08 MC-130E Combat Talon I JUST CAUSE
Combat Talons were used during Operation Just Cause, the United States invasion of Panama in December 1989 and January 1990. Three MC-130Es of the 8th Special Operations Squadron (8th SOS) from the 1st Special Operations Wing (1st SOW) were deployed to Hunter Army Air Field in Georgia within 48 hours of notification. The aircraft airlanded Rangers and heavy equipment of the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, into Rio Hato Military Airfield on 18 December 1989. The operation was conducted under total blackout conditions, with the aircrews using night vision goggles (NVG) and radar. The Combat Talons worked in conjunction with other 1st SOW assets, such as AC-130H Spectre gunships for the 16th SOS, HC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft from the 9th SOS, MH-53 PAVE LOW helicopters from the 20th SOS, and MH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters from the 55th SOS. In addition, the 919th SOW provided AC-130A gunships from the 711th SOS. Two F-117As dropped one 2,000 lb bomb each before Rangers parachuted into the area, encountering stiff resistance from the 6th and 7th Panamanian Defence Force (PDF) companies.
In this image, an MC-130E (serial number: 64-0571) of the 8th SOS evades ground fire as it attempts to take off with a crippled engine. At Rio Hato Airfield, three MC-130Es made combat landings under intense ground fire to set up a forward aerial refuelling and rearming point (FARP). Two aircraft were charged with setting up the FARP, and the third Combat Talon was configured as a medevac, remaining in position to extract wounded personnel from the airfield. The crews offloaded fuel for two hours in the southeast corner of the airfield, during which a fierce ground battle raged nearby. One MC-130E was struck by flying debris and forced to shut down an engine. The crippled aircraft took off on three engines while under intense ground fire. The action earned its pilot the Distinguished Flying Cross and was the first recorded three-engine takeoff under such conditions.
The 8th SOS is one of the oldest units in the USAF, initially organized as the 8th Aero Squadron on 21 June 1917 at Camp Kelly, Texas, and has an unbroken history of over 95 years of service to the United States. The squadron flew reconnaissance missions in the Dayton-Wright DH-4 during WW1, the North American B-25 Mitchell in WW2, the Douglas B-26 Invader during the Korean War, the Martin B-57 Canberra and Cessna A-37 Dragonfly during the Vietnam War. In 1974, the 8th SOS transitioned to the MC-130E Combat Talon I, flying special operation missions in Iran, Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Bosnia, and Liberia. The squadron received the MC-130H in 1991, flying them alongside the MC-130E until 2006, when both variants were retired in favour of the Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey.
08 MC-130E Combat Talon I JUST CAUSE
Combat Talons were used during Operation Just Cause, the United States invasion of Panama in December 1989 and January 1990. Three MC-130Es of the 8th Special Operations Squadron (8th SOS) from the 1st Special Operations Wing (1st SOW) were deployed to Hunter Army Air Field in Georgia within 48 hours of notification. The aircraft airlanded Rangers and heavy equipment of the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, into Rio Hato Military Airfield on 18 December 1989. The operation was conducted under total blackout conditions, with the aircrews using night vision goggles (NVG) and radar. The Combat Talons worked in conjunction with other 1st SOW assets, such as AC-130H Spectre gunships for the 16th SOS, HC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft from the 9th SOS, MH-53 PAVE LOW helicopters from the 20th SOS, and MH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters from the 55th SOS. In addition, the 919th SOW provided AC-130A gunships from the 711th SOS. Two F-117As dropped one 2,000 lb bomb each before Rangers parachuted into the area, encountering stiff resistance from the 6th and 7th Panamanian Defence Force (PDF) companies.
In this image, an MC-130E (serial number: 64-0571) of the 8th SOS evades ground fire as it attempts to take off with a crippled engine. At Rio Hato Airfield, three MC-130Es made combat landings under intense ground fire to set up a forward aerial refuelling and rearming point (FARP). Two aircraft were charged with setting up the FARP, and the third Combat Talon was configured as a medevac, remaining in position to extract wounded personnel from the airfield. The crews offloaded fuel for two hours in the southeast corner of the airfield, during which a fierce ground battle raged nearby. One MC-130E was struck by flying debris and forced to shut down an engine. The crippled aircraft took off on three engines while under intense ground fire. The action earned its pilot the Distinguished Flying Cross and was the first recorded three-engine takeoff under such conditions.
The 8th SOS is one of the oldest units in the USAF, initially organized as the 8th Aero Squadron on 21 June 1917 at Camp Kelly, Texas, and has an unbroken history of over 95 years of service to the United States. The squadron flew reconnaissance missions in the Dayton-Wright DH-4 during WW1, the North American B-25 Mitchell in WW2, the Douglas B-26 Invader during the Korean War, the Martin B-57 Canberra and Cessna A-37 Dragonfly during the Vietnam War. In 1974, the 8th SOS transitioned to the MC-130E Combat Talon I, flying special operation missions in Iran, Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Bosnia, and Liberia. The squadron received the MC-130H in 1991, flying them alongside the MC-130E until 2006, when both variants were retired in favour of the Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey.