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  • Casualty of the War on Drugs

    Counterdrug efforts in the 1990s included gathering intelligence information on drug traffickers. On April 24, 1992, a C-130H flown by the 310th Airlift Squadron at Howard Air Force Base, Panama, was on such a mission when it was intercepted 60 miles off the coast of Peru by two Peruvian Air Force

  • Cold War in Space: Top Secret Reconnaissance Satellites Revealed

    During the Cold War, the U.S. relied on photo reconnaissance satellites to track adversaries' weapons development, especially in the Soviet Union and China. From the early 1960s to mid-1980s, photography from space was often the only way to get critical data about nuclear threats.The National

  • Cuban Missile Crisis

    The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 dramatically proved the importance of the U-2 and aerial reconnaissance. On Oct. 14, 1962, two USAF U-2s photographed portions of Cuba, revealing Soviet offensive nuclear missiles based only 90 miles from U.S. shores. President John F. Kennedy placed U.S. forces on

  • Catching an Air Force Spy

    Unfortunately, even some Air Force members have committed espionage against the United States. The case of Jeffrey M. Carney is a Cold War example of how people can be tempted to turn against their own country. Entering the Air Force in 1980, Carney became disillusioned with the USAF and intended to

  • Counterintelligence in the Cold War and Beyond

    Counterintelligence: Detection of espionage, sabotage, treason, sedition, subversion, disloyalty and disaffection.Espionage played an important role in worldwide tensions between the East and West during the Cold War. Among OSI's many functions, counterintelligence has been crucial for national

  • Cushman Model 39 Delivery Scooter

    This three-wheeled utility vehicle was built in 1943 for the U.S. Army. The Cushman company of Lincoln, Neb., began making scooters in 1936 and sold 606 Model 39s to the U.S. military during World War II. These utility scooters remained in service for many years moving various equipment and

  • Clarktor-6 Towing Tractor

    The Clarktor-6 Towing Tractor, built by the Clark Equipment Co., has been used by the USAF since the early 1950s for towing small to mid-sized aircraft and ground support equipment.Click here to return to the Cold War Gallery.

  • Convair XC-99 Model

    Using various types of wood, Lt Col Howard T. Meek (USAF, Ret) constructed this 1/72 scale model of the Convair XC-99 from scratch. The Convair XC-99, a transport version of the Convair B-36 bomber, made its first flight in November 1947. Designed to carry 400 troops, 335 litter patients, or 100,000

  • Coal: Berlin's Key to Survival

    The single most critical necessity for Berlin to survive was fuel. Coal became the major cargo of U.S. Air Force C-54s and ultimately made up 65 percent of the total tonnage flown into Berlin. Coal was dirty, dusty and heavy, all of which created major problems for both aircraft and crew. Coal dust

  • Coal, Candy Bars and Clarence the Camel: The Cargo

    The Berlin Airlift carried a total of 2,325,510 tons of cargo into Berlin with coal representing approximately 1,500,000 tons, followed by more than 500,000 tons of food. The rest of the tonnage was miscellaneous cargo that included dismantled steam rollers and electrical power plant machinery, as