Approved for Release: 2013/06/25
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Secret NOFORN
Chapter 5
244
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Overflights by Project TACKLE
Fiscal Year
Overflights
Total
104
1962
18
1963
17
1964
13
1965
30
1966
10
1967
14
1968
2
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Peripheral Missions by Detachment H
Detachment H did not cease its activities following the termination of overflights of mainland China. Its next U-2 mission took place on 18 May 1968. This was an electronic intelligence mission that, in accordance with the new guidelines, never came closer than 20 miles to the Chinese coast. All future Detachment H missions against the PRC also conformed with this restriction but were still the target of interception attempts by PRC MiG-21s or hastily erected SAM sites on offshore islands. The use of peripheral missions prevented any further losses, although one aircraft crashed into the sea from unknown causes shortly after taking off to start a mission on 5 January 1969. Another pilot was killed on 24 November 1970 in a crash during a routine training mission.⁶⁶
The level of activity gradually increased during the remaining years of Project TACKLE, as can be seen in the table on page 245.
The U-2s flying these missions were generally equipped with the B or the newly designed 48-inch H cameras to obtain oblique photography and with various signal-intelligence-gathering systems. Beginning in May 1971, Project TACKLE began using a new communications-intelligence collection package known as LONG SHAFT. This system was used on 32 occasions through 12 December 1973, when the LONG SHAFT collection program ended.
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⁶⁶ “Office of Special Activities History, April 1969 to Phase-Out,” (draft; hereafter cited as “OSA History-2”) (CIA: DS&T, 1974), chap. 3, pp. 36–42 (TS Codeword).
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Secret
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Approved for Release: 2013/06/25