The RC-12 aircraft was first used as part of the US Army's Guardrail program. The special electronic mission aircraft (SEMA) used in the Guardrail system were initially based on the U-21 Ute aircraft, until transitioning to the C-12 Huron aircraft as part of the Improved Guardrail V program. The airframe includes navigation, avionics and survivability equipment.
The first C-12A models entered service with the U.S. Army in 1974 and were used as a liaison and general personnel transport. The aircraft was essentially an "off-the-shelf" Super King Air 200, powered by the type's standard Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-41 engines.
A U.S. Air Force variant of the plane for surveillance roles primarily over Afghanistan and Iraq was the MC-12W Liberty. For that variant, Beechcraft built the basic plane and then sent it to Greenville, Texas where sophisticated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) equipment was installed by L-3 Communications Missions Integration. As of 2013 the Liberty program had exceeded 300,000 combat flying hours. The MC-12W was rushed into combat as a supplemental surveillance and signals intelligence asset; since its first combat mission on 10 June 2009, the aircraft flew 400,000 combat hours in 79,000 combat sorties, aiding in the kill or capture of “more than 8,000 terrorists” and uncovering 650 weapons caches. With its roles taken over by the growing MQ-9 Reaper fleet, the Air Force decided to divest itself of the 41 Liberty aircraft and turn them over to the U.S. Army and U.S. Special Operations Command, which was completed by October 2015. The Air Force's final MC-12W deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom ended on 13 October 2015.
Role in Ghost Recon
In 2013, one was shot down over Nicaragua. It was carrying the Guardrail IX, a top-secret communications device, which was subsequently seized and sold to Mexican rebels.
Appearances
- Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (Mentioned only)
| Ghost Recon Vehicles & Drones | |
|---|---|
| Ground Vehicles | M1 Abrams • M1126 Stryker • M2 Bradley • M109 • M113A2 ADATS • HMMWV • Ghost Truck • Jeep Armored SUV • Armored APC • T-62 • T-72 • T-80 • T-90 • T98 MBT • BTR-90 • BMP-2 • T86 IFV UAZ-469 • GAZ-66 • GAZ Tigr • WZ551 APC • 2S3 Akatsiya • 9K35 Strela-10 • PVRU SAM Launcher • FAV • 4x4 (Unidad) • Military Truck |
| Aircraft | UH-60 Black Hawk • MH-60K Black Hawk • V-22 Osprey • Kestrel • V8-99 Sphinx Aurora • CH-47F Chinook • OH-58D Kiowa • AH-6 Little Bird • AH-64 Apache Helicopter AH-1 SuperCobra • RC-12 • Mi-24 Hind • Mi-8 Helicopter • WZ-9 Gunship • Ka-60 |
| Drones | UAV Drone • Drone • M.U.L.E. • Warhound • Hammer drone • SUGV • DAR • GGT HD-MG • HD-SR • Bodark drone • UGCV drone • Heavy • VAR-SV • VAR-KP • VAR-RU LAZO • ZAR-V |
