Aviation Technology Office

Last updated

Aviation Technology Office
ActiveMar. 2, 1981 (as SEASPRAY) – present
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
BranchFlag of the United States Army.svg  United States Army
TypeAviation
RoleClandestine special operations
Part ofU.S. Army Aviation Flight Test Directorate
Garrison/HQ Felker Army Airfield, Fort Eustis, Virginia, United States
Aircraft flown
Helicopter Mil Mi-17, Bell 407

The United States Army Aviation Technology Office (ATO), known as Flight Concepts Division (FCD) before 2017, [1] is a component of the United States Army that provides discreet, sometimes clandestine helicopter aviation support primarily to Joint Special Operations Command. [2] Originally known as SEASPRAY, it was a joint U.S. Army special operations and CIA clandestine aviation unit [3] [4] [5] [6] established in 1981, and later integrated as the covered air component (E Squadron) of Delta Force. [7]

Contents

The unit provides highly specialized flights for special operations forces during covert and clandestine missions, and also has a bleeding-edge development role, leading research in emerging technologies for Army aviation. [1] Officially part of the U.S. Army Aviation Flight Test Directorate, the unit is located at Felker Army Airfield along the James River on Fort Eustis, [8] and has been described as "the best of the very best" [9] and "one of the most secretive U.S. military aviation units known to be in existence today." [10]

External images
Searchtool.svg Modified Bell 407s attributed to ATO depart in formation Note the military communications arrays equipped on each.

History

Through its various incarnations, the unit's history has been described as "intertwined" with many other covert elements of the U.S. Army including the Intelligence Support Activity, as far back as the 1980's. [2] The U.S. Army established SEASPRAY on March 2, 1981, in conjunction with the CIA, to perform the Army's fixed-wing and rotary "covered air" mission, which involved moving personnel and materiel under civilian cover. [7] SEASPRAY, operating under the cover name "1st Rotary Wing Test Activity", originally served as the covered air counterpart to the Army's non-covered Task Force 158, which would later evolve into the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. [7] Unlike TF 158, which served a purely military role, Seaspray was able to move CIA personnel as well as military. [7]

The company-sized unit was initially equipped with unmarked Hughes 500D helicopters which were modified for their role, and was based at Fort Eustis in Virginia. [11] The unit later also acquired nine Cessna and Beechcraft King Air fixed-wing aircraft. [7] In line with typical CIA practices, these helicopters and aircraft were not included in the official register of U.S. Army aircraft and were instead registered as belonging to a company called Aviation Tech Services. [12] In addition to allowing the unit to operate under civilian cover, the structuring allowed for a limitation of liability against SEASPRAY. [13]

SEASPRAY established a base at Tampa, Florida to support its operations in Central America. [12] SEASPRAY has also been reported to have assisted the CIA to "obtain, exploit and spoof foreign aircraft and technology". [14] The existence of SEASPRAY did not become publicly known until 1985. [11] Though not initially under the control of Joint Special Operations Command, Michael Smith's 2011 book Killer Elite states that SEASPRAY was placed under the control of the Intelligence Support Activity (ISA) at an unspecified date and was used to covertly transport ISA, CIA, Delta Force and SEAL Team Six personnel; [15] by 1989 it had become absorbed into Delta Force, becoming the unit's "E Squadron". [7]

In the 1990s, E Squadron was known to the wider military under it's cover name, "Flight Concepts Division". It also had several cover and code names including "Latent Arrow". [7] By 2017, the organization's cover identity had been renamed to the Aviation Technology Office. [2] [16] [17]

Activities

The activities of the ATO and it's predecessor entities are highly classified; with little public information. In April 1981 a SEASPRAY helicopter flew Lebanese Christian leader Bachir Gemayel from Cairo to Lebanon as the first stage of a trip to the United States. [11] From 1982 until 1985 SEASPRAY fixed-wing aircraft conducted signals intelligence sorties over Honduras. [18] In the early 1980s the Army rejected a proposal from the CIA that SEASPRAY aircraft be used to follow small aircraft which were potentially being used to smuggle weapons from Nicaragua to El Salvador. The CIA conducted this operation using civilian aircrews instead. [18]

