Adapted from ACIG.org
Central and Latin America Database
Panama, 1989; Operation "Just Cause"
By Tom Cooper
Sep 1, 2003
The political situation in Panama was never stable, and several
times Washington felt forced to deploy troops. Finally, in 1978, then
Panamanian dictator Torrijos signed an agreement with US President Carter,
which directed a complete pull-out of US troops from the Canal Zone by 31 December 1999. In exchange, Torrijos would permit free elections.
This controversial agreement was never to become fully realized, even if the US
troops indeed pulled out of the Canal Zone in 1999. In 1981 Torrijos was killed
in a helicopter accident, and no elections were held. Instead, between 1982 and
1985, five different governments ruled in Panama City before the
deputy commander of the National Guards, Col Manual Noriega, established
himself in power.
Noriega already had CIA connections, but was always
following his own interests. At that time, he was involved in
dubious and illegal activities like drug smuggling, money laundering, and
selling US military secrets to Cuba. There were also reports about his connections
to the M-19 guerilla organization in Columbia. Noriega started
openly and directly antagonizing the USA, and by 1989 US troops
deployed along the Panama Canal were under increasing pressure as Noriega
forced Panamanian authorities to declare an emergency.
Meanwhile, the former Panamanian National Guard developed into the Panamanian
Defense Forces (PDF), and increased to several battalions with a total of 6,000
troops. The two best units were Battalion 2000 and
a small company of paras. The Panamanian Air Force (PANAF) was a miniature air
arm with 500 officers overseeing the enlisted ranks, 21 Bell 205A-1 helicopters, and few
light transports mainly tasked with flying supply missions for different bases
in the jungle. The PANAF had three small units: the „Escuadron de Transporte“,
Escuadron de Rescate“, and „Transporte Aero Militár“, deployed at
Torrijos/Tocumén and Rio Hato airfields, but also on eight small strips around
the country.
US Preparations
In late 1989, US troops were based in following bases in Panama: Fort Knobbe, Howard AFB, and Rodman NAS, north of the Canal; Albrook AFB and Fort
Clayton north of Panama City; and Quarry Heights in the city. There were
additional bases like Ft Sherman, west of Panama City, and Ft Randolph, Ft
Gulck, Ft William F. Davis, and Colon, west of Panama City.
During the first round of increased tensions in
1988, the Pentagon prepared plans for an intervention in Panama - Operation
„Blue Spear“, which was never realized. Nevertheless, it caused several additional US units to be deployed to Panama.
In spring of 1989, it was decided that the XVIII Airborne Corps would form the
basis for future intervention in Panama. Preparations for
creating „Joint Task Force Panama“ (JTFP) were initiated. During the summer
of 1989, the 193rd Brigade based in the Canal Zone was reinforced to 10,300
troops and the 7th Infantry Division with 13,000 troops (of which the first 1,500
arrived in May). The 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division and the
75th Regiment were to follow. In order to conceal the size of the deployment,
all units and their equipment were flown to Panama with C-5B and C-141B
transports in Operation „Nimrod Dancer“. During this operation, AH-6
Little Bird and AH-64A Apache helicopters of the 1st Co/1st Bn Aviation
Rgt/7th ID, as well as AH-1S and UH-60As of the 123rd Aviation Rgt, were flown
in. Immediately after arrival, all helicopters were hidden in different
hangars around Howard AFB. Subsequently the first combat and transport
aircraft arrived, including the 61st MAW, equipped with C-23s, C-130s, and
CASA-212s, as well as additional helicopters of the 1st SOW and the 24th
Composite Wing. For some time the USA considered deploying eight F-16Cs of the
388th TFW to Panama, but there was a considerable danger of these being hit in
the case of fighting around Howard AFB, and the idea was dropped. Nevertheless,
six A-7Ds of the 180th TFG (Ohio ANG) were already at the airfield, and they
were to prove their value.
