Airborne Launch Control System

In the mid-1960s, United States civilian and military leadership became concerned about the possibility of a decapitating attack from the Soviets, destroying any land-based communication links to the nuclear forces of the Strategic Air Command. One solution to the communication problem was placing radio equipment on board an aircraft, and allow it to fly over the United States and use radio broadcasts to pass along information. This concept would allow communication to missile launch crews to pass along Emergency Action Messages (EAMs), but would not duplicate the missile combat crew's function of actually launching the missiles. The key characteristic added to ALCS (versus other communication methods such as ERCS) was giving the airborne crews the same degree of access to the launch facilities as the underground missile crews.[http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nukevault/ebb249/doc05.pdf George Washington University's "USAF Ballistic Missile Programs 1967-1968", September 1969, pg 17]

Minuteman launch facilities contained an ultra high frequency (UHF) receiver that would pick up commands from the ALCS; the destruction of the launch control center or the hardened intersite cable system would not prevent retaliation.[http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nukevault/ebb249/doc04.pdf George Washington University: "United States Ballistic Missile Programs: 1964-1966", March 1967, pg 7]

ALCS' first generation equipment was declared operational on 31 May 1967.

File:Mobile Minuteman train.png

File:Boeing EC-135 62-3579 Ellsworth.JPEG

File:Boeing EC-135G (717-148), USA - Air Force AN0823212.jpg

File:ALCS 6.png

File:ALCS 4.png

File:ALCS 1.png

File:E-6B Mercury flies over Solomons Island in November 2014.JPG

File:625th STOS maintains strategic watch 141003-F-AJ823-045.jpg

The ALCS mission has been held by multiple aircraft during the last 50 years:

• EC-135 – performed Looking Glass and ALCC mission for the Strategic Air Command (1967–1998)
• EC-135A (ALCC)
• EC-135C (ABNCP and ALCC)
• EC-135G (ALCC and ABNCP)
• EC-135L PACCS Radio Relay
• E-4B Advanced Airborne Command Post – Aircraft tail number 75-0125 performed Looking Glass on a trial basis from 1980 to 1981 to assess possibility of replacing EC-135 fleet. Deemed too expensive and ALCS was subsequently removed from the E-4B.{{Cite web |url=http://sac-acca.org/newsletter/flyer0211.pdf |title=2 ACCS Part 1 |access-date=2017-05-02 |archive-date=2016-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813232444/http://sac-acca.org/newsletter/flyer0211.pdf |url-status=dead }}
• E-6B Mercury – performs Looking Glass, ALCC, and TACAMO mission for United States Strategic Command (1998–Present)
• E-6B

• LGM-30A/B Minuteman I (1967–1975)
• LGM-30F Minuteman II (1967–1992)
• LGM-30G Minuteman III (1971–present)
• LGM-118A Peacekeeper (1987–2005)

• 68th Strategic Missile Squadron (Ellsworth AFB, SD: 1967-1970){{Cite web |url=http://sac-acca.org/newsletter/flyer0496.pdf |title=A History of PACCS, ACCS and ALCS |access-date=2017-05-02 |archive-date=2016-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813222903/http://sac-acca.org/newsletter/flyer0496.pdf |url-status=dead }}
• 91st Strategic Missile Wing (Minot AFB, ND: 1967-1969)[Hopkins III, Robert S. 1997. Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker: More Than Just a Tanker. Leicester, England: Midland Publishing Limited]
• 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron (Ellsworth AFB, SD: 1970-1992){{Cite web |url=http://sac-acca.org/newsletter/flyer1100.pdf |title=4th ACCS |access-date=2017-05-02 |archive-date=2016-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814032044/http://sac-acca.org/newsletter/flyer1100.pdf |url-status=dead }}
• 2nd Airborne Command and Control Squadron (Offutt AFB, NE: 1970-1994){{Cite web |url=http://sac-acca.org/newsletter/flyer0611.pdf |title=2 ACCS Part 2 |access-date=2017-05-02 |archive-date=2016-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815011952/http://sac-acca.org/newsletter/flyer0611.pdf |url-status=dead }}
• 7th Airborne Command and Control Squadron (Offutt AFB, NE: 1994-1998)
• 625th Missile Operations Flight/USSTRATCOM (Offutt AFB, NE: 1998-2007)[https://web.archive.org/web/20170511214603/http://www.afgsc.af.mil/Library/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/629068/625th-strategic-operations-squadron/ "625th STOS Fact Sheet"]
• 625th Strategic Operations Squadron/USSTRATCOM (Offutt AFB, NE: 2007–Present)

• 28th Air Refueling Squadron (Ellsworth AFB, SD: 1967-1970)
• EC-135A, EC-135G
• 906th Air Refueling Squadron (Minot AFB, ND: 1967-1969
• EC-135A, EC-135L
• 38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (Offutt AFB, NE: 1967-1970)
• EC-135C
• 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron (Ellsworth AFB, SD: 1970-1992)
• EC-135A, EC-135C, EC-135G, EC-135L
• 2nd Airborne Command and Control Squadron (Offutt AFB, NE: 1970-1994)
• EC-135C
• 7th Airborne Command and Control Squadron (Offutt AFB, NE: 1994-1998)
• EC-135C
• STRATCOMWING ONE (Tinker AFB, OK: 1998–Present)
• Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 3 (VQ-3)
• E-6B Mercury
• Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 4 (VQ-4)
• E-6B Mercury

The Airborne Launch Control System Flight of the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron provides training and crewmembers for two ALCS positions on board the E-6B Mercury.

A test of the ALCS, both ground and air components, is called a GIANT BALL.

:This list does not contain any launches after the initial Test and Evaluation phase of the system.

• {{Annotated link|Post-Attack Command and Control System}}
• {{Annotated link|Airborne Launch Control Center}}
• {{Annotated link|Operation Looking Glass}}
• {{Annotated link|Boeing EC-135|EC-135}}
• {{Annotated link|Boeing E-6 Mercury}}
• {{Annotated link|AN/DRC-8 Emergency Rocket Communications System|Emergency Rocket Communications System}}
• {{Annotated link|625th Strategic Operations Squadron}}
• {{Annotated link|TACAMO}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Commons category-inline}}
• [http://www.stratcom.mil/Media/Factsheets/Factsheet-View/Article/960928/e-6b-airborne-command-post-abncp/ E-6B ABNCP Factsheet]
• [https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104466/lgm-30g-minuteman-iii/ LGM-30G Minuteman III Factsheet]

Category:Missile launchers

Category:Military radio systems of the United States

Category:Nuclear warfare

Category:Military communications

Category:United States nuclear command and control