CRAZY CAT Flies Last Mission in Vietnam (31 MAR 1972)

Photo By Lori Stewart | The RP-2E CRAZY CAT  

UNITED STATES

03.29.2024

Story by Lori Stewart 

U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence

by Lori S. Stewart, USAICoE Command Historian

CRAZY CAT FLIES LAST MISSION IN VIETNAM
On 31 March 1972, a crew from the 1st Radio Research (RR) Company, 224th RR Battalion, flew the final mission of the RP-2E CRAZY CAT in South Vietnam. Deployed to Vietnam in 1967, this unique company and its unique aircraft had provided communications intelligence support to the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) for five years.

By the mid-1960s, the Army had several fixed-wing signals intelligence aircraft operating in Vietnam. These aircraft belonged to the Army Security Agency (ASA), which had responsibility for both communications intelligence and electronic warfare. Instead of jamming enemy communications, however, the ASA favored the intelligence benefits of intercepting and exploiting those communications. When, in 1965, the U.S. Pacific Command recommended the Army deploy an electronic warfare aircraft to disrupt enemy communications, particularly along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the ASA realized it had no aircraft large enough to sustain the size and weight of the countermeasures systems needed for the mission nor one with the range to fly along the Laos and Cambodian borders. Project CRAZY CAT was initiated to find the right platform for these missions.

Already in conflict with the U.S. Air Force over aerial roles and missions, the Army turned to the Navy for a solution. In 1966, the Navy transferred to the Army six P2V Neptunes from storage at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. Used for maritime patrol since 1947, the Neptunes were still being used by the Navy for land and sea reconnaissance out of Cam Ranh Bay Naval Air Station in South Vietnam. The large aircraft had a range of 2,200 miles and could remain aloft for more than fourteen hours without refueling. Co-locating with the Navy at Cam Ranh Bay would ensure the Army had maintenance support and access to spare parts for the aircraft.

After being extensively modified and refitted with the proper electronic equipment, five of the aircraft, officially named the CEFLIEN LION but with the radio call sign CRAZY CAT, arrived at Cam Ranh Bay in late June 1967. Meanwhile, the air and ground crews were trained and organized into the 1st ASA Company at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Upon their arrival at Cam Ranh Bay, they became the 1st RR Company assigned to the 224th RR Battalion, 509th RR Group. Unlike the 224th’s other four battalions, each of which supported one of the corps tactical areas in Vietnam, the 1st RR Company provided direct support to MACV.

Once in country, the RP-2Es were never used in the electronic warfare role for which they were developed. The MACV J-6 argued jamming enemy communications could interfere with American communications and might trigger retaliatory strikes against U.S. communications sites. Thus, the RP-2Es instead became a prolific airborne collection system in Vietnam. From their first flight on 12 July 1967 until their last on 31 March 1972, they intercepted both high frequency and very high frequency enemy Morse and voice communications, usually along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Flights typically lasted fourteen hours, eight of which were on station, while up to five onboard intercept operators recorded and transcribed enemy communications.

The CRAZY CATS flew 46,000 mission hours in Vietnam without a single aircraft loss. By late 1971, as operations in Vietnam began to draw down, the 509th RR Group cut half of its personnel, leading to the inactivation, on 30 April 1972, of the 1st RR Company, then under the command of Maj. Joshua Kaiser. Reportedly, during five years of operations, unit members received one Distinguished Flying Cross, 140 Bronze Star Medals, 200 Army Commendation Medals, and 5,100 Air Medals. The unit itself received two Meritorious Unit Citations and a Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm. The last RP-2E is on display at the U.S. Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, Alabama.


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• Date Taken: 03.29.2024
• Date Posted: 03.29.2024 16:25
• Story ID: 467412
• Location: US