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Moody A-10 pilots first to field target system downrange

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Eileen Meier
  • 23d Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  For more than a few years pilots have relied on sophistical tracking equipment to locate and disable an enemy or precisely take out an area harboring terrorists in a densely populated village. To aid Air Force pilots in their operations they have been continuously provided with the best equipment in the world; that tradition continues with a new type of helmet for A-10 pilots.

The 23d Operations Support Squadron aircrew flight equipment technicians from Moody AFB, Ga. have been working on the introduction of a one-of-a-kind helmet mounted cueing system. It is currently the only full-color helmet display system in the U.S. Air Force and includes optical motion tracking, head-steered weapons, 24-hour day/night capability, and it even integrates with existing flight helmets to avoid replacement costs.

"Airmen of the 74th Fighter Squadron are the first to field the HMCS for the A-10C Thunderbolt II, and the first to bring it downrange," said Scott Smither, HMCS technical specialist. "It will be a great advantage for the pilots."

Two visits by a contractor imparted the skills needed for the 23d OSS AFE technicians to provide routine maintenance checks on the helmet and to teach a 72-hour training program for the pilots.

During their first temporary duty assignment with the HMCS to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., a demonstration of what they were taught was given to support other bases using the system.

"This new A-10 weapons system is going to help take care of the bad guys," said U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Sean Crowell, 23d OSS AFE technician. "The pilots will be able to go up in the air to perform the mission more efficiently and effectively than we do now."

"If you're downrange looking at a convoy, and an improvised explosive device goes off, you can look to that area and automatically see the symbology for it in your monocle," said Capt. Ian Whiteman, 74th FS A-10 pilot. "Then you press a button and all the data you had will slew to your targeting pod, allowing new grids to be created. This minimizes additional time it takes to find what it is you're looking for outside."

For now, only the Moody A-10s and F-16 Fighting Falcons with Air National Guard and Reserve units are using the HMCS.

The F-16s and F-15 Eagle's have been using a similar helmet model called the joint helmet-mounted cueing system, which projects the symbology display into a heavy ¾ inch crystal screen integrated in the helmet visor. This new model generates the display into a light weight, helmet mounted monocle rather than projecting the images onto a screen. It is also more user-friendly compared to previously fielded models as it is a hands-on-throttle and stick controlled system.

The HMCS is now the latest tactical feature for A-10 pilots, furthering the aircrafts distinguished reputation in close-air support and improving enemy deterrence.

A few months into their deployment at Bagram Airfield, using the HMCS equipment has become second nature for the 74th FS pilots.

"We had a chance to work with the HCMS for about a month before we deployed, so we arrived in Afghanistan with very little experience. Seeing what it can do on the battlefield in the last two-and-half months and the situational awareness boost that it brings, has helped us be a lot more efficient and effective at supporting Coalition Forces," said Whiteman who hails from Wayne, Pa. "As long as we have the GPS coordinates in our system, we're able to look out and see the general vicinity fairly accurately where those points lie, whether it be targets, friendlies, buildings or general points of interest."

An advantage of using the equipment to train for combat missions has also helped avoid civilian and friendly forces casualties.

"We can help minimize the impact to civilians and help prevent friendly casualties by the data that is presented to us. As coordinates are passed to us, we are able to customize how they are presented in the display depending on what kind of point we're looking at," Whiteman added. "For example, we'd use a red triangle for a target versus green circles for friendly positions, or blue squares for buildings or compounds of interest. This way, we're able to help differentiate collateral damage or friendly casualty concerns from target locations just by looking outside."

Capt. Michael Sackenheim, 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron aircrew flight equipment representative, pointed out the equipment has increased the pilots' situational awareness and allows them to hone in on their target more rapidly.

"This tool has helped us become more efficient by reducing the time it takes us to gain an understanding of the battlefield situation," said Sackenheim, who calls Hamilton, OH, home. "When a pilot's flying into a new target area from 30 miles away, he routinely receives GPS coordinates from the ground troops about where friendlies are located and where they are receiving fire from. While still en route, the pilot is already inputting these locations into his navigation system. When he arrives overhead, he can see those points on the ground through his HMCS display, and can quickly start putting together what's happening."

Ultimately, this allows pilots to make decisions faster and affect the situation with more precision, Sackenheim said.

"When pilots are performing their combat missions, in terms of our standard close-air support flow and cadence, the HMCS doesn't replace anything," Whiteman said. "It just shortens the time it takes us to do those steps, thus, it shortens the kill chain and allows us to affect the
battlefield sooner."

Soon the 74th FS "Flying Tigers" will commemorate their 72nd anniversary since first being activated July 4th 1942. There have been several aircraft throughout its history, including the P-40B, which didn't have a gun sight, bomb racks or provisions for auxiliary fuel tanks when the aircraft was first used by the Flying Tigers against the Imperial Japanese Air Force, according to the American Volunteer Group website, http://www.flyingtigersavg.com/index.php/avg/history/28-history-of-the-flying-tigers

The lack of a gun site proved to be especially problematic for the Flying Tigers in 1941, but the pilots and their ground crews were able to rig a crude, self-made ring-and-post gun site to help them engage their enemy accurately. That legacy of adaptation and innovation continues for the Flying Tigers, whether in the year 1941 or 2013; the technology and tactics they use will continue to advance to ensure that airmen have the most accurate, lethal weapon systems in the world.

(Localized by Tech. Sgt. Rob Hazelett, 455 Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs)