The Cuban Missile crisis taught the US and USSR to back away from a total nuclear confrontation form of cold war. Thereafter limited regional conventional conflicts became the accepted engagement practice, with ICBMs being the fist behind the shield. Large bomber fleets were no longer needed. However the employment of the tactical theater nuclear weapons (smaller yield) was increased. US Atomic Test detonations in the South Pacific Ocean in the earth s upper atmosphere confirmed that massive damage could be done to the earth s biosphere by nuclear blasts. The USSR confirmed these results with like tests shortly thereafter. Together the USA and the USSR came to a number of nuclear arms limitations agreements. Bomber fleets were reduced, nuclear war-head productions were decreased, and atmospheric atomic blasts were outlawed. The need for flight navigators and bombardiers was evermore decreasing. At the same time in order to aid the US Navy navigation of its nuclear subs a satellite based navigation system was put in to orbit. Navstar satellites were the foundation of what we now know as the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system. Cold War aerial spying capabilities went for the greatest part up to the satellites. The US developed some 12 airplanes during this period and an ever evolving fleet of long range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs): all with nuclear war heads.

Navigator developments in this period:

• Cargo-transport and tanker navigators using the APN-9 and/or APN-70 Long Range Navigation Loran sets, and Automatic Direction Finder (ADF) radio for Consul reception, the B-3 gyro stabilized driftmeter, the D-1 Kollsman periscopic bubble sextant with its two-minute averager, the SCR-718 radar altimeter for use in pressure pattern geostrophic wind determination, pressure altimeter coupled to the autopilot in altitude hold mode, the Outside Air Temperature indicator, True Air Speed Indicator, the N-1 compass system, and the APQ-23 bombing radar, APS-42 weather radar, and the APN-21 TACAN provided the Cold War navigator with true global navigation capabilities. Aircraft ranged from the C-47, C-46, C-54, C-97, C-118, C-119, C-123, C-124, C-130, C-131, C-133 to the C-141. Note: Flight navigation (undergraduate and graduate nav training) was conducted in T-29s at James-Connally AFB and Mather AFB with the above list of navigation radios, radars and nav aids. Lastly in this period, doppler navigation units were introduced, quickly followed by reliable inertial nav systems. Sperry gyro-stabilized autopilots became a great aid to all aircraft. The airlines lead the way with ARINC standard systems and got rid of all their navigators in the late 60s. Ref. Ronald P. Barrett, (www.ronbarrett.com) author of Globe Master Gods, and Air Force Navigators Observers Association Historian, flew the above systems during this period and taught navigation avionics to TWA pilots, AF-1 crews, USAF navs and international pilots and navigators on 707, 720, 727, 737 and 747: 1966 to 1976.
  
• Nuclear weapons test ban treaties brought about a reduction in bomber forces just as Intercontinental Continental ballistic Missile (ICBM) forces were increased; thus the B-47 fleet of 1,900 bombers was done away with in the mid sixties, followed by the grounding of the 116 B-58 Hustler bombers. The nuclear tipped cruise missiles, Matador and Mace were also stood down, as were the Intermediate Range ballistic Missiles (IRBM) Jupiter and Thor: all replaced by the Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, Polaris type ICBMs and Army tactical Pershing missiles. Ref. Nuclear Weapons of the United States, by James N. Gibson, A Schiffer Military History Book, 1996, Page 171, and the experience of Ronald P. Barrett in having to had been in the 7th Air Logistic Support Squadron Special (7th Log) 3079 Aviation Depot of AMC(AFLC) who flew to and from the Operational Storage Sites/Nuclear Storage Sites (OSS/NSS) AEC Special Weapons Storage, Maintenance and Arming Facilities (such as Stony Brook at Pease AFB) and military units world-wide.
  
• B-52 fleet was modified into a conventional iron bomb force, to serve in the limited regional conflict in Vietnam South East Asia. The navigator takes on the modified Loran A/C, and the bombardier programmed for multi-interval, sustained bomb releases over hostile territory, using ASQ-38 and ASQ-48 nav and bombing systems. The APR-9 D-I-band was the intercept receiver. The B-52 was crewed with both a navigator and a radar/bombardier flying 10 to 15 hour missions, the planes flight duration being ever extended by repeated in-flight refuelings with the KC-135 tankers.
  
• F-111 variable wing medium-bomber with low level, terrain avoidance nav system APQ-110, attack radar APQ 160, Ku band terrain following radar APQ-128, APQ-134, APQ-136, and APQ-146 took on the tactical bombing roll the (nuclear and non-nuclear) at ever higher speeds and lower altitudes with the one Radar-Bombardier-Navigator also being the Weapons Systems Operator (WSO): one nav doing all but the take-off and landing. Lastly the F-111 WSO became the Pave Tack systems operator. The Pave Tack weapons system could acquire, track and designate multiple targets day and night for delivery of laser (via the AVQ-23Q for the Pave Spike), infrared and electro-optically guided weapons/bombs such as the GBU-15. The doppler radar fire control system was the AWG-9 for the Phoenix missiles. The F-111 WSO radar trainer was the ASQ-T6 and the IFF was the APX-46. Ref. http://pages.cthome.net/fwc/air-rad.htm.
  
• WSOs in the Wild Weasel F-4 and F-15G/H performed as traditional navigators using principle Tacan, monitored the planes position in relation to fuel and range, established tanker rendezvous using the APR-9 D-I band intercept receiver and operated the SAM homing and warning systems APR-35, APR-36, APR-37, APR-38, and APR-47, with APX-46 IFF. F-4's with a WSO were used right up to the initial Gulf war in 1991.
  
• EWOs and Recci-EWOs became the masters of multi-spectral cameras, multi-spectral scanner/recorder systems, jammers, spoofers, intercept and ELINT experts in the EB-47Hs, RB-57s, EB-66s, EC-121Es, EC-130Es. In the SR-71 the nav became the Fire Control Officer first (FCO) using the Hughes ASG-18 radar, and later the Reconnaissance Systems Operator (RSO) of the radar, and master of basic DR at 60,000 feet altitude, with a moving map display, all the while remaining in a pressure suit.