Identified Patches
  Unknown Squadron "...Photographs provided by my friend Gordon "Flash" Myers who worked at NADC for 30 years, he retired in 1986. He passed away 6 years ago and I was wondering what this patch meant - thanks!..." Contributed by John Ezzo j.ezzo@verizon.net [24MAY2016]
 "...Well I answered my own question. This is the insignia used to identify "Project A-New". The insignia stands for the "Summation of Integrations". Project A-New culminated in the P-3 Orion avionics. The strange moniker "A-New" came about as the result of the project name being penciled in, either at the Naval Air Systems Command or at the Pentagon, as a place-holder until a permanent name was adopted, which never happened.
As you may know, when the Soviet submarines went deeper and quieter our P2 Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft were at a loss to detect, track and localize them, prior to a potential kill. Pilots, Tactical Coordinators and sensor operators were making hand plotted calculations using what was estimated to be about 10% of the sensor data available, primarily from sonobuoy inputs. Project A-New, with the incorporation of a programmable digital computer, allowed for the summation of multi-source data and the integration of that data to effect a "kill". It's estimated that the effective available data brought to bear on timely application to solve the ASW problem jumped to 90%.
I believe that it was Project A-New and our subsequent role in the P-3 project that put NADC "on the map", so to speak.
Personally, as still a rookie engineer, I worked on proving that we could fly a digital computer in a Navy plane. This was the prelude to the full-blown Project A-New. At NADC we programmed a Hewlett-Packard HP-250 desk type machine (big son-of-a gun) in machine language and mounted it on shock absorbers in a Faraday cage in the rear of a YP-3A and flight tested it over the Theodolight Range at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, MD. The computer had an optical reading paper tape and a flexowriter input/output capability.
The range accurately determined the aircraft's position at any time, and we duplicated the dead reckoning instruments opposite the plane's entry door with a camera mounted above the instruments such that when the pilot "pickled" "on top" the camera recorded the instrument data, the range recorded our position and the HP-250 did likewise. The "on top" consisted of a jury rigged raft consisting of plywood sheets sandwiched around inflated inner tubes with a makeshift sail carrying a modified sonobuoy, everything painted in international orange for easier visibility. Needless to say, the tests were successful and NADC was on its way to playing a major role in defeating the Soviet submarine threat.
John Ezzo
j.ezzo@verizon.net [03JUN2016]
 Unknown Squadron "...I was wondering if you know what unit this patch is for. The only 2 that I could find that had sixes on them like this were VP-6 and VMO-6 (Marine). Based on the construction style I'd say it's from late WW2 into the 1950's..." Contributed by Bill keller@tellurian.com [26MAR2007]
"...My research has identified this as a VP-HL-6 patch..." Contributed by Bill keller@tellurian.com [30AUG2010]
 Unknown Squadron "...I'm in need of help IDing which squadrons these patches came from and the date. Thanks in advance. Asif Shamim asifshamim7@hotmail.com..." [30NOV2004]
"...Has been identified by Dean Gissiner as being from VP-45..." [30MAR2010]
 Unknown Squadron "...I need help Identifiying the following patch. Crew 14 Dark Force - Det 90..." Contributed by Asif Shamim asifshamim7@hotmail.com..." [17AUG2008]
"...ID'd as coming from VPU-2 by David Waite..." [26APR2009]
 Unknown Squadron "...I bought a set of patches ant in this was one unknown. I postet on USAFpatches.com and got the answer to try it here becouse it is a Navy patch. Can you help me out or one of your guys to ID this patch? I would like to know the Wing/Squadron..." Contributed by Frank Offergeld frank.offergeld@t-online.de..." [05JAN2009]
