Page 2 The New GUN WEEK, Friday, August 11,1995

BATF Gets Its Own 22-Plane Air Force

Here's news that may make some people sleep a little less soundly at night: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) is getting its own air force.

The Washington Times, quoting confirmation by BATF spokesperson Susan McCarron, reported on July 18 that BATF has obtained 22 counterinsurgency, heavy-weapons-capable military aircraft.

However, the confirmation to The Times seems to have come only after unofficial sources had reported on the transfer of planes to BATF, and only after Soldier of Fortune magazine had gone to press with their September 1995 issue in which reporter James Pate disclosed that the aircraft deal had been consummated under rather murky circumstances. (The September issue of Soldier of Fortune hit the newsstand circulation system just prior to the publication of The Times report on July 18.) What The Times did not disclose and what SOF did report was that the aircraft deal began in a somewhat covert manner last September, almost a year earlier. That's when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recorded conveyance of title to at least two of the OV-10D Broncos from the General Services Administration to Mid-Air Salvage Inc., of Franklin Park, NJ, and on the same day from Mid-Air Salvage to America Warbirds Inc. of Gaithersburg, MD. The FAA documents obtained by Soldier of Fortune relate directly to two specific aircraft serial numbers.

The 300-mph OV-10D planes-one of several designations used by the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War for gunfire and missile support of ground troops, and by the Air Force during Operation Desert Storm for night observation-have been transferred from the Defense Department to BATF.

The turboprop aircraft, which will be used for day and night surveillance support, were designed to locate people on the ground through their body heat. When used by military services, the planes were equipped with infrared tracking systems, ground-mapping radar, laser range-finders, gun sights, and 20mm cannons.

BATF spokeswoman Susan McCarron confirmed that the agency had obtained the aircraft but noted that they had been stripped of their armament. She told The Times that nine of the OV-l0Ds were operational and that the remaining 13 were being used for spare parts.

'No Weapons'

"We have nine OV-l0Ds that are unarmed; they have no weapons on them," Ms. McCarron said. "They are being used for surveillance and photography purposes. The remainder are being used for spare parts."

Ms. McCarron said the aircraft were obtained from the Defense Department "when DOD was getting rid of them," and that other agencies had also received some of the airplanes. However, there had been no confirmation that the planes acquired by other agencies are exactly the same models. The BATF has confirmed that they type of aircraft they have acquired features a longer, pointed nose which houses the Forward-Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) system used to detect heat emitted by people and heat-producing objects.

The Times pointed out that "The transfer of the aircraft to ATF comes at a time of heightened public skepticism and congressional scrutiny of the agency's ability to enforce the law without trampling on the rights of citizens."

The Times noted BATF's image suffered greatly in the aftermath of its 1993 raid and subsequent shootout at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, TX, during which four agents and six Davidians were killed. It sustained another public-relations blow after it was revealed that BATF agents helped organize a whitesonly "Good Ol' Boys Roundup" in the Tennessee hills. (See Gun Week, Aug 4, 1995)

One Senate staffer said there was "some real interest" in BATF's acquisition of the aircraft and that questions "probably will be asked very soon of the agency" about the specifics of their use and the locations where they have been assigned.

Michael Pruitt, foreman at Business Jet Designs of Shawnee, OK, confirmed that two of the BATF aircraft had been painted at his facility and that at least one more of the OV-l0Ds "was on the way." Pruitt said the aircraft were painted dark blue with red and white trim. The sources said the paint jobs cost about $20,000 each.

The firm's owners, Johnny Patterson, told associates in June that he expects to be painting at least 12 of the BATF aircraft but was unsure whether he could move all of them fast enough through his shop.

Infrared System According to The Times' sources, the BATF's OV-l0Ds recently were overhauled and were equipped with a state-of-the-art forward-looking infrared system that allows the pilot to locate and identify targets at night-similar to the tracking system on the Apache advanced attack helicopter.

Designed by Rockwell International, the OV-10D originally was outfitted with two 7.62mm machine guns. It also was modified to carry one Sidewinder missile under each wing, bombs, fire bombs, rocket packages, and cluster bombs.

The OV-10D can carry a 20mm gun with 1500 rounds of ammunition.

During the Vietnam War, the OV-lODs flew over 200 combat missions in which they were credited with killing 300 enemy troops.

As Soldier of Fortune pointed out, the BATF's Bronco squadron is troubling for two main reasons: First, the Bureau apparently was trying to hide ownership of the OV-l0ODs by transferring title through one phony company to another. A check of the two company names showed that the address given for MidAir Salvage was a town house with no apparent commercial activity; American Warbirds' address belongs to an electronics and radio office for BATF's special operations division.

Second, an air of suspicion surrounds the financial transactions and the secretive allocation of government funds.

These are questions which Congress may want to address during appropriations hearings. If BATF has a legitimate use for such aircraft, why the furtiveness of the acquisition?

"Boy, now doesn't this give you a warm, fuzzy feeling about the future, hm?" Henry asked when he had finished the piece.

"It's worse than when ATF busted into that Maryland gun show promoter's house and the woman agent stomped his cats to death earlier this year," Stokely agreed, referring to a recent outrage that had made some of the papers.

"Warplanes for a bunch of stumblefuck tax agents? What's it going to take for these guys to get the picture, Stoke?"

"Damned if I know, Henry. Damned if I know."

December 20,1995 "What the hell is that?" Thomas J. Fleming's brother-in-law demanded, pointing his finger at a prominent billboard ahead of them on the right. Fleming had just picked up his wife's sibling at the airport, and they were sitting in rush-hour traffic on the inner belt headed south. There was a worker on a scaffolding on the left side of the large sign.

