Although the official go-ahead for the C-47 ARDF program was not given until February 17, 1966, planning was well underway more than a month before. On January 11, Second Air Division issued Southeast Asia Operational Requirement (SEAOR) 32, outlining the air force�s ARDF proposal. By the end of the month, SEAOR 32 had made its way through channels and was in the hands of WRAMA�s Directorate of Materiel Management. A conference at Wright-Patterson AFB on February 1 provided further clarification and on February 10 WRAMA received notice of the project under its new cover name, Phyllis Ann. This was 2 days prior to the CINCPAC briefing that �sold� the air force ARDF program!

Phyllis Ann originally called for the modification of 35 aircraft, 20 from storage and 15 to be �recruited� from stateside flying squadrons. (As it turned out, most of the Phyllis Ann Gooney Birds seem to have been received in flying condition from air guard and regular USAF units.) The cost and feasibility study (FS) for implementing SEAOR 32 was assigned the number FS 1876, and although another number was assigned for the actual work, the Phyllis Ann modification was usually referred to by WRAMA as �Modification 1876�.

Modification 1876 called for the installation of a whole suite of electronic equipment in addition to the ARDF gear and the electrical system necessary to power it all. Camera installations were planned initially, but this idea was soon dropped. Deciding what equipment was necessary was one thing, obtaining it was another. A very accurate Doppler/computer combination was absolutely essential to the ARDF mission. Not enough standard military items were available for Mod 1876 so off-the-shelf Bendix DRA-12/CPA-124 models were utilized. Likewise, the Magnavox FM-622A commercial VHF/FM air-ground communications radio was chosen, although the long lead-time of these sets necessitated interim use of the less satisfactory military ARC-44.

The modifications were carried out in two stages. In the first stage, the aircraft were sent through Inspection and Repair as Necessary (IRAN) and the unclassified equipment installed. This work was contracted to Air International Corporation of Miami, Florida, which was already involved in similar work on the AC-47 gunship conversion. In stage two, the modified aircraft were flown to Grenier Field, New Hampshire, for installation of the Sanders ARDF equipment.

New �opportunities� presented themselves almost daily. For example, extremely accurate heading information was of prime importance in ARDF operations and to properly set or �swing� the gyro compass, the Gooney Bird had to be in flight attitude. Flight International used a lift truck to raise the tail, but it was not known if that sort of equipment would be readily available in Southeast Asia. A little experimentation revealed that the task could be accomplished by unhooking the relevant parts of the compass and leveling them instead of the entire aircraft.

In March, the decision was made to include an �acquisition� radio operator�s position in addition to the ARDF console. The ARDF position was referred to as �X� and the other position �Y�. These designations remained standard throughout the EC-47 program. In April, the number of authorized C-47 ARDF aircraft was raised from 35 to 47. This decision came out of joint Army-USAF discussions on how best to meet MACV�s ARDF requirements. A combined force of 47 USAF C-47�s and 57 Army aircraft could provide ARDF coverage 16 hours per day for all of South Vietnam and the Laotian panhandle.

Mid-May had been the original target date for Phyllis Ann deployment to Southeast Asia, but 2nd Air Division noted that an earlier delivery date for the first aircraft would be of the "utmost advantage" in demonstrating the air force�s ability to "deliver [the] promised product on time." "Extreme measures", continued 2nd AD, were "not only justified but necessary." This notion was reinforced in a similar message from Headquarters, USAF. Sanders was authorized to work around the clock, 7 days a week, if necessary. To avoid delays from the airframe end, two C-47�s already undergoing IRAN were designated as ARDF aircraft. The WRAMA history provides some insight into the difficulties encountered in producing the ARDF equipment:

Shortages of electrical connectors and components for the printer aggravated the situation.

Despite much expediting of material, the schedule eventually shook out to a complete equipment installation and ground check of the first aircraft in mid-April, with completion of flight testing and partial calibration to be completed by the 20th. The classified ARDF equipment would then be removed and the aircraft readied for the ferry flight. Aircraft and ARDF equipment would be re-united in Southeast Asia, where calibration would be completed.

After crossing the continental United States, the venerable Goon would fly up the west coast of Canada to Anchorage, Alaska, then to the western extremity of the Aleutian Islands chain. From there, the major over-water chunk of the Pacific crossing was made by way of Midway-Wake Island-Guam-Philippines, leaving one last leg across the South China Sea to Vietnam. Aircraft number 2 followed an easterly route across the Atlantic [and presumably Europe, the Middle East and India], but the remainder of the Phyllis Ann aircraft made the Pacific crossing. These long flights required additional temporary modifications in the form of 250-gallon auxiliary fuel tanks and propeller de-icer boots.

Phyllis Ann Debuts

Meanwhile, the buildup of U.S. forces in Vietnam during 1965 had caused the USAF to change its organizational structure to accommodate the dramatic increase in personnel and aircraft. By January 1966, there were more than 500 aircraft and 21,000 airmen stationed at 8 major air bases in South Vietnam.

