data when he took over (what an idiot)

gary

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