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RC-12 Guardrail

A typical Guardrail mission requires the aircraft to orbit to the rear and parallel to the forward line of own troops (FLOT). The IPF sends commands to and receives information from the Airborne Relay Facility (ARF) through a secure data link. The operators in the IPF process the collected information and report the intelligence to the tactical commanders and other possible joint consumers via the JTT relay on board the aircraft.

The RC-12D Improved Guardrail V aircraft is based on the King Air Model A200CT. This US Army special electronic mission version carries the AN/USD-9 Improved Guardrail remote-controlled communications intercept and direction-finding system. Other equipment includes aircraft survivability equipment (ASE) systems, Carousel IV-E INS and Tacan system, radio datalink, the AN/ARW-83(V)5 airborne relay with antennas above and below wings, wingtip elint/comint pods. Associated ground equipment includes the AN/TSQ-105(V)4 integrated processing facility, AN/ARM-63(V)4 AGE flightline van and AN/TSC-87 tactical commander's terminal. The system prime contractor was formerly ESL, and currently TRW. The US Army had 13 RC-12D Improved Guardrail Vs converted from C-12Ds, with deliveries starting in mid-1983; one was assigned to to Forces Command at Fort McPherson, Georgia, and the remainder to 1st Military Intelligence Battalion, Wiesbaden, Germany, and 2nd MIB at Stuttgart, Germany. The German-based aircraft were reassigned late 1991 and are currently with 3rd, 15th and 304th MIBs at Camp Humphreys (South Korea), Fort Hood (Texas) and Fort Huachuca (Arizona). One was converted back to an earlier configuration as C-12D-1. Five new-build aircraft were sold to Israel for 191 Squadron at Sde Dov.

In 1976, the Guardrail V began development in order to develop and provide a supportable Corps level system to the Army, until Cefly Lancer development was completed. Guardrail I through IV were considered to be theater level assets. The Guardrail V aircraft were converted from earlier Guardrail I/IIA aircraft, RU-21D Laffing Eagle machines, and U-21G airframes. Designated as RU-21H, the big improvement was the addition of wingtip pods to replace many of the blade antennas of the previous Guardrail aircraft.

The JU-21A LEFT JAB conducted "Radio Research" -- the cover designation for certain units operating under the direction of the U.S. Army Security Agency Group, Vietnam. All missions of this agency were highly classified. Other variants were the RU-21A, B and C CEFIRM LEADER, RU-21D LAFFING EAGLE, RU-21E LEFT FOOT, RU-21G GUARDRAIL I / II / III, RU-21H GUARDRAIL V, and RU-21J CEFLY LANCER.

On March 4, 1971, a JU-21A with a crew of five departed South Vietnam on an intelligence gathering mission in the area of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Vietnam. Contact was lost with the aircraft, it did not return from its mission, and the crew was initially declared missing. A search effort to locate the missing aircraft and crew failed to locate them along its known flight path and the aircrew was declared missing. In late June and early July 1992, a joint U.S./Vietnamese team visited the area of the reported JU-21A crash site in Gio Linh District. Witnesses were interviewed who claimed to have visited the crash site during the war and reported seeing 4-5 remains at the site. There were differences in first hand and hearsay accounts of the locations of the bodies but the sum of the information was that the individuals had died and their remains buried in the area.

The US Army Aviation Engineering Flight Activity operates a modified CH-47C helicopter as an airborne spray tanker for helicopter qualification tests in artificial icing conditions. The operational performance and spray cloud characteristics of the Helicopter Icing Spray System were evaluated in the course of several test programs during the 1984 and 1985 icing seasons in Duluth, Minnesota. Configuration changes made during the first two phases of this program reduced previous spray system problems of water leakage, freezing, and non-uniform flow patterns from the boom assembly. In-flight spray cloud data were taken with a JU-21A aircraft using particle measuring spectrometers.

The RC-12G is a US Army special electronic mission aircraft based on the King Air A200CT. Generally similar to RC-12D, the maximum takeoff weight is increased to 6,800 kg (15,000 lb). The mission equipment contractor is Sanders Associates. Three delivered were in 1985 after conversion from C-12D airframes. These aircraf served with the 138 MI Company at Orlando, Florida, and are currently stored at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

The RC-12H Guardrail Common Sensor (System 3 Minus) is a US Army special electronic mission aircraft that is generally similar to the RC-12D, though with the maximum takeoff weight increased to 6,800 kg (15,000 lb). System contractor ESL Inc. delivered six in 1988 for the 3rd MI Battalion at Camp Humphreys in Pyongtaek, South Korea.

