From: Allen Thomson (thomsona@flash.net)
Subject: COBRA TALON, COBRA SPOT
Newsgroups: rec.aviation.military, sci.space.history
Date: 2003-12-09 10:44:16 PST

Some time ago I noted that http://www.aia.af.mil/homepages/ho/70s-2.cfm says,

  The 6300th Support Squadron (later redesignated 6300th Aerospace
  Support Squadron) was activated at Ko Kha, Thailand, on 1 July
  1971 to support Cobra Talon.

and asked, inter alia, what Cobra Talon is/was.

Some possible light on Cobra Talon now comes from

  http://www.dposs.com/k9/t_kokha.htm
  Ko Kha
  Royal Thai Air Station

  Ko Kha is on the Bangkok-Chiengmai railway and at the junction
  of highways to Chieng Mai and Chiang Rai. A small Royal Thai
  Air Station  was the location of a radar station for the
  Spacetrack System. The station tracked People's Republic of
  China missile launches and southerly launches from the Soviet
  Union from Sep 1971–May 1976. No Security Police military
  working dogs were ever assigned.

  Links of Interest To Non-VSPA Internet Pages

  17 Space Surveillance Squadron  Sep 1971–31 May 1976



That link 404s, but, happily, this one doesn't:

http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/wwwroot/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0017spss.html


  17th Space Surveillance Squadron

  Lineage

  Constituted 17th Surveillance Squadron, and activated, on 1 Nov
  1966. Organized on 1 Jan 1967. Inactivated on 31 Dec 1969.
  Redesignated 17th Radar Squadron on 20 May 1971. Activated on 1
  Sep 1971. Inactivated on 31 May 1976. Redesignated 17th
  Surveillance Squadron on 28 Dec 1981. Activated on 1 Aug 1982.
  Inactivated on 1 Jun 1989. Redesignated 17th Space Surveillance
  Squadron on 25 Oct 1993. Activated on 15 Nov 1993.

  Assignments

  Air Defense Command, 1 Nov 1966; 73d Aerospace Surveillance
  Wing, 1 Jan 1967–31 Dec 1969. Fourteenth Aerospace Force, 1 Sep
  1971–31 May 1976. 3d Air Division, 1 Aug 1982; 1st Space Wing,
  1 May 1983–1 Jun 1989. 73d Space Group, 15 Nov 1993–.


  Stations

  Moorestown, NJ, 1 Jan 1967–31 Dec 1969. Ko Kha RTAS, Thailand,
  1 Sep 1971–31 May 1976. San Miguel, Philippines, 1 Aug 1982–1
  Jun 1989. Edzell AFD, Scotland, 15 Nov 1993– .


  Aircraft

  None.


  Operations

  Operated a radar sensor for the USAF Spacetrack System, Nov 1967
  –Dec 1969. Tracked People's Republic of China missile launches
  and southerly launches from the Soviet Union, Sep 1971–May 1976.
  Provided low-altitude space surveillance, Aug 1982–May 1989.
  Operated sensors for the Low-Altitude Space Surveillance System,
  Nov 1993–.

  Honors

  Service Streamers. None.

  Campaign Streamers. None.

  Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.

  Decorations. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 14 Sep 1973–
  17 Feb 1975; 1 Aug 1982–31 Jul 1983.


But there is no rest for the weary, and in looking around for Cobra Talon, I found a list of names,

http://www.dior.whs.mil/peidhome/guide/mn02/WEAPON-CODE-SEARCH.PDF

that includes COBRA SPOT along with better-known USAF COBRAs.

I never heard of Cobra Spot; anybody here know about it?