Author Topic: What's "BATON 1" up to?  (Read 6099 times)

Offline InterpreDemon

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What's "BATON 1" up to?
« on: April 03, 2013, 08:04:25 PM »
Been listening to HF 6577 / 5550 the last two days and have heard "Baton One" flying around off the coast halfway between here and Bermuda at DARUX, going into holding patterns and such. In tracking this down, I am led to believe this is a an EC-130J, which apparently has an interesting mission:

"The EC-130J Commando Solo is a modified C-130J Hercules used to conduct psychological operations (PSYOP) and civil affairs broadcast missions in the standard AM, FM, HF, TV and military communications bands. Missions are flown at the maximum altitudes possible to ensure optimum propagation patterns. The EC-130J flies during either day or night scenarios with equal success, and is air-refuelable. A typical mission consists of a single-ship orbit which is offset from the desired target audience. The targets may be either military or civilian personnel. The Commando Solo is operated exclusively by the Air National Guard, specifically the 193d Special Operations Wing (193 SOW), a unit of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard operationally gained by the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The 193 AOW is based at the Harrisburg Air National Guard Base (former Olmstead AFB) at Harrisburg International Airport in Middletown, Pennsylvania."

If this is all correct, I am wondering if they are transmitting anything out there?



Offline InterpreDemon

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Re: What's "BATON 1" up to?
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2013, 08:19:50 PM »
Actually, yesterday I think it was Baton One, this evening it was Baton Five Four. You can hear him at about 1:27 into this archive recording, asking to confirm a clearance to orbit within 30nm of DARUX:

http://archive-server.liveatc.net/hf/HF-CAR-CT-Apr-03-2013-2300Z.mp3

Later in the recording we confirm his return destination will be KMDT - Harrisburg
« Last Edit: April 03, 2013, 08:22:38 PM by InterpreDemon »