Unique system allows troops to 'see' around mountains

Published Aug. 10, 2011
By Tech. Sgt. Tammie Moore
376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan -- Imagine being in a firefight in the middle of Afghanistan completely surrounded by rugged, mountainous terrain and when you try to radio for close air support you realize your radio has no signal.

The KC-135 Stratotanker crews operating out of the Transit Center at Manas have taken on a secondary mission to help prevent ground troops from facing a situation like this. A majority of the tankers assigned here are equipped with a roll-on, beyond-line-of-sight enhancement, or ROBE, system.

"ROBE essentially expands the tactical data network over the area of responsibility," said Maj. Dave Jenkins, 376th Expeditionary Operations Group standardization. "You have fighters, airborne assets and personnel on the ground who need a full-time datalink coverage."

It is not unlike a cellphone network. As with any wireless data network in the States, there are areas lacking coverage throughout the country; therefore, when a KC-135 with a ROBE system is flying overhead it can provide network access to areas that otherwise lack coverage.

"Since we have tankers flying almost 24 hours a day, the ROBE system is covering areas that would otherwise not have datalink coverage throughout the AOR," said Jenkins, who is deployed here from MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.

The KC-135 airframe was given this secondary mission since tankers are in the sky over Afghanistan continuously. There are a limited number of ROBE-compatible KC-135s in the Air Force inventory. The Transit Center is the only installation with a steadily running and completely operational ROBE mission.

"This is a very unique capability in the sense that we are running a secondary mission -- that has nothing to do with aerial refueling -- simultaneously with our primary mission," Jenkins said. "However, the refueling always takes precedence."

It is not uncommon for service members to use a boosted ROBE network without even knowing it.

"I was able to contact some warfighters and ask them how frequently they use the network in some of the areas that may not have coverage," Jenkins said. "They said in several instances the ROBE is actually saving the day because it's linking their systems up to the guys on the ground and in the air. We are getting a lot of really good feedback from warfighters in different parts of the AOR."

This 500-pound system sits in the rear of the KC-135. It can be placed directly on the floor of the aircraft or left on a pallet so it can easily be rolled on or off of the tanker. The KC-135 boom operator is responsible for operating the system, so when they arrive here those who have never used it receive initial training, and others receive refresher training.

"It is fairly easy to train and to learn," said Adam Simons, Northrop Grumman ROBE system field engineer. "It is a little overwhelming at first, but after awhile the guys get clicked-in and are ready to go. Once an Airman becomes proficient with the system it takes about five minutes to load up the encryption and do the preflight checks and about 10-15 minutes to set it up operationally. Then they can walk away and leave it alone."

Tanker aircrews at the Transit Center began using the ROBE system in 2008. Since that time system operations have been significantly streamlined.

"When it first arrived it took 19 days to get it going and have a good Link 16 Network up in the air," Simons said. The Link 16 is a military tactical data network used by the United States and coalition forces to exchange tactical information.

As years passed the ROBE system operations has become easier to install, repair and use.

"We've modified the checklist to make it easier," Simons said. "It used to be really long."

Initially, if a ROBE system stopped working it was returned to the States for repair. Now there's a technician here to troubleshoot problems.

"We have come to understand (having) engineers here working with the system (allows us to keep it running) for a longer period of time and we can actually modify the checklist as changes are made," Simons said.

Simons is a huge proponent of the ROBE system.

"In a nutshell, the system expands the existing network by almost 200 percent," Simons said. "This is probably one of the coolest systems I have ever dealt with. This thing is worth its weight in gold. When it comes to working with the system and the people here, it is a grand thing."