JSTARS team shows off combat ID capability at Bold Quest

  • Published
  • By Chuck Paone
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --  Before ever putting steel on a target, operators need to know two things for sure: exactly what they're aiming at, and precisely where it is. 

The 751st Electronic Systems Group at Hanscom Air Force Base and its Joint Test Force, which operates out of Melbourne, Fla., recently wrung out an advanced technology that holds great promise for helping with both of those objectives. They did it while participating in a major Joint Forces Command-sponsored exercise at Nellis AFB, Nev., called Bold Quest. 

Flying the T-3 test bed version of the E-8C Joint STARS, the test force used a combat identification technology called Aided Target Recognition, or ATR, to give fighter and strike crews better and more accurate information. 

ATR on Joint STARS is designed to help solve the problem of identifying so-called 'non-cooperative targets,' ground elements of interest to U.S. or coalition forces that are not equipped with a 'cooperative' technology that would allow them to respond when electronically interrogated. 

This lack of ability to respond could signify that the target is hostile, but not necessarily. It usually means the target is worthy of additional investigation, though, and having ATR on board enhances that process, according to Maj. Nathan White, 751st Electronic Systems Group ATR program manager. 

The Joint STARS crews at Bold Quest employed the radar in two modes: ground moving target indication, which tracks vehicle movement; and synthetic aperture radar, which returns high-resolution still images. ATR provides advanced processing capability that enhances operators' ability to characterize the returns from both, sharpening the accuracy of information provided to fighters and strike assets. 

"It gives us much higher confidence," said Major White. "When we passed the data on to fighters for further investigation during Bold Quest, everything we identified using ATR turned out to be a militarily significant target, so we never put a pilot in harm's way for nothing." 

Combat Identification requires making such distinctions between militarily significant and non-significant targets. Of course it also means distinguishing between friendly and adversarial forces. 

ATR and another technology tested by the Electronic Systems Center at Bold Quest, the Laser Target Imaging Program, provide a way to do that, according to Jason Friess of the 652nd Electronic Systems Squadron. 

"Obviously combat identification has been and continues to be a major focus area for the Department of Defense, so this kind of testing is extremely important," Mr. Friess said. "Being able to take a stand-alone technology like ATR and integrate it on board the E-8, essentially creating a prototype, gave us a chance to see how much more confidence we could get in identifying targets, and the results were pretty clear."
In addition to vastly enhanced target recognition, ATR also allowed Joint STARS operators to pass on exceptionally accurate coordinates to fighter pilots. 

"ATR really reduced the number of passes fighters had to make when going in and personally checking out the target," said Capt. Dennis Duke of Air Combat Command, who served as part of the JTF. "In most cases, they only had to make one pass, where they ordinarily might have had to make several." This increases safety, shortens the kill chain and also saves fuel. 

The technology worked equally well with what are referred to as internal and external cues. Internal cues are those developed on-board by Joint STARS operators, while external cues refer to investigation triggers passed on to the operators by another source. 

"In both cases we found that ATR gave us greater positional accuracy for faster resolution of the question," Captain Duke said. 

With the on-board technological capability seemingly carrying so much promise, DoD may look to field it on all 17 of its operational E-8Cs, as well as T-3. Doing so would probably cost about $20 million, program officials said. 

Before that happens, ATR is likely to see more such testing at other major events, which means the JTF team will be called on again. Given their outstanding performance this time, exercise planners would definitely be happy to have them on board again, according to Col. Michael Graham, the 751st Group commander. 

"They did a fantastic job executing Bold Quest. I was very impressed with all the up-front work to build a new and unique concept of operations and to integrate the technology on board JSTARS," Colonel Graham said. "I couldn't be more proud of the way they all pulled together. They didn't just help prove out a new technology; they improved the entire exercise." 

Working in a coalition environment consisting of four services, nine countries and 850 participants, the JTF investigated 128 cues, controlled 13 strike packages and completed 12 kill chains. 

"Openly skeptical warfighters became converts after seeing us employ ATR," Major White said. "As the exercise went along, more and more fighters asked to work with us."
Captain Duke, who admits to being one of the doubters at the outset, said he was "awed" by the performance of the team and the technology. 

"The way everyone worked together, it was unbelievable," he said. "It went well beyond my expectations."