Flight Concepts Division was believed to have provided two modified Little Bird helicopters during the Battle of Mogadishu. [19] The unit also reportedly led the development of the stealth variant of the Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter used in the raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. [10]

In December 2001, Russian authorities arrested a group of contractors reportedly working for the Flight Concepts Division in the city of Petropavlovsk, where they were allegedly trying to surreptitiously buy Mi-17 transport helicopters for operations in Afghanistan. [20] [2]

Aircraft

Aircraft reportedly flown by the unit by country of origin:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air America (airline)</span> CIA covert airline from 1950 to 1976

Air America was an American passenger and cargo airline established in 1946 and covertly owned and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1950 to 1976. It supplied and supported covert operations in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, including providing support for drug smuggling in Laos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Eagle Claw</span> Failed 1980 American military operation in Iran

Operation Eagle Claw was a failed operation by the United States Armed Forces ordered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter to attempt the rescue of 53 embassy staff held captive at the Embassy of the United States, Tehran on 24 April 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)</span> US Army special operations helicopter unit

The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), abbreviated as 160th SOAR (A), is a special operations force of the United States Army that provides helicopter aviation support for special operations forces. Its missions have included attack, assault, and reconnaissance, and these missions are usually conducted at night, at high speeds, low altitudes, and on short notice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Activities Center</span> Unit of the American Central Intelligence Agency

The Special Activities Center (SAC) is a division of the United States Central Intelligence Agency responsible for covert and paramilitary operations. The unit was named Special Activities Division (SAD) prior to 2015. Within SAC there are two separate groups: SAC/SOG for tactical paramilitary operations and SAC/PAG for covert political action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MD Helicopters MH-6 Little Bird</span> Attack helicopter used in United States special operations

The Boeing MH-6M Little Bird and its attack variant, the AH-6, are light helicopters used for special operations in the United States Army. Originally based on a modified OH-6A, it was later based on the MD 500E, with a single five-bladed main rotor. The newest version, the MH-6M, is based on the MD 530F and has a single, six-bladed main rotor and four-bladed tail rotor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group</span> Vietnam War–era American multi-service special operations unit

Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) was a highly classified, multi-service United States special operations unit which conducted covert unconventional warfare operations before and during the Vietnam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joint Special Operations Command</span> Joint component command of the U.S. Special Operations Command

The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) is a joint component command of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and is charged with studying special operations requirements and techniques to ensure interoperability and equipment standardization, to plan and conduct special operations exercises and training, to develop joint special operations tactics, and to execute special operations missions worldwide. It was established in 1980 on recommendation of Colonel Charlie Beckwith, in the aftermath of the failure of Operation Eagle Claw. It is headquartered at Pope Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinal Airpark</span> Airport in Pinal County, Arizona

Pinal Airpark, also known as Pinal County Airpark, is a non-towered, county-owned, public-use airport located 8 miles northwest of the central business district of Marana, in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. Silverbell Army Heliport is co-located with Pinal Airpark. The heliport is a private-use military facility operated by the Arizona Army National Guard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Directorate of Operations (CIA)</span> US clandestine intelligence organization

The Directorate of Operations (DO), less formally called the Clandestine Service, is a component of the US Central Intelligence Agency. It was known as the Directorate of Plans from 1951 to 1973; as the Directorate of Operations from 1973 to 2005; and as the National Clandestine Service (NCS) from 2005 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stealth helicopter</span> Class of helicopters

Stealth helicopters are helicopters that incorporate stealth technology to decrease an enemy's detection ability. There are a diverse range of technologies used to achieve this decreased detectability; these have largely involved the reduction of several different signatures typically generated by a rotorcraft, including those of noise, radar, and infrared.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intelligence Support Activity</span> United States Army Special Operations unit

The United States Army Intelligence Support Activity (USAISA), frequently shortened to Intelligence Support Activity (ISA), also known at various times as Mission Support Activity (MSA), Office of Military Support (OMS), Field Operations Group (FOG), Studies and Analysis Activity (SAA), Tactical Concept Activity, Tactical Support Team, and Tactical Coordination Detachment, and also nicknamed "The Activity" and the Army of Northern Virginia, is a United States Army Special Operations unit which serves as the intelligence gathering component of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Within JSOC, the unit is often referred to as Task Force Orange. Originally subordinated to the US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM), it is one of the least known intelligence components of the United States military, tasked with clandestine HUMINT operations and collecting actionable intelligence during or prior to JSOC missions.