After the arrival of 7th ID and 123rd Aviation Regiment‘s helicopters – during
November 1989 – 12 AH-6s, ten MH-6s, seven MH-47Es, and 17 MH-60K Night
Hawks of the 617th Aviation Det (Special Operations and the 160th Aviation
Group) were also brought to Howard AFB. By 18 December – as the 7th ID finally established its forward HQs at Howard –
the US Army had no less than 167 different helicopters in the country.
For the operation against Noriega’s regime, which was to become known as
"Just Cause", Special Operations forces created several task forces (TF). These TF "Hawk", based at Howard
AFB, consisted of the 1st Bn 288th and 1st Bn 123rd Aviation Rgts.
At Rio Hato, "Team Wolf" was organized around AH-6s and AH-65As of
the 82nd AD, tasked with support for the Rangers that were to jump over two
Panamanian airfields. USAF mobilized 23rd Air Force, including units equipped with EC-130s, AC-130s, MH-53Js, and MH-60Cs for the support of Just Cause.
The plan for the operation against Panama was very complicated and saw
extensive deployment of no less than 4,400 troops from different special units
of the Army, Air Force, and Navy, including Rangers, Delta Force operators,
and SEALs, which were to swiftly capture eleven key points around the
country, capture top leaders, and disarm local military and security
authorities.
Raiders of the Storm
The final reason for the US invasion of Panama was a failed coup against
Noriega, organized on 3 October 1989. Two days later, Panama declared war on
the USA. On 16 December, several US troops came under fire while underway in
civilian clothes in Panama City, and a young officer was killed. US President
George Bush then ordered the execution of "Just Cause". Troops
already stationed around the country went into their starting positions on the
evening of 19 December. Simultaneously in the USA, 1,700 Rangers of the 75th
Rgt and 3,300 paratroopers of the 82nd AD got on board C-130 Hercules and C-141
Starlifter transports, escorted by AC-130A gunships of the 711th SOS, AC-130H
gunships of the 16th SOS, and several F-15C Eagle interceptors.
The attack was initiated by two F-117As, which dropped two GBU-24s near
Noriega’s HQ at Rio Hato. This operation later caused much discussion, as it
was declared a failure by the public, while the bombs fell right where they
were expected to do, as the intention was for them to create confusion
[Miller’s note: information released to the public indicated that the bombs
landed right where they were supposed to. However, first-person accounts published at the
Nighthawk Association website indicate that the lead aircraft dropped on a set
of bad coordinates, and the wingman followed suit. Estimates place the
detonations at 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the desired impact point.]
However, instead of creating confusion, the bombs alerted the Panamanians, so
that when 13 x C-130s loaded with troops of TF „Red“ arrived over Rio Hato,
they were confronted by fire from one ZPU-4 heavy machine gun
(50-caliber/14.5mm) and dozens of small arms. Before the two escorting AC-130s
could intervene, the 8th SOS MC-130E that led the formation of Hercules was
hit by ground fire and forced to make an emergency landing with only
three engines in working order. [Miller’s note: The lead ship was an AWADS
C-130E from 317th at Pope AFB. The aircraft that was hit was a
C-130E “slick” from the 50th TAS at Little Rock AFB, flying as
number 9 in the serial. That aircraft was forced to shut down one engine, and
to hold over the Pacific until all assault aircraft had landed, refueled, and
launched again before they were permitted to recover at Howard]. The gunships
[Miller’s note: the gunships were not initially assigned to the DZ prep
mission, but responded to a call following the failure of the F-117s to hit
their assigned targets], soon after joined by two AC-130As each from the 711th
and 919th SOS (AFRES) that came from Howard AFB, then started suppressing the
air defenses, enabling the Hercules transports to disgorge rangers from
a level of only 600ft. Due to a number of heavily loaded troopers landing
on the concrete runway, 35 were injured, but in general they managed to swiftly
recover and attack the main terminal of Rio Hato, which was secured by 0153 on
20 December.
Shortly afterwards the first heavy transports [Miller’s note: the “heavy”
transports were MC-130s and “slick” C-130s operated by SOLL crews] arrived,
bringing reinforcements and evacuating casualties. During this attack the
Rangers lost two killed and 27 injured (in addition to 35 troops injured during
the landing), while the PDF lost 34 killed and 260 captured. TF „Red“ – now
supported by several AH-64As and AH-6s flown in from Howard AFB, and the two
711th SOS AC-130As – then started preparing for the next task.
