Air Force Magazine, Volume 89, Issue 4 (2006). pp. 66-72.
Language:
English
Abstract:
Lima Site 85 and the secret Air Force radar facility sat atop one of the highest mountains in Laos, 15 miles away from the border with North Vietnam. The site was defended by a force of 1,000 Hmong irregulars in the valley below, but a key element in its security was the mountain itself. The drop on three sides was nearly vertical, and US officials did not believe the enemy could climb the cliffs. The fourth side of the mountain was fortified. A solution of sorts appeared in 1966 with an adaptation of Strategic Air Command's radar bomb scoring system. This modification, called the MSQ-77, guided aircraft to a precise point in the sky where ordnance was released. It was not pinpoint accuracy, but it was good enough for targets such as airfields and industrial areas. By 1967, the Air Force had five MSQ-77 radars working in South Vietnam and one in Thailand. However, none of these sites covered the North Vietnamese heartland around Hanoi.