"...I can't be sure, but I believe that this is a Crew Patch from the VP-67 Golden Hawks. I knew an AW in the VP-67 who owned a similar patch. I can only assume that he was on the same Crew. Jay Dennis..." [17JAN2009]
 Unknown Squadron Contributed by Asif Shamim asifshamim7@hotmail.com..." [20FEB2006]
"...I have had the following CAC-8 patch identified by Michael Aldana as being from VP-5...Asif Shamim asifshamim7@hotmail.com..." [29OCT2008]
 Unknown Squadron "...I'm in need of help IDing which squadrons these patches came from and the date. Thanks in advance. Asif Shamim asifshamim7@hotmail.com..." [30NOV2004]
"...Identified by AW1 Daniel Harris, VP-45. The big cats CAC-2 patch is from VP-45 2004 Med deployment...Asif Shamim asifshamim7@hotmail.com..." [13JUL2008]
 Unknown Squadron "...I'm in need of help IDing which squadrons these patches came from and the date. Thanks in advance. Asif Shamim asifshamim7@hotmail.com..." [30NOV2004]
"...Identified by Bill Rohr as coming from VP-26 2001 deployment...Asif Shamim asifshamim7@hotmail.com..." [13JUL2008]
 Unknown Squadron "...PATRON Detachment NSF Diego Garcia Task Group 72.8. Asif Shamim asifshamim7@hotmail.com..." [14SEP2005]
"...Identified by William Worshams, ADCS, USN Retired as coming from VP-19 (BIGRED) flying P-3C's out of NSF Diego Garcia in the 1983-84 time frame...Asif Shamim asifshamim7@hotmail.com..." [13JUL2008]
 Unknown Squadron "...I am an Army vet who collects brass and siguls. I have run across a round, green, hat brass with a double-rotor (chinook) helicopter and an arched black cat above chopper. I was told it was black cat squadron, but see your info as primarily fixed-wing. Please help me Identify the Squadron, I am very interested to know! Thanks! Melanie Fitch gfitch1@hiwaay.net..." [13FEB2007]
"...The Badge on the left is that of a DUI of the 9th US Cavalry Regiment "Buffalo Soldiers." The Badge on the right--213th Assault SUPPORT Heliocopter Company aka "The Black Cats of Phu Loi" see link for comparrision URL http://www.187thahc.net/links/links%20units.htm. Sincerely...Phil Fazzini phillip.fazzini@zoomtown.com..." [17SEP2007]
 Chris Hunsinger ca_hun@yahoo.com
"...The patch submitted with KAK-8 Riders of the Storm is my old crew patch. I was the SS-3 on Crew 8 in VP-11. That patch was our Puerto Rico/Panama deployment patch. We called ourselves Riders of the Storm because during the summer deployment especially around central America thunderstorms are many and often. Numerous times we found ourselves enclosed in a gathering thunderhead and have nowhere to go except through it; invariably getting struck by lightning! Numerous crews had this same experience, our crew however started to wear the moniker Riders of the Storm as a kind of badge of Honor because we seemed to get struck more than others...SCHNEIDER, David alyssaconnor@verizon.net..." [12MAR2006]
 Unknown Contributed by Robert F. Dugger, Jr. YRHMM161@prodigy.net [05JAN2006]
"...Received an ID on this patch. It was VP-931 that was called to active duty 02SEP50 and redesignated VP-57 04FEB53. Thanks for the help. Robert F. Dugger, Jr. YRHMM161@prodigy.net [16JAN2006]
 Unknown "...I got this patch from a guy that lives in Florida and since it shows an alligator with a dixie cup, I figured it was a unit based in Florida..." Contributed by Peter Knepton knepton@earthlink.net [04MAY2005]
"...The patch that I sent you with the alligator throwing the bomb has been identified as VP-741 by Jean-Louis Planty...Peter Knepton knepton@earthlink.net..." [01JUN2005]
 Chris Hunsinger ca_hun@yahoo.com
"...The patch is from CAC-8 of VP-9 during the 1988-1989 deployment to the Gulf..." [20OCT2004]
 Chris Hunsinger ca_hun@yahoo.com
"...VP-23 CAC-3..." [01SEP2004]
 Chris Hunsinger ca_hun@yahoo.com
"...VP-30..." [18FEB2002]
 Chris Hunsinger ca_hun@yahoo.com
"...VQ-2..." [18FEB2002]
 Chris Hunsinger ca_hun@yahoo.com
"...VP-23..." [18FEB2002]
 Chris Hunsinger ca_hun@yahoo.com
"...VP-4..." [18FEB2002]
 Chris Hunsinger ca_hun@yahoo.com
"...VP-10..." [18FEB2002]
 Chris Hunsinger ca_hun@yahoo.com
"...VPU-2..." [11APR2002]
"Swap/Looking/Identify Summary Page"
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