653 ELSG making digital air support possible

  • Published
  • By Chuck Paone
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --  On the ground and in the fight, U.S. Air Force tactical air control parties need every advantage they can get, and an Electronic Systems Center unit is doing all it can to supply those advantages. 

Charged with providing close air support to troops by guiding strike aircraft to opposition forces or other sensitive or mobile targets, these operators, known as TACPs, must be able to communicate precise coordinates to pilots overhead. This task has been and in some cases still is achieved primarily through voice transmissions, but has in recent years been aided by digital technology. 

However, the complex web of communication systems used across different aircraft and ground fire control systems created some lingering challenges that left digital close air support incomplete. The "missing pieces" resulted in a digital capability that was less than ideal, said Maj. Brian Huether, the program manager for TACP Modernization, who works within ESC's 653rd Electronic Systems Group, which oversees the work. 

"The upgrades we've provided recently have made a huge difference," Major Huether said. "We're now at a point where our current digital system is part of standardized TACP training, which means TACPs train the same way they fight." 

Teamwork with operators and those charged with developing requirements made all the difference, he and others have said. 

"Getting to where we are today is the result of an extremely close working relationship between Air Combat Command and ESC," said Master Sgt. Ted Nugent, TACP-M Requirements Manager at ACC. "We are essentially one team, and that mentality has enabled us to procure a system that is fine-tuned to warfighter requirements." 

Integrating the Situational Awareness Data Link, referred to as SADL, and Link 16 provides TACPs the much needed digital interoperability with nearly every strike aircraft platform in the U.S. and coalition inventories, Major Huether said. 

The very popular Remote Operated Video Enhanced Receiver, or ROVER, capability was another highly sought feature that's been added to the new system. ROVER provides front line forces the capability to receive streaming video directly from unmanned and manned aircraft, a big help in getting eyes on the right target. 

A major evolution of the system came with adding the Falcon View graphical mapping interface, which is the mapping format widely used throughout the battlefield. It displays aeronautical charts, satellite images and elevation maps. Falcon View allows the digital CAS system to integrate GPS technology and laser targeting for quick and precise target prosecution. This machine-to-machine interface eliminates human error and thereby greatly reduces the risk of fratricide. 

Adding the Digital Precision Strike Suite was another significant advancement. "DPSS allows precise mensuration of coordinates," said Blair Evens, a retired master sergeant and former TACP now serving as a support contractor for the TACP-M team. DPSS eliminates the need for constant refinements, generally achieved in the past by repeated voice transmissions between the TACP and the pilot, and it greatly reduces the likelihood of error. 

These enhancements are of course quite critical, because the consequences of a mistake can result in fratricide. 

"They're not dropping flowers out there. Bringing in lethal, overwhelming firepower against our enemies is an extraordinary responsibility placed on an exclusively enlisted Air Force Specialty Code," said Master Sergeant Dave Howard, a TACP himself, who now serves as TACP Modernization fielding and training lead at ESC. 

Integrating the system with the joint Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System, known as AFATDS, also helps reduce fratricide. Joint terminal attack controller positions are now reported on the AFATDS system, which prevents artillery fires in JTAC-occupied areas.

Opening the Gateway
TACPs often carry out their missions on foot and therefore can only carry a minimal amount of equipment, which reduces their communications reach. The ESC team has now acquired and fielded a mobile Air Support Operations Center Gateway that greatly extends the TACPs' reach on the digitized battlefield without forcing them to carry additional equipment. 

The gateway provides beyond-line-of-sight capability to TACPs, allowing them to communicate with SADL- and Link 16-capable aircraft via a satellite communication link that reaches back to the gateway. 

"This shortens the kill chain, reduces human error and improves situational awareness for pilots, aircrew and TACPs," said Sergeant Howard. 

The TACP-M team has also responded rapidly to several urgent operational need requests, including a recent wartime materiel support tasking to procure tactical radio systems for integration into the Air Force's Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected vehicles, better known as MRAPS. 

The Navy-led MRAP Joint Program Office out of Quantico, Va., and its Air Force counterparts in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition turned to ESC for help. 

"ESC was more than willing to step up to support the life-saving MRAP program," said Major Huether. 

The team proceeded to scramble around the clock to undertake a two-week, $46 million procurement of about 1,000 radios. The effort equips 558 MRAPS - 114 devoted to TACPs - with mission essential high frequency and multi-band capabilities. 

The radios are meeting the collective needs of not only TACPs, but also security forces, Office of Special Investigations, combat controllers and explosive ordinance disposal specialists.

Going Forward
Looking toward the future, the team is working to replace 900 aging GRC 206 communication pallets with a modernized Vehicle Communication System, or VCS. A request for proposals is already out, and the team expects to make an initial award this summer, worth about $14 million, with options for another $200 million in purchases through 2013. 

The system will be tailorable for any vehicle TACPs have on the battlefield and will add the latest digital and networking features. 

"This will integrate the tip-of-the-spear warfighter into the ," said Anh Le, VCS project manager and TACP-M deputy program manager. 

"This team just gets it," said Communications Systems Division Director Lt. Col. Bruce Goldstein. "They have the exact right mix of operational and acquisition experience, they're doing an incredible amount of work and excelling at it." 

The work they've done has also greatly impressed his boss, 653 ELSG commander Col. Anita Latin, who not only lauded their efforts but nominated them as large team of the year, a distinction they carried at the wing level. 

"The TACP Modernization team has done so much to connect tactical users into the global information grid, allowing them to take advantage of rapid, precise information exchange," Colonel Latin said. 

"Their efforts make our operators on the ground vastly more effective while at the same time making them safer. That's some pretty important work, and I couldn't be more proud of what they've accomplished."