FLANAGAN DEATH CLOCK 117 honest adults Murdered because The Governor Doesn't Trust YOU!

Paid for by the family of the late Elicia T Boulton "You haven't heard about that?" Fleming asked as he turned up the car's air conditioner. "Not surprising, I guess, since you don't live here. For that matter, it's been getting almost no local press, either. The papers and news editors hate it, but they can't disagree with the facts, so they ignore it. It's been paid for by the family of a murdered carjacking victim. Some woman with the bad judgment to buy a Jeep Cherokee instead of some other sport utility that African-American gang members find less desirable."

"What's the deal?"

"The woman was unarmed, and after the murder one of the gun groups unearthed a letter the victim had written the Governor six weeks before. Told Flanagan to change his position on the concealed-carry issue and support a licensing system for honest adults. Sent along a bunch of documentation that licensees caused no problems in any of the 41 states where permits are available. Said the legislature trusted her at the hospital with other people's lives, but not out in the parking lot with her own."

"She was a doctor?"

"Nurse anaesthetist. That was a big enough embarrassment to the Governor, but then the hospital supervisor told the papers that she had also taken several days of unpaid leave to travel to Jefferson City. Woman went to see her legislators about the issue, and tried to get into the Governor's office, but had no luck there. All this got a lot of press after the murder, and then the dead woman's family ponied up for the billboard. That '117' figure is the murders since Flanagan took office in '92."

"I thought there were about two hundred killings a year."

"They only count unarmed victims over twenty-one that have no criminal record, and only when the victim is killed outside his or her home. The felon-on-felon killings and victims under 21 are excluded, 'cause neither group would be eligible for a carry license. At home you can protect yourself, and if you don't, it's your decision, not the government's."

"That kind of information on victims is readily available?"

"The newspapers don't print it, if that's what you mean. But there's hundreds of thousands of hard-core supporters in this state, some of them cops with access to crime databases. Every time someone hears of a killing, it gets checked out immediately.

Researched and documented, whether the papers picked it up or not Lot of editors have egg on their faces because of it."

"Are they about to take it down?" the guest asked, pointing at the worker on the scaffolding. "No, the family's promised to keep paying for the space until the law gets changed or the Governor gets thrown out. That guy's just going up there to change the number."

"Think it'll make any difference in the election?"

"Maybe make Flanagan's defeat humiliating instead of merely embarrassing. Guy's pulled a George Bush and cut his own throat, politically. With or without the 'Death Clock'."

Present Day

"I think this may be what we're looking for," the technician said to his superior. "There's a bunch of crap about ammo first that you can ignore, then it gets interesting. Listen." He punched the 'play' button on the tape recorder.

"So, did you get your taxes done on time?" came the voice from the machine.

"That's Kane talking to Henry Bowman in Missouri," the technician said quickly.

"Yeah. Last thing I want to do is file an extension and have it hanging over me for another five months, or whatever it is," Henry Bowman answered. "Besides, that's why God invented accountants-so they can deal with it and all I have to do is write the check. We got any ammo coming from anywhere?" he asked, changing the subject. "Last I heard, a shipment of West German .308 was about to come in, and Dale was supposed to get a bunch of it."

"Yeah, but it was fifteen cents, and turned out that a lot of it had been stored underwater. Got a whole bunch of head seps and now Dale's trying to blow it out for components at a dime."

"Shit, that's twenty-five grand a container down the toilet, and he still has to hump it around to get rid of it. How many containers did he get stuck with?"

"Don't ask," Kane replied. "Anyway, feds aren't approving many Form Sixes right now. China's still out, but I'm working on some 7.62 x 54R from Russia."

"How much?"

"A nickel, in Goryunov belts."

"Man, that'd be the nuts. I've got a couple of top covers for my 17Als, and I've still got that pair of Chinese Maxims. But can we get it in that way?" Bowman asked suddenly. He was referring to the magazine ban in the so-called 'Crime Bill' which Congress had passed in September of 1994. The fact that the ammunition was loaded in metal belts would likely cause Imports Branch to refuse the application.

"We'll have to see. I'm not paying for it until it lands on my doorstep."

"If it's good stuff, I'll take a container at any price under six cents," Henry said. "That's what-twenty thousand dollars?"

"Something like that. Belts and cans add to the weight." A standard container load was twenty tons, which was deliverable in one semi-trailer. "It's kind of a weird deal," Kane went on. "The stuff's in Israel, and I-" "What the hell were the Israelis doing with a bunch of 7.62 Russian?" Henry broke in.

"Beats me. They've got a zillion rounds of it, though. I came across it 'cause I'm still trying to get that Israeli .308 AP on an exemption certificate for that deal with SACO Defense."

"You mean you don't have that .308 yet?" Henry demanded in disbelief. "From 1994?"

"No, this is some more, 'cause they still got problems. Probably have to wait forever again on this batch, too, though."

The federal agents listening to the tape did not grasp what Allen Kane and Henry Bowman were talking about, beyond the fact that they were having trouble getting ammunition approved for import, nor did they care. Imports was not their department.

"Anyway," Kane went on, "reason I called, I talked to Phil, and this summer is the peak of a cycle and supposed to be the best one for jacks in more than twenty years. Don't know it'll be that good, but you want to go back to the Pahsimeroi, like we did in '69?"

"When you going?"

"Probably leave here early June. Going to take my deuce-and-a-half. Want to come?"

"How long you going to be out there?"