INSIDE THE CLANDESTINE COMETS

摘要

The size of the crew in the rear compartment was mission-dependent. For example, 'Icon 1' from Akrotiri on 3 January 1961 took 15 members, among them a supervisor with overall responsibility and two 'link officers' to co-ordinate the special operators. Numbers increased to more than 20 at times. For 'Icon 1', there were eight special operators and two linguists manning the SIGINT equipment. Linguists were redesignated as special operators in 1963, and recategorised again in 1969 as air signallers (RC). For overseas deployments, groundcrews and support equipment often travelled with the Comets. Sometimes they used a Varsity in the support role, loaned from Watton's Signals Development Squadron. Later, No 51 Squadron's own Hastings, TG530, was employed too, and a standard Comet C2, XK697, was assigned for aircrew training.