thumb|right|A [[Boeing E-6B Mercury airborne, painted anti-flash white]]

TACAMO (Take Charge And Move Out) is a United States military system of survivable communications links designed to be used in nuclear warfare to maintain communications between the decision-makers (the National Command Authority) and the triad of strategic nuclear weapon delivery systems. Its primary mission is serving as a signals relay, where it receives orders from a command plane such as Operation Looking Glass, and verifies and retransmits their Emergency Action Messages (EAMs) to US strategic forces.

As a dedicated communications post, it features the ability to communicate on virtually every radio frequency band from very low frequency (VLF) up to super high frequency (SHF), using a variety of modulations, encryptions and networks, minimizing the likelihood an emergency message will be jammed by an enemy. This airborne communications capability largely replaced the land-based extremely low frequency (ELF) broadcast sites, which is vulnerable to nuclear strikes.

Components

The current TACAMO system comprises several components. The main part is the airborne portion, the U.S. Navy's Strategic Communications Wing One (STRATCOMWING 1), a U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) organization based at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

STRATCOMWING 1 consists of three fleet air reconnaissance squadrons (VQ-3, VQ-4, and VQ-7), equipped with Boeing IDS E-6B Mercury TACAMO aircraft. As well as the main operating base at Tinker, there is a west coast alert base at Travis AFB, California, and an east coast alert base at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.

History

thumb|A U.S. Navy TACAMO EC-130Q of VQ-4, 1984.

The acronym was coined in 1961. In 1962, the first aircraft modified for TACAMO testing was a Lockheed KC-130 Hercules, fitted with a VLF transmitter and trailing wire antenna to test communications with the fleet ballistic missile submarines (see communication with submarines).

The Naval Air Development Center developed the required technique of "stalling" the trailing antenna to achieve the long vertical antenna needed. The VLF system is currently known as VERDIN (VERy low frequency Digital Information Network). In 1966, the program was expanded using modified C-130s designated Lockheed EC-130G/Q, carrying a VLF system built by Collins Radio Company.

In 1968, the first two squadrons were established: VQ-4 initially operated from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. VQ-3 was formed at NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii before moving to Naval Air Station Agana, Guam, but later returned to NAS Barbers Point.

In December 2020 (Fiscal Year 2021), the US Navy awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin to purchase C-130J-30 Hercules as a testbed for the TACAMO mission. The aircraft selection represents a return to the C-130 platform by the Navy, which for years used the EC-130Q (an older variant despite the higher letter) for the TACAMO mission from 1963 until 1993.

In October 2024, the Navy announced that the new C-130J-30 based TACAMO mission aircraft will be designated E-130J. It will replace the currently operational E-6 Mercury in the near future.

See also

  • Boeing E-4
  • Survivable Low Frequency Communications System (SLFCS)
  • Ground Wave Emergency Network (GWEN)
  • Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network (MEECN)
  • Emergency Rocket Communications System (ERCS)

References

  • Strategic Communications Wing ONE website
  • USSTRATCOM ABNCP Fact Sheet
  • "Old TACAMO" Veterans website
  • TACAMO Community Veterans website
  • 2017 Popular Mechanics article on TACAMO