From the very beginning, reconnaissance had been one of the primary air force missions in Southeast Asia, and to handle the increased demand the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (TRW) was established at Tan Son Nhut on February 22. On April 1, 1966, Seventh Air Force replaced 2nd Air Division as the major USAF command in Vietnam. The 460th would shortly become the largest and most diverse wing in 7th AF, providing photo reconnaissance capability with RB-57, RF-101 and RF-4 aircraft.

In anticipation of the Phyllis Ann deployment, the 360th Reconnaissance Squadron was established at Tan Son Nhut on April 8, assigned to the 460th TRW. The radio operator positions were to be manned by radio operators of the U.S. Air Force Security Service (USAFSS), and approximately 15 USAFSS personnel had been on temporary duty (TDY) in Vietnam since December 1965. The 6994th Security Squadron was officially activated at Tan Son Nhut on April 15, 1966. The 6994th and its detachments would be responsible for the classified elements of the EC-47 operations, including maintenance of the ARDF and associated equipment, throughout the war.

In addition to the original Hawkeye aircraft, the 360th also inherited a pair of Gooney Birds that, although not ARDF-equipped, played a significant role in the eventual shaping of the EC-47 mission. These two aircraft, 43-49680 and 43-16254, were �collection only� platforms operating under the code name Drill Press. Details concerning Drill Press operations are sketchy, but apparently VC/NVA voice radio communications were the targets. Wing maintenance records show these three aircraft flying a combined total of 74 sorties in April and 64 in May. How many of these were operational missions is not clear. Check flights and the like may have been included.

The first Phyllis Ann aircraft, 43-15112, arrived �in country� on May 26. Necessary calibration and other testing, apparently consisting of 6-8 flights, was rapidly completed, and on June 6 the aircraft was scheduled for its first mission. Working the Tay Ninh area northwest of Saigon, the crew of #112 bagged 19 fixes, besting by 6 the previous Hawkeye record. Records indicate that 33 Phyllis Ann sorties were flown in June, but again some may not have been operational missions.

By mid-July, the 360th had four RC-47�s on hand. (The designation was not changed to �EC� until 1967, but EC-47 will be used for the remainder of the narrative.) For the month, Phyllis Ann managed 64 sorties, coupled with 9 by the Hawkeye aircraft. The two Drill Press birds added 46 more.

To provide the most effective coverage of the projected ARDF areas, three Phyllis Ann squadrons were planned. The 360th would be stationed at Tan Son Nhut, close to Saigon, MACV, and 7th AF headquarters. A second squadron, the 361st, would be established at the coastal base of Nha Trang, long-time Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) training site and now home to the USAF�s 14th Air Commando Wing. The 362nd squadron would operate from Pleiku in the central highlands. All three outfits were initially designated as reconnaissance squadrons. Although the more descriptive Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (TEWS) was not applied until 1967, in order to maintain continuity �TEWS� will be used in the remainder of the narrative.

The 361st TEWS was activated at Nha Trang effective April 8, 1966, but did not receive its first aircraft (44-77016) until October 17. By December 2, the full complement of 9 aircraft was operational and 78 sorties had been flown in support of various allied ground operations.

The 362nd TEWS began its existence as Detachment 1 of the 361st when a cadre moved to Pleiku in August. A brief description of the 362nd�s first days by squadron commander Lt. Col. Jack A. Crook gives a glimpse of conditions. Among the first personnel to arrive were 12 aircraft mechanics sent TDY from Nha Trang. The "dirty dozen" found themselves assigned to an area that had formerly been used as a VNAF motor pool. After 30 days of landscaping improvements "which included ditchdigging, killing rats and snakes, one of which was the deadly kraat species" the dirty dozen were so pleased with their work that they volunteered and were accepted for permanent assignment to their new home in the 362nd. On December 8, EC-47 number 44-77254 arrived at Pleiku. By the end of the year, 7 aircraft and 11 crews were in place and 48 ARDF sorties had been flown.

The initial results of the EC-47 missions were "beyond expectations, providing eagerly sought information for strategic and tactical planning." The 360th completed 758 of 781 sorties �fragged� during September-December 1966, including 99 missions into Laos that were staged through Da Nang. Operations over Quang Tri province near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on August 29-30 were singled out as "reflecting excellent coverage of extremely high priority target locations." ARDF consumers expressed "their complete satisfaction" and "requested further coverage by Phyllis Ann aircraft specifically." Kudos were also received for a Drill Press mission on the night of September 2, planned and executed in response to "national level" requirements.

The 360th was reminded that the enemy still retained the ability to strike almost at will when aircraft 43-93166 received major damage to its tail section during a Viet Cong attack on December 4. The EC-47 was out of commission for 18 days. The elderly Goons also experienced their share of maintenance problems and all the TEWS suffered from material shortages. The rather primitive operating conditions in Southeast Asia, especially the perpetual dampness, played havoc with electronic equipment of any sort and the sensitive ARDF and Doppler equipment caused a number of aborts, a problem that was never completely overcome.

All in all, though, Phyllis Ann represented some remarkable feats of engineering, logistics, and good old �Yankee ingenuity�. In roughly a year�s time, the EC-47 went from a proof-of-concept prototype to a fully deployed weapons system that was already leaving its mark on the Southeast Asia war.

As always, readers are requested to point out errors and to provide additional information. Photos of the early Phyllis Ann and Drill Press aircraft would be especially welcome.