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Airmen, Sailors share historic moment in UAS launch

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Steven Goetsch and Tech. Sgt. Denise Johnson
  • ACC and 380th AEW Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  An Air Combat Command RQ-4A Global Hawk made history on several fronts when it arrived at the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing here after a 19-hour flight Sept. 20.

Sailors from Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., launched the unmanned aircraft out of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., on the first operational trans-Atlantic flight.

"The U.S. Air Force is establishing global and regional standard operating procedures for unmanned aerial flight," said Brig. Gen. H.D. Polumbo, Jr., 380th AEW commander. "We fly global airpower missions routinely in other manned aircraft ... that is our core competency. After this groundbreaking mission, we look forward to working out new global UAS procedures with the US Navy and our coalition partners."

The Navy's Unmanned Aircraft System team joined members of the U.S. Air Force to accomplish the first joint launch in the Global Hawk's history. The flight, which was the first operational trans-Atlantic flight for the unmanned aircraft, was also the first time two RQ4As were simultaneously flying missions in neighboring theaters.

"We flew out of PAX River, where we used the Navy asset ground segment to launch it out of there; and that's the first time that's been done," said Tech. Sgt. Jason Jones, 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

The Air Force capitalizes on the support at PAX River because it enables the maintainers to launch while saving time and resources.

"The Navy has all of the supplies we have, plus contracted support," said Air Force Airman 1st Class, Matthew Milles, avionics specialist from the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron out of Beale AFB. "It's a lot easier than just going to a remote location. Working hand in hand with the Navy moves the plane faster to the deployed location."

The ability of the Air Force to coordinate and streamline UAS assets transfers directly to the war fighter on the ground.

"The aircraft has been on the ground about six hours, and we're going to turn it for a Global War on Terror mission tonight and fly a full-schedule 24-hour GWOT mission," Sergeant Jones said.

Going east over the Atlantic has its own significance and demonstrates how the Air Force is committed to providing global vigilance, reach and power in the future by exploring new options.

"Going this direction [Atlantic], specifically allows us to cut out a lot of different stops in a lot of different areas," said the Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division Chief Col. George Zaniewski, ACC A4 Intelligence. "Overall, it gets the aircraft over into the Area of Responsibility much easier; and more importantly than that, it allows us to work with the Navy, who will be doing more and more in the Global Hawk environment."

The historic flight from PAX River is just the beginning of the increased relationship between the two service branches.

"Specifically for the Global Hawk, we are getting more and more into maritime environments, so we are going to be able to work with the Navy much more than we ever have," said Colonel Zaniewski.

There are certain hurdles to clear when working with another service, but those are evaluated and turned into learning opportunities.

"There is a bit of a different language, different process, but overall we are still the same airframe," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. John Tracey, Naval Global Hawk project officer. "We are kind of the smaller, kid brother of the Global Hawk community, so it's nice to work with everybody else."

The PAX River mission was a win-win for the Air Force as well as the Navy, but with joint operations like these, the real winner is the war fighter.

"It helps to rotate these systems out so they have fresh aircraft. They are flying combat missions daily and you want the best product out there," said Commander Tracey.

This groundbreaking trans-Atlantic mission is also a milestone toward the Chief of Staff's initiative to increase UAS capacity for the joint fight.

"This flight is one more step in the development of a foundation on which future unmanned aerial operations will be built," General Polumbo said. "The rest of the world is watching and learning from our UAS accomplishments; nobody moves high-altitude, semi-autonomous aircraft around the globe like the Air Force. It's an exciting time to be in the AOR."

The joint launch and trans-Atlantic flight each have their far-reaching implications, but so too does the dual sortie. "We've demonstrated that we can support two theaters simultaneously," said Maj. Rob Matlock, 12th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron commander and Global Hawk pilot, Southwest Asia. "That is going to prove to be a vital asset in the years to come."

Whether leading the wing or maintaining the aircraft on the flightline, today's Airmen have witnessed yet another historical moment in unmanned aerial and Air Force operations.

"With this (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) we are going to see a lot of changes in the upcoming years," declared Airman Milles. "So look out for the United States Air Force."