National governments deal in both intelligence and military special operations functions that either should be completely secret, or simply cannot be linked to the sponsor. It is a continuing and unsolved question for governments whether clandestine intelligence collection and covert action should be under the same agency. The arguments for doing so include having centralized functions for monitoring covert action and clandestine HUMINT and making sure they do not conflict, as well as avoiding duplication in common services such as cover identity support, counterespionage, and secret communications. The arguments against doing so suggest that the management of the two activities takes a quite different mindset and skills, in part because clandestine collection almost always is on a slower timeline than covert action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CIA activities in Laos</span> Overview about the CIA activities in Laos

CIA activities in Laos started in the 1950s. In 1959, U.S. Special Operations Forces began to train some Laotian soldiers in unconventional warfare techniques as early as the fall of 1959 under the code name "Erawan". Under this code name, General Vang Pao, who served the royal Lao family, recruited and trained his Hmong and Iu-Mien soldiers. The Hmong and Iu-Mien were targeted as allies after President John F. Kennedy, who refused to send more American soldiers to battle in Southeast Asia, took office. Instead, he called the CIA to use its tribal forces in Laos and "make every possible effort to launch guerrilla operations in North Vietnam with its Asian recruits." General Vang Pao then recruited and trained his Hmong soldiers to ally with the CIA and fight against North Vietnam. The CIA itself claims that the CIA air operations in Laos from 1955 to 1974 were the "largest paramilitary operations ever undertaken by the CIA."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Resupply And Communications Service</span> Military unit

The Air Resupply And Communications Service (ARCS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was assigned to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. Established during the Korean War, the mission of ARCS was providing the Air Force an unconventional warfare capability during the 1950s. It was inactivated in 1954, but elements continued to operate until the reactivation of air commando units by the Kennedy Administration in 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel</span> Unmanned aerial vehicle by Lockheed Martin

The Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel, nicknamed Wraith, is an American unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by Lockheed Martin and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). While the USAF has released few details on the UAV's design or capabilities, defense analysts believe that it is a stealth aircraft fitted with aerial reconnaissance equipment. Introduced in 2007, it was deployed to Afghanistan in late 2007, and to South Korea two years later, in September 2009. Some images and details of the aircraft were released after Iran captured an RQ-170 in 2011. It has a flying wing design, and uses a single engine, speculated to be either a General Electric TF34 turbofan or a Garrett TFE731.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baledogle Airfield</span> Military air base in Somalia

Baledogle Airfield, also called Wanlaweyn Airstrip, is the largest military air base in Somalia, about 90 kilometers northwest of the capital, Mogadishu. The airfield was constructed in the 1970s for the Somali Air Force with assistance of the Soviet Union. It was later expanded on and modernized by the United States during the 2010s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command</span> Military unit

The United States Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) provides command and control, executive oversight, and resourcing of U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) aviation assets and units in support of national security objectives. USASOAC is responsible for service and component interface; training, doctrine, and proponency for Army Special Operations Aviation (SOA); system integration and fleet modernization; aviation resource management; material readiness; program management; and ASCC oversight. USASOAC was established 25 March 2011 consisting of 135 headquarters soldiers and subordinate units totaling more than 3,300 personnel, include the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), (160th SOAR (A)) which features 4 Aviation Battalions, the USASOC Flight Company, the Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion, the Systems Integration Management Office, and the Technology Application Projects Office. The first commander of USASOAC was Brig Gen. Kevin Mangum.

Unity was the code name for Thailand's covert supply of mercenary soldiers to the Kingdom of Laos during the Laotian Civil War. From 4 July 1964 until March 1973, battalions of Thai volunteers fought Communist insurgents on the Plain of Jars in Military Region 2. As the Hmong L'Armée Clandestine was sapped by ongoing casualties and a limited basis for replacements, Unity battalions replaced them.