Special Units
Simultaneously with the landing of the Rangers at Rio Hato, US troops elsewhere
in Panama became active as well. A commando troop captured the TV-station at
Cerro Azul, and put it off air (the station was later reactivated, albeit
under US control).
Around 0045 on 20 December, a US Army TF was to be move via three UH-60As from
Albrook AFB to the Pacora Bridge, some 15km north of Tocumén/Torrijos
airfield, in order to block the eventual counterattack by PDF Battalion
2000. During startup, the helicopters came under fire from Panamanian troops
deployed around the airfield. There was no damage and they continued safely.
During the landing near Pacora Bridge, the Americans saw a column of Battalion
2000 approaching. Troops deployed swiftly and then attacked. M-136
launchers destroyed the first Panamanian vehicles, and two AC-130s joined
in. Within a few minutes, almost all the armored vehicles of Battalion 2000
were destroyed and the troops scattered. That was the end of the only
Panamanian operation that could develop into a significant threat for the US
troops.
Meanwhile, the USN’s SEAL Team 4 deployed from Howard AFB aboard MH-53J Pave
Low III and MH-60G helicopters of the 20th SOS to attack the small airfield at Punta Paitilla, where they were to prevent Noriega from leaving Panama aboard
his private aircraft. The SEALs jumped into the water some four kilometers off
the coast and used Zodiac-boats to reach the beach. Subsequently, helicopters
deployed additional operators directly on the airfield.
Initially, the SEAL raid was highly successful and several light aircraft were
used to block the runway, while Noriega's jet was disabled. However, poor
reconnaissance and numerous redeployments of PDF units in the last days before
the start of "Just Cause" nearly resulted in catastrophe. In the
moment the SEALs were about to disable Noriega's LearJet, they came under heavy counterattack from PDF security forces and lost four operators in a short
and brisk fire-fight. Only a swift reaction from the US Army, which urgently
deployed reinforcements from nearby bases aboard several helicopters including
a Pave Hawk from the 55th SOS, saved the small team from annihilation. In the
end, Punta Paitilla was secured even though the Pave Hawk was damaged by ground
fire.
Around
0110, TF „Red Tango“, consisting of Rangers based at Hunter Army Airfield,
jumped onto Tocumén/Torrijos. Following transports were able to start landing
there around 0130. Local security personnel took 347
civilians from a Brazilian airliner as hostages and the Americans needed
several hours of negotiations to get them to surrender. Around 0210,
the next wave of 20 C-141 Starlifter transports began arriving and disgorged paras of the 1st
Brigade 82nd AD over Torrijos. One of the transports was damaged by
ground-fire, but the jump was successful, even though some troops landed in the
marshes nearby. Shortly afterward, eight Sheridan light tanks were dropped, and
soon TF Red Tango was able to start an advance despite some smaller PDF
detachments near the airfield. These were mainly dealt with by one AC-130 and
several AH-6 and AH-64s.
Around 0500, two additional battalions of the 82nd AD were dropped at T-T, bringing the USA total to 7,000 troops on the ground, over and above those already stationed there. This made it possible for the US Army to
start a series of offensive operations. First, UH-60As were used to deploy
a battalion to capture La Viejo. The Rangers, with Sheridans, then moved in the
same direction.
