A Ghanian village briefly took on the U.S. Army last week when they interrupted the activity of an unmarked King Air 200 they believed was being used to spot targets for cruise missiles in neighboring Nigeria. The incident occurred on Dec. 30 when residents of the town of Paga, near the border with Burkina Faso, blocked the gravel runway of their local airport. The plane’s tail number, 60171, traces back to a C-12C Huron, an Army light transport and utility aircraft that is, indeed, sometimes used for reconnaissance. There’s been no confirmation from the Army that it was operating the aircraft in West Africa last week, but the Ghanians were pretty sure about it according to a report in militarnyi.com.
The plane had been operating for three days, but it hasn’t been confirmed that this particular tail number was outfitted for anything but moving people and cargo around. Photos do show a few extra antennas on the plane. A photo taken in 2014 on AirHistory.net shows it in the livery of an executive transport. In any case, the plane’s comings and goings annoyed the villagers and they crowded the runway to stop it. Among those in the blockade were local police. The crew of the plane did not get out, and eventually the runway was cleared and they took off.
Or “How to Become the Target of a Cruise Missile”……