H.A.W.X. Squadron, also known as the H.A.W.X. Program and H.A.W.X. Project, (High Altitude Warfare Xperimental Squadron) was a special elite squadron within the U.S. Air Force, led by Colonel David Crenshaw.
Rainbow is an available faction in Tom Clancy's Elite Squad.
History[]
The “High Altitude Warfare – Experimental Squadron” (or H.A.W.X) traces its origins to 1943. In the midst of the Second World War, the United States initiated a program to acquire, evaluate and reverse-engineer enemy aircraft. Headquartered near Wright Field it operated in conjunction with the OSS and the British Royal Air Force and was dubbed Project FALCO (Foreign Aircraft and Logistics Capture Operations).
FALCO managed covert field operations teams in every major combat theater of the war. These teams were a maverick combination of engineers, linguists, enemy defectors – and of course, some of the Allies’ most skilled and unorthodox combat-hardened pilots. As the war progressed, these aviators were frequently called up on by Allied High Command to put their skills to the test, using captured aircraft to insert covert agents and commando teams behind enemy lines and flying some of the most secret combat missions of the entire war.
In 1950, amid well-publicized USAF speculation that the enemy aircraft of WWII having given up their secrets, FALCO was officially ‘shut down’ by the US Department of Defense. Except of course, it wasn’t. With the realization that combat aviation was evolving into supersonic engagements at high altitudes with nuclear bombers and missile-armed interceptors, FALCO personnel, projects and facilities were simply re-organized into the ‘High Altitude Warfare’ (H.A.W.) group.
Positioned as an element of Tactical Air Command (later Air Combat Command), this secret group works under the guise of the 24th Test and Evaluation Squadron. In an effort to further hide the operational aspects of the unit, it was officially re-named High Altitude Warfare – Experimental Squadron, or H.A.W.-X (The "X" being the US military designation for 'Experimental'). With time, the abbreviation was shortened to just H.A.W.X
The squadron’s elite fighter pilots are recruited from the most experienced and skilled combat veterans of the USAF, USN and USMC flight squadrons. The most highly-trained combat pilots in the world, they gain experience on all upcoming aircraft and weapon systems during the testing phase, helping refine designs and becoming the first to use them in combat should the nation require it. Capable of piloting virtually any aircraft from any branch of the US Military, in addition to many foreign designs, they are the 'top breed' of military pilots on Earth.
Based out of Langley Air Force Base in Southern Virginia, and with specialized West Coast facilities at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, the H.A.W.X squadron is involved with three main tasks:
- Testing and evaluation of the latest, most experimental and secret US and Allied aircraft and weapon systems, including piloted and unpiloted (UAV) high-altitude systems.
- Combat or Recon missions based on national defense needs. H.A.W.X missions are generally considered 'black ops' and operational history is a closely guarded secret. The H.A.W.X squadron, thanks to their ability to pilot virtually any aircraft and access to the latest and most powerful aircraft and weapons, allow the US to have a clear 'edge' in air combat operations when needed.
- As needs dictate (less frequently than the tasks listed above) the H.A.W.X squadron is involved with the training of US and Allied pilots and the capture and evaluation of enemy or non-allied air-oriented technologies.
Most recently, with the changes in international dynamics due to the rise of the PMCs, the H.A.W.X squadron’s unique skills are more in demand than ever before.
Members[]
 David Crenshaw |
 Zeal |
 Arrow |
 Sonnet |
 Ringo |
Squad Perk[]
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