At 0830, another battalion was deployed aboard helicopters to Tinajitas, where
two PDF units were swiftly destroyed. Two hours later a third battalion captured
Ft Cimmaron, neutralizing the remnants of Battalion 2000 (at a cost of one
killed and several injured). This unlucky PDF unit was under constant attack
by AC-130s during the night and meanwhile lost almost all of its vehicles as
well as most of the troops.
82nd Airborne in Action
Some elements of the 82nd Airborne Division had been deployed to Panama since
17 October, when they were put under command of the 3rd Brigade/7th Infantry
Division and stationed at Forts Sherman and Clayton, as well as at Howard AFB.
At 0038, these troops attacked PDF bases at Coca Solo and Fort Espinar, as
well as locations on the Colón Peninsula, resulting in limited firefights. Around 0100,
the paras of the 82nd Airborne attacked Renacer prison. They were deployed with
the help of two UH-1Hs of the 1st Bn/228th Aviation Rgt. The third
UH-1 landed some troops outside the prison, which blocked the road leading
there. The whole operation was supported by two OH-58Cs and a single AH-1S,
which attacked the guards at the nearby PDF barracks. A similar attack was
executed against Gamboa prison, where Panamanians held a CIA agent prisoner. The
third prison at Modelo, near the la Comandancia, was attacked by Delta Force
operators, who lost one of their AH-6s to small arms fire.
The Battle for La Comandancia
The 192nd Infantry Brigade became active around 0100, when an attack against La
Comandacia was to start. The operation had to be postponed for 15 minutes as
PDF troops near Howard AFB opened fire in reaction to US landings. As US troops
drove towards La Comandancia, they came under heavy fire and lost two M-113s
APCs disabled. Soldiers on the ground had to use all fire-power at hand
plus support from AC-130Hs of the 16th SOS in order to continue their advance. During
this attack, the Spectres showed a new tactic, called „Top Hat“, in which two
gunships flew concentric circles around the target, flying in formation
hardly 15 meters from each other, and concentrating fire from all their
weapons against the same target. Several times opening fire against PDF
positions only meters away from US troops, the gunship-crews of the 711th,
919th, and 16th SOS proved their capabilities beyond any
doubt. Several members were later decorated.
Heavy fire poured into La Comandancia from the air and the ground, destroying the building completely. The place was not only hit by gunships and troops
of the 192nd Infantry Brigade, but also Rangers, and AH-6s and AH64s, the last
of which used a number of Hellfire ATGMs and Hydra rockets. The small and
maneuverable AH-6s proved their worth beyond any doubt, flying deep
into the streets and putting different parts of the building under fire
from less than 20 meters. The Panamanian troops trapped inside La Comadancia
and nearby houses were not about to give up, and had to be neutralized in a
brutal battle that lasted until 1730. During the fighting, neither side
could take much care about the civilians living in the neighborhoods, and there
are reports that up to 220 innocents were killed by both sides during the
intense fighting in this area.
The 192nd Infantry Brigade was also involved in the attack against Fort
Amador. This operation was initially planned using helicopters, but in the end
most of the troops drove to the battle in busses. The rest of this Task Force
was deployed by helicopters around 0100, but came under heavy fire and had to
fight a fierce battle during which two American civilians were killed. Fort
Amador was secured around 1650.
As soon as the fighting started, three EC-130Es of the 193rd SOG (PAANG) were used to transmit a TV show in which Panamanian civilians were
informed of the reasons for the operation, and told to remain in their
houses.
Swift Success
During the first 24 hours of "Just Cause" US troops secured
all their initial targets. During the fighting, two AH-6s were lost (one shot down and the
other after flying into high-tension wires), as well as a single MH-6. The
123rd Aviation Regiment lost a single OH-58C. A single US Army and two Delta
Force pilots were killed. No less than 41 other US helicopters – out of a total
of 167 used – were damaged by ground fire to one degree or another, but all
except one UH-60A (that made a hard landing) were repaired within 24 hours.
