NEVADA TEST SITE
Approximately 136 aircraft are scheduled to participate on the Hood shot. U.S. Marine Corp aircraft will include fifty-two (52) F9F-5 Panther jets from MCAS, El Toro, California, which will provide close air support for assaulting elements. Thirty-four (34) helicopters from the Desert Rock airstrip, designated as HRS, HUS and HOK's, will airlift the assualt waves. Four (4) Marine A4-D's, one RFD, and (2) U.S. Navy A3-D's from the San Diego Navel Air Station will be engaged in flybys for crew indoctrination purposes.
28 aircraft will stage out of Indian Springs AFB. U.S. Air Force aircraft will include the following: one B-25 low altitude cloud tracker from the Air Training Command's Reese AFB, Texas; five (5) B-57, two (2) F-84, five (5) T-33 cloud sampling aircraft from the Air Research and Development Command's 4926th Test Squadron (Sampling). Two of the above T-33's are Air National Guard aircraft from Dallas, Texas, and two from the Air National Guard unit at Springfield, Ohio. Four (40 Tactical Air Command H-21B helicopters are from the 21st Helicopter Squadron at Donaldson AFB, South Carolina, to carry scientists to the detonation area shortly after the blast, , and to serve as standby for emergency evacuation, Two (2) F-89D aircraft from the Wright Air Development Center, Ohio, are to be used for weapons effects tests and bomb damage assessment. One L-20 security patrol aircraft has been scheduled from the 4935th Air Base Squadron at Indian Springs AFB. Other assigned aircraft are one C-47 documentary photo aircraft from APCS, Orlando, Florida, and one C-47 Strategic Air Command relay communications aircraft from Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. An Air Force B-26 from Biggs AFB, Texas, is assigned to a U.S. Army-related project.
U.S. Navy aircraft staging out of Indian Springs AFB are from the Naval Air Special Weapons Facility at Kirkland AFB. They include two (2) FJ-4's, two (2) A4D's for effects purposes, and one TV-2 photo aircraft.
Air Force aircraft staging from other bases are: One B-29 and one B-50 high altitude cloud tracker from Kirkland AFB, New Mexico; two (2) Tactical Air Command Air National Guard photo reconnaissance RF-84's from George AFB, California, and six (6) Air Defense Command T-33's from Ent AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado are participating for aircrew indoctrination purposes. Five (5) U.S. Army H-34 helicopters will be used for fallout prediction, staging out of Desert Rock, Nevada.
