No. 112 Signals Unit RAF: Difference between revisions
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{{Orphan|date=October 2013}} |
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{{Use British English|date=May 2013}} |
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{{Infobox military unit |
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| unit_name = 112 Signals Unit |
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| nativename = [[Image:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg|90px]] |
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| nativename-a = |
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| nativename-r = |
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| type = Military |
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|image= [[Image:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg|90px]] |
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|caption= |
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|dates=1960 – 1983 |
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|country={{flag|United Kingdom}} |
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|branch={{air force|United Kingdom}} |
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|command_structure=[[RAF Bomber Command]] 1960-1968<BR>[[RAF Strike Command]] 1968-1983 |
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|type= |
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|role=Monitoring and measurement of V-force Victors and Vulcans [[Electronic countermeasures]] (ECM) performance |
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|size= |
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|garrison= [[Stornoway Airport]] |
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|garrison_label= Located |
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}} |
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'''112 Signals Unit Stornoway''', frequently referred to as '''112 S.U.''', was a classified [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[Electronic countermeasures]] (ECM) measurement and evaluation unit based at [[Stornoway Airport]] on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.<ref name=#1>Document AIR 14/4317 ''1974-1980'', The National Archives, Kew. (Memo No. 247 from ORB, HQBC discusses ECM measurement results by 112 S.U.)</ref> It was an [[RAF Bomber Command]] Headquarters (HQBC) unit established during the height of the [[Cold War]].<ref>See [[RAF Bomber Command]], History: 1946 to 1968</ref> |
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== Role == |
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Once 112 S.U. had been established at Stornoway Airport from 1 January 1960, under the auspices of the Operational Research Branch (O.R.B) at HQBC, the unit measured the signal strength, frequency bandwidths and aerial performance of the operational [[Handley Page Victor]] and [[Avro Vulcan]] [[V bomber]]s as they flew a course towards, over or away from the unit varying from straight-lines to polar patterns <ref name="Document">Document AIR 29/4736 ''1974-1980'', The National Archives, Kew. (map showing aircraft track to/from 112 S.U.)</ref>. Results were passed back to HQBC and to each aircrafts' base for the Electronics Engineers and Technicians to review for performance improvement of each piece of equipment that was measured <ref>Document AIR 29/4526 ''1964-1973'', The National Archives, Kew. (Operations Record Book for 112 S.U.)</ref>. The combined success of the unit and each of the aircrafts' bases along with support staff at BCDU and [[RRE]] Malvern (later to become [[RSRE]] Malvern) was demonstrated by the V-force during [[Operation Skyshield]] exercises <ref>Document AIR 14/4317 ''Monitoring of RED SHRIMP performance before Exercise SKYSHIELD II'', The National Archives, Kew.</ref> during the early sixties.<ref>White, p 47. (SKYSHIELD reference)Vulcan </ref> and subsequent exercises up to the time that the unit was closed in 1983 |
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== Cold War backdrop == |
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From the start of the [[Cold War]] period, leading up to the time the [[Berlin Wall]] was built in 1961 and to its subsequent tearing down in 1989 a number of key events happened that shaped the military aviation response. These events included the development of the [[Hydrogen bomb]],<ref>[[Yellow Sun]], Britain's first operational strategic nuclear weapon.</ref> the [[V bomber]], Duncan Sandys [[1957 Defence White Paper]], the application of [[Electronic countermeasures]] (ECM), the [[1960 U-2 incident]] shooting down of Gary Powers' spy plane over Soviet territory, the [[Cuban missile crisis]] in 1962, development of the [[Blue Steel missile]], shift from a high altitude nuclear bomb to a low-level airborne stand-off nuclear-armed missile in 1964 and the change of platform to the [[Polaris missile]] submarine solution in 1968.<ref>An excellent chronology of events exists under the heading Bomber Command on the RAF Museum Cosford website at http://nationalcoldwarexhibition.org.</ref> |
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The V-force of [[RAF Bomber Command]] played a critical role during most of this period since the [[Handley Page Victor]] and [[Avro Vulcan]] bombers particularly had a very high operating ceiling keeping them above likely fighter attack. This was a strong hand to play right up to the time that Gary Power's U-2, which operated at an even higher ceiling than the V-force, was shot down by a Soviet missile over the Urals in May 1960.<ref>Hennessy, p.183 (Gary Powers U-2 shot down)</ref> High altitude nuclear bomb tactics urgently had to change, especially since it had been decided that the submarine solution was a few years away from being a viable solution. Fortunately the Blue Steel (missile) stand-off thermo-nuclear missile came to the rescue allowing the V-force to fly in low and launch the missile allowing the bombers to return back to base from a safer height and distance. This change in airborne tactics required a subsequent change in ECM systems and techniques too. |
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=== Operation Skyshield === |