Most of the helicopters hit took part in the more risky parts of the operation,
and in general their crews re-learned the lessons of Grenada, which showed that
unarmored helicopters are very vulnerable to any kind of fire. Eleven C-130s
were damaged by anti-aircraft fire.
After the main elements of the PDF were neutralized (within the first 24
hours), only minor fire-fights occurred, during which US troops could
always count on extensive help from the local population. Panamanian
civilians were glad to aid in the hunt, and many volunteered by showing
the right direction, or pointing out those hiding within the civilian
population.
On 25 December, Task Force Condor was organized to support of the newly arrived
2nd Brigade/7th Infantry Division, but these units were not to see any
intensive fighting. As a matter of fact, the rest of the "Just Cause"
mainly saw different deployments of Delta Force, elements of which were busy
with the hunt for Noriega. The dictator managed to escape several times - even
as the US Army was searching for him simultaneously in several places – before
finally taking refuge in the Vatican Embassy. The compound was
immediately surrounded by US troops, and more negotiations followed, finally
resulting in Noriega‘s surrender to US General Thurman on 3 January 1990. The dictator
was immediately brought aboard a waiting MH-60G Night Hawk helicopter that flew
him to Howard AFB. Once on what was then still officially US soil, Noriega was
arrested by DEA agents and flown to Florida aboard an MC-130 of the 8th SOS.
The whole operation lasted less than 30 minutes. In the following days, no less
than 900 members of Noriega’s regime and his supporters were arrested as well.
Operation "Just Cause" was terminated on 31 January 1990. By that
time, most of the US troops had deployed back home. They were replaced by
several units of military police deployed in Operation "Promote
Liberty", which saw a continuation of the hunt for Noriega’s supporters.
The MPs made extensive use of helicopters for swift deployments around the
country, and two of these crashed during a storm on 21 February killing eleven
troops of the 7th ID and 228th Aviation Rgt.
In total, the USA suffered a loss of 23 troops during Operation "Just
Cause"; the PDF and other elements of the Panamanian military and security
apparatus lost 202 soldiers, all their heavy equipment, and most of their aircraft and
helicopters.
Order of Battle for US Flying
Units of Operation "Just Cause"
SOCOM (“Joint Task
Force South”)
23rd Air Force
- 16th SOW/8th SOS Black Birds, 3 MC-130E,
- 16th SOW/9th SOS Night Wings, 2 HC-130N
- 16th SOW/16th SOS Ghost Riders, 7 AC-130Hs
- 16th SOW/20th SOS Green Hornets, 5 MH-53J
- 16th SOW/55th SOS Night Hawks, 4 MH-60G
(all elements of the 16th SOW were stationed at Hurlburt AFB)
- 193rd SOG (ANG), 4 EC-130E (RR), from Hurlburt AFB
- 711th SOS (AFRES.), 3 AC-130A, from Duke Field and Howard AFB
- 919th SOG (AFRES), 5 AC-130Hs, from Duke Field and Howard AFB
- 160th Avn. Grp/TF.160, 12 AH-6, 10 MH-6, 10 MH-47E, 17 MH-60K
USAF
- 37th TFW, F-117A, from Tonopah AFB
- 24th CW, OA-37B, from Howard AFB
- C-130s, C-141s, and C-5s from 21 different MAC squadrons
- 830th Air Division/61st MAW, C-22s, C-130s, CASA.212
- 388th TFW, F-16Cs, from Hill and Howard AFB
- 180th TFG (ANG), A-7D, from Toledo (Ohio)
- ? AWCW, 3 E-3A, from Tinker AFB
- 26 different Refueling Squadrons with KC-135s
US Army
- 123rd Aviation Regiment/Aviation Brigade 7th Infantry Division, flying AH-1S
and UH-60As
- Aviation Brigade 82nd Airborne Division, flying AH64A and OH-58Cs
- 1st Battalion/288th Aviation Regiment, flying AH-1S and UH-60As
Last updated on 23 May 2006 by Chris Miller 
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