Worth Remembering: the AN/MLQ-34 TACJAM
The AN/MLQ-34 "TACJAM" was a tactical radio jamming system, formerly used in the Military Intelligence battalions of some of the "heavier" divisions of the U. S. Army, such as the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, where I served for 2½ years.
Much of my time in Korea was spent on, in, under, and with the TACJAM.
The TACJAM has, to the best of my knowledge, been replaced in frontline service.
It's a big sucker. The carrier vehicle is the M1015, an upgraded version of the venerable M548. Mounted in/on the cargo bed is a large generator to power the electrical equipment shelter in which the crew operates. Add a huge dang telescoping-mast-mounted Logarithmic Periodic Antenna, and you have some serious radio power.
AN/MLQ-34 on display at (I believe) Tobyhanna Army Depot:
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Yes the tacjam in the photo above is on display at Tobyhanna Army Depot, I pass it every day on my way to work... here's a caption about it from the Tobyhanna Reporter
AN/MLQ-34 TACJAM
is an electronic warfare VHF tactical
jamming system. This vehicle was
used in Kuwait during Desert Storm
by the 501st Military Intelligence
Battalion. The system is maintained at
Tobyhanna. Built in 1987.
Yes the tacjam in the photo above is on display at Tobyhanna Army Depot, I pass it every day on my way to work... here's a caption about it from the Tobyhanna Reporter
AN/MLQ-34 TACJAM
is an electronic warfare VHF tactical
jamming system. This vehicle was
used in Kuwait during Desert Storm
by the 501st Military Intelligence
Battalion. The system is maintained at
Tobyhanna. Built in 1987.
That particular AN/MLQ-34 TACJAM was used by 2nd Platoon A Company 501st Military Intelligence Battalion. The 501st MIB supported the 1st Armored Division during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and actually spent more time in Iraq than in Kuwait. The 501st MI Bn vehicles were easy to recognize, because of the M1 on the side. The person in charge of having the identifying markings painted onto those vehicles mistook the symbol MI (for Military Intelligence) as M1. The TACJAM had a hard time keeping up with the M-1 Abrams tanks and the M-2 Bradleys, because they were underpowered for the sheer weight of the jamming equipment. I was the senior operator of 3rd Platoon's AN/TRQ-32V2 at the time and my bumper number was A32.
I (PFC Scott Barlow)was the 33W maintainer for the TACJAM while assigned to HHC, 501 MIB. I worked with PFC Brian Chapman and WO2 David Branham in Kuwait/Iraq on the systems. We actually received one or two new systems in country and swapped them out. It was my favorite system of all time. I had a great time with it at Howenfelds. I spent many long days with the TACJAM pulling my hair out. It is great to see one of my systems is still alive after so many years. I remember it like the back of my hand.
The company that I worked for in the late eighties built a hundred or more of these systems between 1986 and 1990. It was quite a project and provided employment for several hundred people for several years. Unfortunately they apparently didn't work out too well as most have been scrapped out. They cost over a million bucks each, NOT counting the vehicle.
Mark and others that have commented,
Want to ask You if anyone of You has photos of the TACJAM for my site (google Camojoe + webshots). My friend Jürgen Knipping of the firm KNIGA has made a model in 1:87 of the TACJAM and also of the TEAMPACK, so it would be beautiful to put some pics in the album to ease the building of the model.
Anyone that has (detailed?) pics of the TEAMPACK and TRAILBLAZER (this model will come in january '10) please send them to me!
Thanks in advance.
Corjan de Wit (Camojoe), advodewit@hetnet.nl
TACJAM was an underpowered piece of junk. The M-1015 was a maintenance nightmare. The jammer software was weak even for the 1980's. The jammer was powered by the M-1015 engine in high gear (not good) and they we prone to overheating due to heat exchanger problems. I had the honor to crew/team chief these beasts in the 103rd and 522nd MI Bn's and I'd say they spent far more time broken down than operationl.