The RC-12K Guardrail Common Sensor (System 4) is similar to RC-12H, with a more powerful 1,100 shp PT6A-67 turboprop engine and a maximum takoff weight increased to 7,250 kg (16,000 lb). The US Army ordered nine in October 1985, of which eight replaced RC-12Ds in 1st MI Battalion in May 1991. One of these was subsequently being lost in an accident. The ninth US Army aircraft was retained by Raytheon for conversion to the RC-12N configuraiton. An additonal two aircraft of this configuration were delivered to Israel in May-June 1991.

The RC-12N Guardrail Common Sensor (System 1) is generally similar to RC-12K, though with 7,350 kg (16,200 lb) maximum takeoff weight, and equipped with dual EFIS and aircraft survivability equipment/avionics control system (ASE/ACS). The ASE suite includes the AN/APR-39 radar warning receiver, AN/APR-44 radar warning system, AN/ALQ-136, AN/ALQ-156 and AN/ALQ-162 countermeasure sets chaff/flare and M130 dispensers. The avionics suite includes AN/ARC-186 or AN/ARC-201 VHF-FM radio, AN/ARC-164 Have Quick II UHF-AM radio; AN/APX-100 IFF transponder; three KY-58 and one KIT-1A secure communications systems; Carousel IV INS; AN/ASN-149 GPS receiver. The prototype RC-12N was converted from an RC-12K. A total of 15 were converted by E-Systems and delivered 1992-93 to the 224th MI Battalion at Hunter AAF, Georgia and 304th MI Battalion at Libby AAF, Fort Huachuca, Arizona. One of these was lost in accident.

The RC-12P Guardrail Common Sensor (System 2) has the same avionics and power plant as the RC-12N, though with different mission equipment (including datalink capability), fibre optic cabling, and smaller and lighter wing pods. The maximum takeoff weight is increased to 7,480 kg (16,500 lb). A total of nine aircraft were delivered to ESL (now TRW) at Moffett Federal Airfield in late 1994 and 1995, and these airframes remained there in 1999.

The RC-12Q Direct Air Satellite Relay consists of three RC-12Ps modified by Raytheon and TRW to act as `mother ships' to expand the RC-12P's operational area outside satellite `footprints'. The airframes were transferred to TRW in 1996 for outfitting, where they remained in 1999. The aircraft feature a prominent dorsal radome housing a satellite communications antenna.

On 16 April 1997 the 224th MI BN (AE) lost a RC-12N and two crewmembers in a fatal training accident. The following year on 06 November 1998 the 1st MI Bn (AE) lost a RC-12K and two crewmembers in a similar training accident. In both accidents the United States Army Safety Center Accident Boards listed in their recommendations to TRADOC to ‘Reevaluate the ATM Tasks for stalls, slow flight and Vmc.’ In February 1999, CG, USAIC & FH, MG John D. Thomas, sent a senior standardization instructor pilot and the 305th MI Bn Safety Officer to USAAVNC to review the RC-12K Accident Board findings to determine if training was a contributing factor. They recommended to MG Thomas that the TC 1-219 tasks for slow flight, stalls and Vmc be rewritten.

The RC-26B is a militarized version of the FAA-type certified Fairchild SA227-DC aircraft. The aircraft is powered by twin Honeywell TPE331-12UA-701G turboprop engines. As of 2008 the fleet consisted of 11 aircraft for the Air National Guard (ANG). The aircraft were based at 12 CONUS and 1 OCONUS locations. The ANG (RC-26B) aircraft have been modified as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) support aircraft carrying specialized electronic equipment to provide aerial surveillance and reconnaissance for law enforcement and other Government agencies. The aircraft Main Operating Base (MOB) locations were provided as follows: the MOB locations for the ANG are Fresno ANGB, CA; Clarksburg, WV; Jacksonville, FL; Kirtland AFB, NM; Meridian, MS; Houston, TX; Stratton ANG, NY; Fairchild AFB, WA; Tucson, AZ; Madison, WI; Montgomery, AL; Hurlburt Field, FL; and one MOB in Iraq.

The Contractor provides for additional support, as over and above tasks, engineering services including development, test and FAA certification of modifications, installation of modifications, depot maintenance support, field team support (worldwide), aircraft crash investigations and damage repair. The Contractor also provides information for quality, contract funds status, consumption and usage, service engineering reports, subscription services for technical manual updates and service actions. The Contractor is to establish and maintain agreements with the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for data and technical support necessary to maintain the RC-26B aircraft.

PLATFORM CHARACTERISTICS:

                         RU-21H             RC-12D/H           RC-12K/N/P
Mission weight/payload:  10,200/1,126 lb    14,200/1,600 lb    16,000/2,000 lb 
Cruise speed:            176 kt             200 kt             250 kt 
Endurance:               4 hr               5(+) hr            5(+) hr 
Max range:               1,000 naut mi      1,200 naut mi      1,200 naut mi