The Vinh wiretap was an American espionage operation of the Vietnam War. From 7 December 1972 through early May 1973, CIA telephone intercepts of North Vietnamese military communications were supplied to American diplomat Henry Kissinger. As border phone lines were well watched, the decision was made to tap a military multiplex line in the Vietnamese heartland near Vinh. The CIA used a black helicopter to set a clandestine wiretap to eavesdrop on Paris Peace Talks discussions and other intelligence.

References

  1. 1 2 Trevithick, Joseph (23 February 2021). "Photo Emerges of Shadowy Intelligence Gathering "Ghost Plane" In Somalia". The War Zone. Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Trevithick, Joseph (21 March 2017). "Shedding Some Light on the Pentagon's Most Shadowy Aviation Units". The War Zone. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  3. ↑ Bamford, James (3 July 1988). "Where Secret Armies Clash By Night". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Next was Seaspray, a joint Army/CIA aviation unit that specialized in deep penetrations with specially rigged helicopters.
  4. ↑ Weiner, Tim (10 February 1987). "Covert Forces Multiply, Some Run Amok". Philly.com. And, they said, there were similar problems in a Special Operations unit code-named Seaspray, which flew aerial reconnaissance missions in Central America for the CIA and the National Security Agency.
  5. ↑ Paglen, Trevor (5 February 2009). Blank Spots on the Map: The Dark Geography of the Pentagon's Secret World. Penguin Publishing Group. pp. 162–. ISBN   978-1-101-01149-2.
  6. ↑ Hersh, Seymour M. (22 November 1987). "Who's In Charge Here?". The New York Times . In March 1981, Longhofer's unit went operational. The Army and the C.I.A. agreed to set up a special aviation company, called Seaspray.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Naylor, Sean (1 September 2015). Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command. St. Martin's Press. ISBN   9781466876224.
  8. ↑ "Colonel Ball". U.S. Army Pacific. Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  9. ↑ D'Costa, Ian (19 March 2021). "This is the Army's super secret special ops aviation unit". We Are The Mighty. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Trevithick, Joseph (18 September 2021). "Russian-Made Mi-17 Helicopter Flown by Secretive U.S. Unit Lands in Farmer's Field". The War Zone. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 Hersh, Seymour M. (22 November 1987). "Who's In Charge Here?". The New York Times . In March 1981, Longhofer's unit went operational. The Army and the C.I.A. agreed to set up a special aviation company, called Seaspray.
  12. 1 2 Paglen, Trevor (5 February 2009). Blank Spots on the Map: The Dark Geography of the Pentagon's Secret World. Penguin Publishing Group. pp. 162–. ISBN   978-1-101-01149-2.
  13. ↑ Trevithick, Joseph (14 August 2018). "This Ghost Of A Helicopter Likely Had A Secret Role In Reagan's 'Tear Down This Wall' Speech". The War Zone. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  14. ↑ Ambinder, Marc; Grady, D.B. (2012). The Command deep Inside the President's Secret Army. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   978-1118346723.
  15. ↑ Smith, Michael (2011). Killer Elite: America's Most Secret Soldiers. London: Hachette. ISBN   978-1908059062.
  16. ↑ "Photo Emerges Of Shadowy Intelligence Gathering "Ghost Plane" In Somalia". SomTribune. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  17. ↑ Trevithick, Joseph (17 September 2021). "Russian-Made Mi-17 Helicopter Flown By Secretive U.S. Unit Lands In Farmer's Field". The War Zone. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  18. 1 2 LeoGrande, William M. (1998). Our Own Backyard: The United States in Central America, 1977-1992. Chapel Hill, North Carolina Press: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN   0807898805.
  19. ↑ Trevithick, Joseph (23 May 2019). "These Secret Helicopters Were Flown By A Shadowy Unit During The Battle of Mogadishu". The War Zone. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  20. ↑ "THE CIA, SIBERIA AND THE $5M BAR BILL". 16 August 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  21. ↑ "Bells in the Shadow, Part One". engelsjk.com. 7 February 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.

See also

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.