Ever Hear Of A Plane Called The Crazy Hawk?

The US military has planes like the F-22A stealth fighter and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that make a lot of news.

But it also has planes that draw very little attention, even though they play key roles in a number of conflicts around the world. One example is the RC-7B/EO-5B "Crazy Hawk"/Airborne Reconnaissance Low aircraft.

Its speciality is using its short-field takeoff capabilities and array of imaging, signals collection and radar sensors to monitor developments on the ground. The RC-7B made the news briefly in 1999 when one went down in Colombia, and again when the U.S. military had to cancel the $8 billion ACS (Aerial Common Sensor) replacement program in 2006 and start over in 2008.

Meanwhile, the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq is well suited to planes like the Dash-7 derived RC-7Bs. ACS' cancellation, delay, and restructuring have left the Navy pursuing its own independent program.

The U.S. Army's RC-12N Guardrail electronic intelligence aircraft are being refurbished to keep them current and in service until the ACS arrives. And the RC-7B fleet continues to receive additional help, via a parallel program called MARSS, which has now extended to the U.S. Air National Guard and Canada.

Aircraft bought under the MARSS program are fitted with survivability equipment, full motion video, signals collection (COMINT) gear, and military mission communications equipment, and may be fitted with "other equipment" by the government if desired. The resulting Dash-7 aircraft are broadly similar to the RC-7 fleet, but not exactly so.

Other aircraft are reportedly in use by the program. For instance, Telford Aviation of Bangor, Maine also lists aircraft like the Cessna 208 Caravan in its inventory, which has been used in a surveillance role over Iraq.

MARSS was first placed as a combatant commander Quick-Reaction Contract in 1999. The government actually owns the aircraft bought under the program, but they are flown and maintained by contractors on the government's behalf.

All personnel would, of course, require Department of Defense security clearances. In contrast, the similar RC-7B fleet is operated by the U.S. military.

Telford Aviation, Inc. has reportedly been involved with the MARSS program for the last several years, receiving mult-million dollar contracts for outfitting and maintaining the planes.