Ex-fighter pilot-led team trains flyers on data link network

Published Sept. 11, 2008
By Chuck Paone
66 ABW Public Affairs

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- A team of former fighter pilots and other experts are making sure F-15 and F-16 squadrons are fully prepared to use a sophisticated communication network critical to operational success across the globe.

No U.S. fighter squadron can deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan without the critical data link network known as Link 16. The data link is furnished by the Electronic Systems Center, headquartered here.

The center's 653rd Electronic Systems Group doesn't stop when acquisition and development goals are reached, however. It takes the additional step of deploying a team of experts to make sure flying squadrons that receive the critical equipment upgrade get the rigorous hands-on training they need to operate it.

"We go in there, we fire-hose them with this stuff, they fly with it, we find all the bugs, and then we send them on their way," said Bill "Torch" Ramsay, a former F-15 pilot and member of ESC's Tactical Data Network Initial Fielding Support team. "The guys that we train are almost immediately eligible to go out to the area of responsibility and get right into the network without any fuss, without any problems, and to start using it on no-kidding combat missions."

The eight former fighter pilots on the team have various levels of experience using data links in operational environments. Those who never had the opportunity have worked with tactical data links in their current capacity for years, "so that it's pretty much seamless," Mr. Ramsay said.

The fighter pilots being trained tend to be more comfortable learning from members of their own fraternity, he said.

"We go in there and let them know, right away, that we talk fighter pilot."

Link 16 takes data from multiple platforms, including Airborne Warning and Control System, Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, and joint service platforms, and integrates it on one screen, according to team member Mike Neri. It also accommodates thousands of different message types, allowing each to be sent, received and commonly formatted.

One of the biggest benefits of the improved situational awareness is fratricide reduction.

"With Link 16, pilots can avoid engaging 'friendlys,' and that's obviously a huge plus," Mr. Ramsay said. But the system's effectiveness depends on its proper use.

"Link 16 is a very complex radio that needs to be integrated into a network of radios of the same ilk," Mr. Neri said. "Pilots aren't routinely trained on how to operate the radio in a network. So that's what our guys do."

The training process generally takes from six to eight weeks, he said.

About a week before the instructional team comes in, other members of the team, which includes Northrop Grumman Corp., and 46th Test Squadron personnel, come in to set up the ground station, which is run throughout the training and fielding period, said Bob Graves, who leads those efforts. His team will identify a suitable site, one with line of sight to the ramp, so that when pilots do their preflight checks, they can get in the network before they take off.

"Depending on how big the test range is, we have to get high enough to communicate with them while they're out on it," he said, which in some cases means locating on mountain tops.

When they're done, the team packs up all the equipment and, generally, sends it on to the next site.

"Our ground station guys currently spend about 60 percent of their time on the road," Mr. Graves said. For the instructors, it's about a 50-50 split right now, home and away, though the historical average is closer to a 30 percent travel rate.

The pace is hectic, but the team members enjoy the work, and like knowing that they're making a real difference, a fact confirmed by a myriad of fighter squadron commanders who call or email with high praise after their unit has been trained.

The team also makes itself available for refresher training, since units tend to experience a lot of turnover. And they're always available for follow-up consultation.

"They have our numbers, and they feel comfortable calling us, even late at night," Mr. Graves said. "And we don't mind at all."

Sometimes it's just a matter of reiterating instructions, but the team is often asked to diagnose problems. When that happens, team members work with other members of the program office, MITRE engineers, testers and the industry suppliers until the problem is understood and an interim or permanent solution is provided.

"We've got plenty of 10-pound cranium types around here that we can turn to," Mr. Ramsay said. "We've got people who've been working on this stuff for 20 years and know it inside and out."

While most active-duty F-15 and F-16 squadrons have now been retrofitted with Link 16 and much of the initial training accomplished, the team's work load isn't going down any time soon.

"We've got 1,600 air mobility aircraft that probably will be upgraded," Mr. Neri said. On top of that, the team has begun to support allied nation units operating U.S. fighters purchased through foreign military sales. Taiwan, Poland and Saudi Arabia are among recent recipients.

"We're definitely in demand," Mr. Ramsay said. "But we love doing what we do."