Air Force's Only UAV Wing Marks One Year in the Fight

(Source: US Air Force; issued May 6, 2008)

CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. ---Lt. Gen. Norman Seip, the 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) commander, congratulated Airmen at Creech Air Force Base May 6 as the 432nd Wing marked its first year as the Air Force's only MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle wing.

"The 432nd Wing has grown exponentially over the last year, in manpower, demand, flying hours, sorties, technology, reach, support for the warfighter and in battlefield capability," said General Seip. "From day one, the 432nd Wing Airmen have been 'all in' in the support of ongoing operations; particularly in operations Iraqi (Freedom) and Enduring Freedom."

The 432nd Wing comprises four operational squadrons, two formal training units and one maintenance squadron. The wing operates nine Reapers and 80 Predators, the most requested Air Force battlefield system in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, said Col. Christopher Chambliss, the 432nd Wing commander.

"Our crews operate the most persistent strike, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform in the world," the colonel said. "Supporting our brothers on the ground 24 hours a day, 365 days a year is our primary mission. These Airmen are operating on a wartime tempo despite being located within the United States."

The MQ-1 and MQ-9 UAVs are used for strike, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, flown by pilots and sensor operators in the United States. Since 2001, the weapon systems have operated at "above max surge" levels, with 24 Predator combat air patrols and two Reaper CAPs -- one U.S. and one United Kingdom -- operating within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility at all times.

The MQ-1 Predator, piloted by Creech-based crews, surpassed 250,000 flying hours on June 22, 2007, a feat 12 years in the making. Yet only six months later, the weapon system surpassed 300,000 flying hours. At the current rate, the Predator is likely to surpass 500,000 flying hours before the end of 2009.

"It's a testament to our deployed maintainers, dedicated aircrews and support staff...enabling the Air Force to provide for the growing needs of the warfighter and generate combat sorties," said Colonel Chambliss. "As more commanders learn about the capabilities our systems provide, the more demand for our services continues to rise."

In addition to sorties, manpower at the little-known unit has seen a steady rise since its inception. More than 1,100 Airmen are currently assigned to the wing and its weapon systems in some capacity, with flight crews consisting of one pilot and one sensor operator. Twelve months ago, the unit counted 618 personnel assigned at the stand-up ceremony, a 78% increase.

Despite the operations tempo, training for the future is a critical job at the 432nd Wing. Projections are for Predator missions to double by 2010, with Air Force aircrews and maintainers in short supply. To meet demand, the formal training units expanded from 40 aircrews trained per year to 160 per year. Next year, the FTUs are slated to train 240 aircrews.

"The (Airmen in the 432nd Wg) continue to grow and innovate to meet the needs of the warfighter today and in the future," said Colonel Chambliss. "With so many missions operated by our team each day, the past year's records are bound to be broken in the next. But the real measure of effectiveness is that we have more than doubled the number of 24/7 CAPs we fly, providing persistent ISR and armed overwatch in Iraq and Afghanistan." (ends)




Predator Combat Air Patrols Double In 1 Year

(Source: U.S. Air Force; issued May 6, 2008)

WASHINGTON --- A significant milestone was reached more than two years ahead of schedule May 1 with the beginning of the 24th MQ-1 Predator combat air patrol in the war on terrorism.

This combat air patrol doubles the 24/7/365 Predator capability of last year, and is two years ahead of the Department of Defense goal of 2010 for 21 Predator combat air patrols.

Predators now supply more than 13,400 hours of full motion video to ground forces every month while conducting armed over-watch, force protection and precision air-to-surface engagements with the AGM-114 Hellfire missile.

"The Predator teams have just been doing unbelievable work down there (in the international zone) and in Baghdad as well," said Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of Multinational Force Iraq. "I think there's some path-breaking work going on here."

Sustaining one combat air patrol typically calls for four aircraft, but for surge operations, Airmen now maintain 24 continuous combat air patrols with the total fleet of 76 combat aircraft.

Predator missions are launched by crews at sites in U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility while flown by crews at various locations in the United States. This concept of operations, called remote split operations, allows greater effectiveness in supplying more full motion video directly to warfighters engaged in combat. This model of operations nearly triples sustainable combat capability by maximizing the number of available crews and aircraft engaged in combat operations in the war on terrorism.

Prior to the innovation of remote split operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Air Force used a traditional unit-deployment model developed in the 1990s. The traditional model of rotating units through the theater limited the Air Force to committing approximately 30 percent of its Predator forces to combat. Under this remote model, the Air Force commits 85 percent of its aircraft to combat operations.

At the same time, remote split operations allow more aircraft in combat, flying the missions from the continental United States reduces the number of Americans deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to conduct these missions. This smaller forward presence reduces American exposure to enemy actions and allows the Air Force to project power without projecting vulnerability.

