Project Gray Wolf By Glen Hall, CWO3. Ret US Army

In 1984 there was a big push by the Intelligence Community to catch the “smoking guns” in the shipment of arms into from to . INSCOM was given the dollars and the lead for a new surveillance system. The approach was a remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) know these days as a drone to provide IMINT. In an unheard of 120 days a sole-source contract was signed with Lear-Siegler to provide two remotely piloted vehicles, a R4E-40 Sky Eye, sensor equipment, launcher, ground control/data link station, maintenance and flight personnel. INSCOM would provide a location, shelters for analysis and communications and required personnel.

The depot at Vint Hill Farms fabricated/modified the shelters to be used by Army personnel. Three AN/USM shelters, normally part of the MSA-34 complex, were utilized. One remained unchanged to be used as admin space. The second one, to be the imagery analysis, was completely stripped and equipment racks installed down one side. The RPV would provide real time Low Light TV and Forward Looking IR as well as film from a pan camera. Equipment installed provided for real time monitoring and recording as well as imagery interpretation. The third shelter would be a communication center. It included HF voice and TTY, FM voice and Landsat voice and data all encrypted. A safe for classified documents and commo codes was also included. These shelters were to be set up in an L with the admin and analysis side by side and commo at the end of the analysis. All were painted white along with three generators and a Chevy CUTV pickup. Everything was shipped to the 138th Avn EW Co at Palmerola Airbase, , to be later trucked overland to a dirt C-130 air strip near the Pacific Ocean coastal town of San Lorenzo. The contractor, Lear-Siegler, also shipped the bulk of its equipment via a Aero Spacelines Guppy cargo plane to Palmerola, with the remainder, three mobile homes, to be used as office/operations planning space, repair parts storage, first aid station and lounge arrived by ship to the port of San Lorenzo.

The Army crew consisted of an OIC, NCOIC, 4 Imagery Interpreters, 4 Radio Teletype operators, a generator mechanic and a Special Forces Medic. All were attached to the 138th with no further destination. Uniforms were civilian clothing, as the Army team was to look like part of the contractors. Lodging and food were at the Oasis Motel a few miles from the airstrip. The Army leased all but one room at the motel, which was leased to an American Exotic Bird exporter. This was the only lodging for miles.

In November 1984 I was sent TDY to ensure the shelters were arranged and connected properly as well as establish communications, especially via SatComm. I arrived in Panama by commercial air then on to Palmerola thanks to US Army air. I met with the OIC a Major and NCOIC an SFC learning that the three shelters were already on site and we were leaving the next morning to convoy the crew, their luggage, the three generaters, some diesel fuel, barbed wire and posts and an assortment of tools. The Maj and I leading in the pickup wound through the mountains, skirted around Tegucigalpa, up more mountains before winding down to the flat coastal plains and our destination the dirt C-130 airstrip. We were not the only tenants, the USAF Redhorse Engineering Battalion was set up on the northeast end and our three shelters were approximately in the center. The shelters were clustered together correctly, but not spaced right for interconnection. After unsuccessfully trying with the pickup and chains the Major drove down and ask the engineers for assistance with their forklift. With the shelters now correctly spaced and aligned, we proceeded to interconnect everything, install grounding and run power cables to the generators. The day is coming to an end, so back to the motel.

This is not your typical stay in the boondocks! After being assigned rooms, everyone took a welcome dip in the pool, showered, donned clean clothes and met on the poolside patio for dinner. Again, patio for breakfast, out to the site, MRE’s for lunch, dinner at the hotel. This is repeated every day. Tough life.

Comm’s were up the next morning including Satcom as I had the satellite coordinates tucked away in my wallet. TF138 was used for the local net call sign and Gray Wolf for all others. Contact was made with the 138th and requests passed for fuel and water to be delivered. The contractors arrived by convoy just after noon and the rest of the day was spent unloading and positioning everything. A couple of contractors stayed at the site that night for security. The four trailers arrived from the port early the next morning. The site and the motel were now guarded 24/7 by Honduran troops, most of whom were in their teens and thought they were John Wayne carrying their M-16’s slung over their shoulder pointed forward. Water and fuel bladders were delivered slung under a CH-47. It took about a week and a half to get everything positioned and powered up, a hanger erected, razor wire up around the perimeter, etc. A test flight was made to ensure the sensors worked properly along with the data link and feeds from the GCS to the Imagery Analysis shelter. The next day would be the first mission.

The RPV has no wheels, so launch is via catapult, (sling shot) mounted on the back of a flatbed truck. Landing is on a spring loaded skid, unless there is a loss of power, then a parachute deploys. If the data link is lost and cannot be reestablished, the RPV will automatically return to base. Landing is by joy stick once the RPV is within line of sight. The mission is Reconnaissance and Surveillance. Mission planners and operators establish road/highway routes and set waypoints for the RPV to follow. If something of interest is noted the pilot can manually maneuver for better or closer surveillance. Missions were flown daily alternating between night and day. Many days passed without any usable intel. Towards the end of November during a daylight mission, a small airstrip with a single structure was identified. It was decided to monitor this site the next day. Results at last. A small single engine aircraft circled and landed, taxied up to the building. People deplaned and begin unloading crates and boxes into the building. When they finished they took off immediately. Further surveillance the next couple of days provided no further Intel. The video was taped and sent to NASA, which in turn produced a (Secret) CD with the captured footage along with photos of the Sky Eye touting the use of the RPV in a Low Intensity Conflict. It was good enough for funding to be approved for a second system. This writer retired from the Army and INSCOM in December of 1985, so I have no further information on mission results. The Project Gray Wolf came to an end sometime in 1986.

Gray Wolf site almost in center. USAF Engineers bottom right. Tiger Island in background. Foreground is a cotton gin.

Oasis Motel to left of intersection. Road to site going right. Road going toward the bottom right to El Salvador

.

The original crew. The sign has my name on it.

About the author: My association with the 138th and started with my assignment to the 1st Avn EW Company (Cefirm Leader) in 1973 as a SP-5 commo equipment technician. As a SSG I applied for and was appointed as a 285A Intercept/EW equipment Tech. I was assigned to FSK, then Ft Hood to the first CEWI BN where I was promoted to CW2. My next duty station was with the 193rd MI Co, Panama Canal Zone, where I made CWO3. During that time frame we started intercepting signals from El Salvador and with the help of NSA, I built a mini field station. From there to INSCOM in Virginia where I assisted in the activation of the 138th and its deployment to Honduras under the cover name Ordway Grove. When the unit moved from the Tegucigalpa Airport to San Polo airfield I was in country to do a site survey for the installation of HF log periodic antennas. When Project Gray Wolf was started in 1984, I was TDY on site for 32 days returning just before Christmas. I returned again in January 1985 for 2 weeks to install a walkie talkie base station. I also assisted with the fielding of Crazy Horse. I retired in December of 1985