[Milsurplus] B-46 Equipment - AN/ALQ-151 QUICK FIX II

[Mike Morrow]

There is some information about AN/ALQ-151 (QUICK FIX) installations and purposes found here:

  http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/sik_quickfix.php
  (This site has photos of EH-60 helicopters in flight
   with antennas deployed.)

  https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/eh-60a.htm
  (This site includes some frequency of operation information.)

It is definitely a heliborne system.  The earliest versions that were installed on EH-1X aircract go back to ancient days more than 40 years ago.) 

There seems to be no relationship to the AN/FLR-9.

Mike / KK5F

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Downs via Milsurplus 
Sent: Nov 30, 2018 3:19 AM
To: milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] B-46 Equipment

Group, Several members replied to my question about B-46 with the information that it was somehow connected with AN/ALQ-151.  In my brief searches, I didn’t get any AN/ALQ-151 hits.  But wherever they are, they are either accidental or deliberate disinformation.  Even if you remove the mountain of test equipment that obviously would have remained on the ground, even a Chinook couldn’t carry a tenth of what would be left.  Plus none of the equipment covered by the manual is either a Transmitter or a Receiver-Transmitter. When I started a search on the nomenclature of some of the equipment covered, I found AN/FLR-9, the antennas for which are sometimes known as ElephantCcages.  The diameter of the ground screen or plane is about 1400 feet.  The OD or the outer ring of antennas is around 830 feet.  Although I never did get a hit on B-46 (not even the short-lived B-46 Convair Bomber), I came to the conclusion that B-46 consisted of AN/FLR-9 and all of the associated support equipment, page after page of it. Unfortunately, I don’t have in my database any TM or hardware listings on anything used with FLR-9 so wasn’t able to check whether or not TM 11- manuals also exist for, for example, the various Receivers and Teleprinters.  Or only the TM 32-‘s.
Robert Downs

To: 'Robert Downs'
Subject: RE: [Milsurplus] B-46 Equipment Robert,You have the manual listing all the equipment and etc for a rather specialized bit of magic that was conceived by the US Army.  Look up the ALQ151(A), or just 151, and what it was designed to do.It appears that the Army called the entire system B-46..  Read up on the ALQ151 and you will get the picture.  A pretty slick system, that if it actually works makes “enemy” radio, radar, etc useless in a small area of operations, which makes the “battle area” secure and safe at least for the “good guys” with “B36” equipment, the major component being a UH1 “Huey” hauling a lot of radios, or a newer UH 60 hauling the same equipment.  I found the manual on PDF on some university site, hence able to provide some reasonable answer.   Now, if you had all those fancy radios and etc, you would have a rather nice radio shack, covering lots of frequencies. If I remember from the quick scan of the Tm 32… there is a TRC 75 involved, and that if memory is correct is a nicely packaged Collins 618T in an Army box… There are not very many ALQ151 in existence, but, there seems to be on going contracts to keep it alive.  For all the equipment listed, with TM32 manuals, there are probably TMxx manuals as well for much of the individual equipments.Cheers,Now go and collect up all the components….R

Subject: RE: [Milsurplus] B-46 Equipment
Robert, The pub in question is TM 32-5800-001-L, “List Of Applicable Publications (LOAP) for B-46 Equipment” dated 1979.  “B-46” isn’t likely to be a bomber as it would have been fielded late 40’s or early 50’s and it wasn’t.  Couldn’t be current as the blue suiters, who started over with B-1 20 or 30 years ago and haven’t gotten back up nearly that far.  And besides, all of the manuals are for ground equipment.  With nomenclatures like AN.FLR-9(V) for which I would have expected all of the manual numbers to start off with TM 11 instead of TM 32.
Robert Downs

From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net <milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of Robert Downs via Milsurplus
Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2018 6:38 PM
To: milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Milsurplus] B-46 Equipment
I’m sorting through some TM’s to decide which I keep and which I don’t.  Does anyone know what “B-46 Equipment” is?  The manual number begins with “TM 32” and was published by the US Army in 1979.
Robert Downs