Global Hawk: the cost, the dividends

Published Aug. 7, 2008
By Tech. Sgt. Denise Johnson
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Seven flying "robots," 16 pilots, 7 sensor operators and a couple hundred maintainers add up to one of the most advanced reconnaissance missions in the U.S. Air Force operational world.

The RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 10, an unmanned aerial vehicle, is capable of some of the most technologically-advanced reconnaissance available. But what's the cost of keeping this intelligence-gathering "bird" in the air? And do the dividends outweigh the cost?

Deployments are a regular part of the Global Hawk community's lives. One such team is fulfilling the Air Tasking Order in Southwest Asia today providing a critical view to Area of Responsibility commanders and forces on the ground. The deployed location provides an active learning environment. It prevails upon the Airmen to face new challenges and establish steps and fixes in response to a variety of scenarios.

"At Beale (air force base) you could swap out parts all day long, but here you actually learn the job," said Senior Airman Kathryn Launey, an electrical and environmentalist journeyman with the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron here. Airman Launey is the unit's support technician. She is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., home of the Global Hawks.

This particular UAV requires a Mission Control Element at Beale AFB and a Launch and Recovery Element here at the deployed location. Pilots from each location share flying time. The deployed pilot usually flies take-offs and landings, while the home-station pilots share mission time throughout the 20-plus hour sorties.

Sensor operators run the surveillance system for the aircraft. They are responsible for the imagery captured and the systems which capture those images. They share space with the home-station pilots in the MCE.

The Global Hawk provides near-real-time imagery delivered to those who need it and is flexible enough to adapt to mission changes in-flight. It can transmit site-specific images to a palm pilot in the hand of a platoon commander on the ground, or an image covering the size of Illinois, to key-decision makers in the pentagon.

"The aircraft is in its final stages of tests and standardization," said Maj. Rob Matlock, 12th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron commander and Global Hawk pilot. Major Matlock deployed from Beale AFB, to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. "We are expecting the Global Hawk to go through its Operational Test and Evaluation soon. In the meantime, we're standardizing flight manuals and the maintainers are refining key technical orders."

Not being fully evaluated and approved by the Air Force has its drawbacks, as does the anomaly of the airframe. Frequent deployments - it is not uncommon for GH Airmen to have three deployments in their first term of service - and a lack of a specific technical school also poses challenges. Airmen who are used to working computer systems in offices and shops are moved to the flightline. They are asked to adapt to a "flightline mentality" where aircraft launches and recovery become the norm. Contractual obligations can conflict with typical Air Force procedures and mindsets. Some Airmen are sent directly from technical school to work on the Global Hawks and don't get the hands-on experience with common airframes they studied in class. As they progress in rank and near the time for a permanent change of station, anxieties arise.

"When I become an NCO (noncommissioned officer) I worry I won't live up to expectations at my next assignment," Airman Launey said. "I will probably get assigned to a traditional airframe and I won't have the experience to match my rank."

These Airmen, although faced with atypical challenges on an atypical mission with an atypical airframe, are an essential element in attaining mission success, according to 380th AEW Command Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Slater. "Every Global Hawk maintainer is critical to our Air Force," he said. "They have been a low-density, high-demand asset for quite a few years."

The Global Hawk can soar at over 50k feet for more than 30 hours while being controlled from distances spanning the globe through satellite communications. Its capabilities are no more unique than the Global Hawk Airmen bridging the gap on the ground.

Senior Airman James Spence, a ground communications technician with the 380th EAMXS, finds it frustrating at times that the communications station technical orders are not up to speed with the aircraft technical orders. "A lot of our technical data is limited," he said. "We're using a lot of commercial equipment so it's a matter of updating documentation."

There are bumps in the road, and the rewards are not frequent, but they are there and they carry more impact. "Last Thanksgiving we had some friends over for dinner. Our guests brought a Marine with them to join us for the holiday," Airman Spence explained. "When he found out I worked with the Global Hawks, he couldn't thank me enough. They've used our imagery in the AOR. He said we're definitely helping."

Airman Spence's Thanksgiving became more meaningful, he said, as this Marine brought a new perspective to him about his job. "He made it more real. We're so far removed from the results of our work; we normally don't see the impact of what we do."

Far removed or in the thick of it, reminders and acknowledgement come in the least likely places and when they are least expected. Airman Launey said she remembers a visit from an Army major last year. "He came to thank us. He said they got the imagery just in time," she said. "It's the little moments like that; they make you feel like you're doing something."

Global Hawk maintainers are pooled from all walks of Air Force life. From ground communications and jet-engine mechanics, to avionics and computer specialists, they are all laying a foundation on which the future of the airframe, and the people attached to it, will rest.

"The necessity and value of this platform is paramount - our forward-deployed warriors have an absolute need for the capabilities of the Global Hawk - our maintainers on the line are launching sorties every day providing critical intelligence to combatant commanders and ultimately saving American lives," Chief Slater said.

The path to steady-state operations on the Global Hawk is not fully paved. That path is however, a well-traveled maneuverable road leading us perhaps, to a place beyond the scope of our imagination.