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In the United States a decision had been taken that [[North American Aerospace Defense Command]] (NORAD), consisting of Canadian and United States air defence systems, needed to be tested under [[Operation Skyshield]]. By 1961 RAF Bomber Command were invited to SKYSHIELD II. ''Skyshield'' was no local Boy Scout jamboree since all commercial and general aviation was grounded for up to a 12-hour period nationwide in order to accomodate this military exercise! Unlike the previous two Skyshield exercises when [[NOTAM]]'s were announced, for 9 October 1962 a Special Civil Air Regulation, SR-452, was published for Skyshield III stating that electronic countermeasures would jam agency air traffic control radars and air-ground communications, making it unsafe for civilian aircraft to fly.<ref>[http://www.mitchellgallery.org/flightlines/art/skyshield_winter88.pdf Marjorie Kriz: Operation Sky Shield] Retrieved 19 September 2013</ref> Eight Vulcan B2's were selected, four each from [[No. 27 Squadron RAF|27 Squadron]] and [[No. 83 Squadron RAF|83 Squadron]] practiced their drills ahead of time. In the novel "Under the Radar" by James Hamilton Paterson he writes of ''Skyshield I'' "...and by September all eight aircraft had begun intensive training in the area around the Orkneys <ref>Hamilton-Paterson, p.5</ref>....to practise co-ordinating their electronic countermeasures...". The fact is that the Orkneys was used as a way-point at either the start or the end of the trombone-shaped south-westerly course towards 112 S.U. at Stornoway, 122 miles away, for ECM equipment measurement. <ref name="Document" />. Meanwhile, at ''Skyshield II'' the four Vulcans from 27 Squadron flew to [[Kindley Air Force Base]], Bermuda to launch their southern wave approach up the Eastern Seaboard while the four Vulcans from 83 Squadron flew from [[RAF Lossiemouth]] in Scotland via Goosebay to form the northern wave approach over the Canada/United States border. Later, on Monday 7 January 1963 a popular national British newspaper, the "[[Daily Express]]", had the headline V-bombers do it, Target America, ''R.A.F. "attack" pierces Nuclear defences'' and continued ''Targets reached included New York, Washington and other key centres.'' and ''...some of the aircraft were fitted with electronic counter-measures... and was at least the second time that V-bombers had made simulated attacks on America. A similar raid was made in 1961''.<ref>Daily Express, 07/01/1963, p.1</ref> It was a tribute to the Vulcan's significantly higher ceiling along with the aircrew and the excellent ECM performance, ably assisted by the groundcrew, 112 S.U. and HQBC that made the exercises the success that they were. |
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=== The Cuban Missile Crisis === |
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The [[Cuban missile crisis]] took the super-powers' political-military leadership to new levels. During President Kennedy's nation-wide televised speech the U.S on 22 October 1962 all U.S Forces were put on [[DEFCON]] 3 and 15 hours later on 23 October [[Strategic Air Command]] (SAC) were ordered to DEFCON 2 and remained there until 15 November. In the UK, on 27 October the V-force was raised to Alert Condition 3<ref>Hennessy, p.200</ref> meaning that the maximum number of aircraft were to be prepared, armed and ready for operational take-off from main bases within 15 minutes and remained at that level elevated until 5 November 1962. Fortunately, the V-force had just completed Exercise MICKY FINN II <ref>Hennessy, p.201</ref> by 22 September 1962 where 112 V-bombers and their crews were assessed at all 5 Alert Levels and included flying each aircraft for ECM assessment at 112 S.U. Stornoway.<ref>[c] Brookes, p.56 (Vulcans reference)</ref> <ref>[d] Brookes, p.25 (Victors reference)</ref> |
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=== Post-Cuba === |
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During September 1963 Air Marshall Sir John Grandy, AOC-in-C Bomber Command stated that there were six factors on which the penetration of enemy airspace depended - aircraft performance, evasive routeing, high and low level capability, ''electronic countermeasures'', the success of earlier strikes on enemy defences, and, stand-off weapons.<ref>[d] Brookes, p.56 (V-force, six factors to penetrate enemy airspace)</ref> Finally, on February 4th 1964, the Secretary of State for Air announced that the V-force was ready to attack targets from a low level.<ref>[c] Brookes, p.48 (V-force, low-level readiness)</ref> |
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== See also == |
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* [[Electronic countermeasures]] and [[Electronic warfare]] for further technical cross-references |
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*See [[RAF Stornoway]] and [[RAF Bomber Command]] for further military cross-references |
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*See [[Cold War]] and [[Cuban missile crisis]] for further political cross-references |
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*See http://www.nationalcoldwarexhibition.org hosted by the RAF Museum Cosford. |
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*Visit National Cold War Exhibition (NCWE) hosted at the [[Royal Air Force Museum Cosford]], Shifnall, Shropshire, TF11 8UP. |
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== References == |
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=== Citations === |
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{{reflist}} |
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=== Bibliography === |
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* {{citebook|author=[a] ORB,HQBC.|title=Monitoring of RED SHRIMP performance before Exercise SKYSHIELD II|location=UK|publisher=The National Archives, Kew|year=1963}} Ref: AIR 14/4317 |
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* {{citebook|author=[b] White, Roland.|title=Vulcan 607, The epic story of the most remarkable air attack since WWII|location=UK|publisher=Corgi Books|year=2007|isbn=978-0-552-15229-7}} |
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* {{citebook|author=[c] Brookes, Andrew.|title=Vulcan Units of the Cold War|location=UK|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2009|isbn=978-1-84603-297-4}} |
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* {{citebook|author=[d] Brookes, Andrew.|title=Victor Units of the Cold War|location=UK|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84908-339-3}} |
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* {{citebook|author=[e] Hennessy, Peter.|title=The Secret State, Preparing for the worst 1945-2010|location=UK|publisher=Penguin Books|year=2010|isbn=978-0-141-04469-9}} |
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* {{citebook|author=[f] Hamilton-Paterson, James.|title=Under the Radar|location=UK|publisher=Faber and Faber Limited|year=2013|isbn=978-0-571-27398-0}} |
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* {{citebook|author=[g] Robinson, Derek.|title=Hullo Russia, Goodbye England|location=UK|publisher=MacLehose Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0-85705-092-2}} |
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== External links == |
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{{Commons category|RAF Bomber Command}} |
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{{Commons category|112 Signals Unit, Stornoway}} |
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{{Royal Air Force}} |
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[[Category:Royal Air Force units]] |
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[[Category:Electronic countermeasures]] |
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