The Air Force acceleration of Predator capability to combat was made possible by increased production and delivery of Predator aircraft and several personnel actions, including freezing Predator assignments and reassigning pilots from other aircraft and duties to meet the growing demand for full motion video. The Air National Guard has also accelerated its Predator commitment in five states, operating six combat air patrols.

The Air Force plans to expand Predator training by standing up a second Predator training squadron and establish a Predator Weapons Instructor Course in early 2009. This action is necessary to lay the foundation to further increase and enhance joint warfighting capability.

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U.S., British Reaper Operations Combined in Afghanistan

(Source: US Air Force; issued May 8, 2008)

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan --- Since taking flight for the first time here in October 2007, Reapers have flown more than 320 missions and 2,400 combat hours throughout Afghanistan, providing close-air support and precision engagement.

The unit contributing to this effort is the 42nd Expeditionary Attack Squadron, a combined unit with Reapers from the U.S. and the British Royal Air Forces.

"It's awesome working with the 'Brits,'" said Maj. John Myers, the 42nd EATKS commander. "We work well together.

"We have split crews. We have a British pilot and an American sensor operator and another crew is an American pilot and a British sensor operator," said Major Myers. "We are truly integrated, even down to the crew level."

The expeditionary unit pilots the unmanned aircraft during launch and landing on a flightline in Afghanistan and turns control of the Reaper over to personnel at Creech after it has reached altitude, Major Myers said.

"Our main mission is to launch and recover airplanes that are flown primarily from the states from the mission control element," Major Myers said. "The units we support at Creech are the 42nd Attack Squadron and the 39th Squadron, which is an RAF squadron."

Although the unit's inventory consists of aircraft from both countries, there is no distinction between which Reapers the pilots fly.

"From here I fly both the American airplanes and the British ones," said Flight Lieutenant Swainston, a RAF MQ-9 pilot. "I enjoy it."

The relationship between the two air forces is symbiotic, he said. "It's great working along side another nation; we get to see how two different doctrines approach the same airframe," Flight Lieutenant Swainston said. "The Brits get to see how the Americans operate and the Americans get to see how the Brits operate."

In addition to piloting the aircraft during take off and landing, the 42nd EATKS also provides air-base defense and close-air support for units in the vicinity.

Larger and more powerful than the MQ-1 Predator, the Reaper is designed to go after time-sensitive targets with persistence and precision, and destroy or disable them.

"I can tell you it's not unmanned; it's a lot of work," said Major Myers. "But the reward is great. Other than being in the cockpit and being out over the battlefield, this is the next best thing...being here."

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U.S. Air Force E-8C Joint STARS Airframes Operationally Viable Through 2070

(Source: Northrop Grumman Corp.; issued July 9, 2008)

MELBOURNE, Fla. --- A recently updated U.S. Air Force study on the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) airframe indicates that the fleet could stay in service beyond 2070. The E-8C is a Northrop Grumman Corporation modified commercial aircraft that detects, locates, classifies, tracks and targets hostile ground movements, communicating real-time information through secure data links.

The intent of the report was to look at the effects of the E-8C airframe refurbishment completed during production and how that investment has resulted in the airframe being operationally and economically sustainable for 60 more years. Initially completed in 2004, the E-8C Airframe Sustainability Analysis was updated using data collected under the Aircraft Individual Tracking Program over the past four years. The analysis covered the program, fleet background, production process, operational use, current performance and sustainment projections.

“The Air Force has made a significant investment in airframe refurbishment during the production of each E-8C,'' said Dale Burton, Northrop Grumman vice president for Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2). “Through this investment process we provided essentially zero-hour airframes to the U.S. Air Force with new components, material upgrades, parts replacements, and ensured that all known 707 structural anomalies, airworthiness directives and service bulletins were addressed.

“We included major upgrades such as rewiring the airframe and including a fiber optic backbone for the mission system network, strengthening the wings through the Wing Structural Integrity Program and resealing the fuel cells with a more durable product not available when the aircraft were first built,'' Burton said.

“Now the E-8C fleet is in excellent health and is well positioned to be a viable ISR platform for many years to come,'' said Burton. “The weapons system airframe is economically and structurally viable and ready for performance upgrades such as new engines, radar modernization and upgraded BMC2 mission equipment.

“Joint STARS has a proven track record of saving lives and providing ground commanders with invaluable intelligence on what's moving on the battlefield. Its performance in real world operations has been outstanding, deploying in every major US contingency action beginning with Operation Desert Storm in 1991.''

Currently the E-8C is providing much needed support to ground troops in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, having flown more than 40,000 combat hours.

“We have started a program to re-engine the E-8C fleet with new Pratt & Whitney engines. New engines will improve mission performance, fuel consumption and capability rates, improve takeoff, climb and time on station, reduce maintenance hours, meet current noise and emissions standards and provide for additional growth and system upgrades,'' Burton concluded.

Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the E-8C Joint STARS, having delivered 17 aircraft to the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins AFB, Georgia, and currently providing life cycle maintenance and training under the Total System Support Responsibility program.