FlyPast 06.2018

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North American F-100F Super Sabre 63795 of the Indiana ANG at Lakenheath during Coronet Prize in 1976.

VIA MICK BRITTOn

104 FLYPAST June 2018

deployment roles in Europe and were

likely not in residence, similarly with

the support helicopters at Odiham.

In his book Campbell outlined

how a technical agreement was

drawn up for each COB, specifying

arrangements for the sharing of

facilities. The plans encountered

resistance: the US Congress took

the view that it should be funded by

the host countries or NATO itself,

and approved just 3.6% of the $100

million initially requested. Only

a handful of the COBs received

any new infrastructure, including

Boscombe Down, where hardened

aircraft shelters were built.

EARLY CORONETS

RECALLED

Although never officially confirmed,

Coronet reinforcement exercises

began in earnest in 1978, with three

such deployments to the UK. In

June, McDonnell Douglas RF-4C

Phantoms of the 363rd Tactical

Reconnaissance Wing (TRW)

arrived at Coltishall from Shaw,

South Carolina, for Coronet Heron,

almost concurrently with F-105s of

the Tinker, Oklahoma-based 465th

Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS)

at nearby Sculthorpe on Coronet

Oriole. The following month saw

Vought A-7 Corsairs of the

Ohio, Pennsylvania and South

Carolina ANGs deployed to

Wittering on Coronet Teal.

After this hectic start, the following

year saw just one mission, Coronet

Stallion, in which A-7s of the Iowa

and South Dakota ANGs visited

Waddington. An example from the

former unit was included in the

static display at that year’s Finningley

Airshow.

Things picked up in 1980, when

eight Coronet detachments to

mainland Europe took place: West

Germany, Greece (twice), Norway

(three) and Turkey. Meanwhile, in

the UK, Boscombe Down hosted 18

General Dynamics F-111Ds of the

USAF’s 27 TFW from Cannon AFB,

New Mexico, on Coronet Hammer

in May. One of the aircraft involved,

68-0122, was at Lakenheath for an

extended stay in August, the likely

explanation being unserviceability

requiring rectification. The same

aircraft appeared on static display at

the Newbury Air Festival during the

summer.

The number of exercises fell in

1981, with just the Oklahoma ANG

A-7s being deployed to Wittering in

June on Coronet Canvas, although

Norway-bound F-4Cs of the Indiana

ANG were forced to divert to

Alconbury because of bad weather at

their destination.

TESTING TIMES

The start of 1982 heralded another

busy year with a significant move

to Bentwaters in Suffolk of General

Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons of

the 474th TFS from Nellis, Nevada,

on Coronet Wrangler. This naturally

attracted the attention of the press,

as it was the first visit to the UK of

this new type in squadron strength. It

seems to have been a test: reports state

that the flying tasks were intensive,

involving practice bomb runs on

ranges in the Netherlands, Denmark

and the UK, air combat training with

Bitburg-based McDonnell Douglas

F-15 Eagles in West Germany and

dissimilar air combat training with

Alconbury’s Northrop F-5 Aggressors.

Later that summer there were

two deployments to the previously

unvisited bases of Finningley

and Leeming. Both involved F-4

Phantoms; the F-4Ds of the Illinois

ANG at the former base on Coronet

Brave and F-4Cs of the Missouri

ANG at the latter on Coronet

Cactus.

In 1983 the largest single intake to

date took place when 24 A-7s of the

Ohio ANG visited Sculthorpe, one

of the standby bases added to the list

of COBs, on Coronet Castle. Others

that year involved return visits to

Coltishall, Finningley and Wittering

by RF-4Cs of the Alabama ANG,

F-4Cs of the District of Columbia

ANG and A-7s of the Ohio ANG

respectively.

As the 1980s passed the Coronet

activity became just another part of

the annual round of exercises. Often

only the token presence of an ANG

A-7 Corsair on static display at an

airshow would mark the passing of

another Coronet. The ending of

the Cold War at the beginning of

the 1990s led to the termination of

these exercises but they provided

fond memories for aircraft

enthusiasts of the time when

the Air National Guard was

called out to the UK.

Above

A Lockheed C-141

Starlifter: the usual

support aircraft for the

ANG crews engaged in

the Coronet missions. This

one is supporting Coronet

Cactus at Leeming in

1982.

Below

Aircraft taking part in

Coronet deployments

often appeared at

airshows and open days

around the UK – much to

the delight of enthusiasts.

A-7D Corsair II 71-0303

of the Ohio ANG certainly

attracted much attention

at an RAF Marham event

in April 1983.

KEY COLLECTION