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DEPARTMENT OF THE MR FORCE

NO AIR POITCE SATELLITE CONTROL FACILITY *AMC/

AIR FORCE UNIT POST DOMICIL LOS AROMAS. CALIFORNIA 90045

REPLY TO

ATTR OP:

RIOJECT

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Surface liecovery Ships

TO: Bp-3 111011=111011

2a ace mikao, telephone conversation between Col Malin and

Ju3 1967, the attached information, relative to

the requirement far subject vessels is feminist.

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Director for Development
1. The two Surface Recovery Ships, Sunnyvale and rev, equipped

with C2-38 helicopters, presently represent the only reliable means to

effect a timely recovery of a eater-impacted re-entry vehicle over 70%

of the Hawaiian Recovery Area, commonly referred to as the Recovery

Hall Park. The remainder is within the range of land-based helicopters.

A helicopter-equipped ship is deployed to follow the location of each

successive day's recovery opportunity.from launch day to the day when

recovery occurs. The ester recovery capability is designed around an

inseparable combination: surface recovery ships (victory ships converted

to provide a helicopter hangar, • mot deck, and maintenance and fueling

capability) and CO-31 helicopters (amphibians, with folding rotor blades

to permit their entry into the shipboard banger). An adjunct to the

water recovery capability is the teem of pararescue personnel who, surface

'rinds (below 25 kt) permitting, jimep into the ocean and secure the waterimpacted capsule, if there will be say time lag prior to the arrival of

the helicopters. Factors bearing ca the importance of the ship/helicopter

combination are:

Helicopters have a limited weather capability. Hence, their

quoted 250 na radius of action is often severely reduced, when operating •

from • fixed location (land-based), by the requirement to fly around

veather. The helicopters can ride through weather on the ship, and the

ship can carry the helicopters to a suitable launch point..

The North-South location of any particular recovery impact point

can be shifted as much as 200 on on short notice. The ship represents

the best means to move the helicopter launch point toward (and often

within range of) the revised recovery point. An additional consideration

is the requirement to recover deployed pararescue personnel from the ocean

within 24 hours.

Other side advantages that accrue from having a surface recovery ship in

or near the predicted recovery area are the thip's capability to report

in real time re-entry vehicle telemetry events as well as the ship's capabilit y to make real time surface weather and sea state condition reports.

It abould be noted that certain recoverable programs stipulate surface

.recovery as primary; e.g., MSRV.

2. The requirement for a water recovery capability has been revalidated

as recently AS Jane 1967 during Op. 355941. %ether the helicopter

which effected the recovery could have been land-based is not really

material to the question. The fact remains that, even under ideal weather

cooditioas, 50$ at the primary recovery area presently lies outside the

coverage of land-based helicopters.

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3. Alternative's to maintaining the two ships are:

Ia. Abandon water impacted re-entry vehicles. (They sink within a

• specified period of time and could, presumably, be mode to sink lamediately). 4

Ib. Shrink the size of the Rawaiian Recovery Area so that the primary

i recovery area falls totally within the radius of action of the CH•311

helicopters. This would mean that certain "o p-orbit" days would pass .

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without a recovery opportunity, end implies the abandoning, in many cases,

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of re-entry vehicles that water impact outside the area.

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c. Replace the (31•311 helicopters with others of greater radius of

action aadlor an in-fligbt refueling capability, thereby insuring land,

bared helicopter coverage of as =eh of the ballpark as desired.