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DASA 2019-2
As a result of the accident that occurred, Spain immediately withdrew, or requested that no more weapons be flown over Spain. Some
fee! that this operation has about outlived its usefulness, that the
intercontinental ballistic missile has replaced it. And so, Operation
Chrome Dome is being phased out.
TAYLOR: Excuse me. Are you equating Operation Chrome Dome
with air alert? Do you mean it's decided to stop all air alerts?
LANGHAM: No. I am referring to the type of operation in which
an armed bomber with a target in mind is flying a practice flight in
the direction of that target and then is turned around, This operation
has been going on since 1962, This particular refueling operation
has been done 140,000 times with nuclear weapons aboard without a
single accident,
According to an Englishman who had an 8- millimeter movie cam-
era, he saw the vapor trail overhead and when he looked up he saw
a big puff of smoke and fire.
Immediately in the path of the falling debris was the little village
of Palomares, approximate ly 400 inhabitants,
there since the time of the Romans.
nearby hills for lead,
Palomares had been
In Roman times they mined the
zine and various other minerals,
of the century the mines
Palomares, but a few of
tomatoes, raising pigs,
cultural products of that
At the turn
began to run out. Many of the people left
the hardy citizens stayed behind growing
sheep, goats, alfalfa and other things, agri-~
variety.
When the planes exploded, the four weapons came tumbling out in
all directions ard pieces of airplane fell absolutely all over the village, Disappearance of the planes fromthe radar screens at the refueling
station let them know that an accident had occurred. There were 2
bombers.on this run and two fueling planes, The other bomber reported that the accident had occurred. So, the a.cident was known
within a few minutes after it occurred, |
Immediately, contact with the area was established by the 16th ©
Air Force. The principal way to get there was to drive over a very
narrow bad road or to fly in by helicopter,
The first thing, of course, that one should do in a situation of this
kind is to look for any indication of a criticality yield and, indeed,