Effective communication: Key to AWACS mission

Published Nov. 22, 2013
By Staff Sgt. Jacob Morgan
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The E-3 Sentry is an airborne warning and control system aircraft that provides all-weather tactical command and control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to commanders of U.S. and NATO air defense forces.

E-3 crews are subject matter experts in communication providing command and control to other aircraft and a full battle space picture to Air Forces Central Command. Information processing and communication to other agencies in the area of responsibility must be precise and timely.

In order to provide a real time picture to higher headquarters, aircrew from six different Air Force specialties, including career enlisted aviators integrate to accomplish their mission. The air battle managers, pilots, navigators and career enlisted aviators oversee airframe, computer, communications, radar systems and the employment of the aircraft. Bringing all of these jobs together in a 152-foot aircraft with a large radar dome requires continuous communication and job familiarization.

"We have to have a lot of knowledge about our systems because if it breaks or malfunctions, it is our job to get it back up and running so the crew can use it properly," said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Sean Todd, 968 EAACS airborne mission systems specialist computer display maintenance technician, who calls San Antonio, Texas home and is deployed from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. "We also have to know a little bit about each other's job because our systems interact."

Executing the E-3s mission requires a complete integrated effort of all the crewmembers on board. They provide a stable platform, mission system operation and battle management. It is the integration of the total system that allows the crew to accomplish their mission of tactical command and control in U.S. Central Command's AOR.

The system technicians conduct airborne maintenance and quality control for the 30 year old E-3 systems. They must work together to keep the equipment running, said Todd.

The data comes to the E-3 through external sources, said Todd. It goes through an on-board computer and displays on the consoles. During this entire process, the technicians are in charge of making sure data flow is uninterrupted.

Surveillance technicians use displayed information and identification matrixes to determine status of unknown aircraft or passive ground systems. This information is passed to the weapons control team, comprised of air battle managers and the senior director, who communicate with the aircraft under their control.

Controlling an aircraft means the weapons control team is communicating with aircraft in the area and providing a three dimensional picture of the battle space in order to increase capability of assets under their control.

"The surveillance team is in charge of helping the weapons team see everything," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Shaun Humphrey, 968 EAACS senior director, who calls Wichita Falls, Texas, home, and is deployed from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. "If they don't track well, then I cannot accurately provide a picture to the aircraft under our control. The more effective they are, the more effective we are, and that goes all the way down to the technicians who maintain the different systems. At the end of the process the E-3 is a force multiplier, helping everyone be more effective."

"Improving situational awareness of all coalition aircraft is what enables a faster sensor to shooter timeline, thus improving our ability to defeat our adversaries at longer ranges and defending coalition forces," said U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Tom Fawaz, 968 EAACS chief enlisted manager. "The E-3 accomplishes this in both the air to air as well as air to ground arenas, providing the right aircraft with the right weapon at the right time to protect forces."

Each position in the chain of command is responsible for checking their subordinates work and coordinating with the level above, it starts at maintaining the weapons system while airborne and goes all the way through classifying aircraft and making the decision to employ force.

Included in the array of decision makers on the aircraft are two commanders, the aircraft commander and mission crew commander; both with different priorities but the same mission. Like the crew, the two commanders must work together. One is responsible for safety of the aircraft and crew, the other for successful command and control.

"We have the best flight deck in any aircraft," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ryan Fleishauer, 968th Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron director of operations, who calls Arkansaw, Wis., home and is deployed from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. "They have to have such an incredible understanding of every job and system. They have to have a great relationship with the mission crew commander to make sure communication between the commanders is a two way street."

"Most of the time it requires reaching a middle ground; there is never animosity but instead a sense of teamwork among all crew members," said Fleishauer. "No one just ultimately makes the decisions; it's a fluid situation where teamwork and communication is important."

"That teamwork doesn't end or begin in the air either," said Fawaz. "The E-3 maintainers, assigned to the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, also put forward incredible effort ensuring jets are available to meet the Air Tasking Order. Without our maintainers, the men and women of the 968 EAACS would be unable to employ such an amazingly complex aircraft. The combined team of the 968 EAACS and E-3 maintainers provides the Combined Forces Air Combat commander an unmatched ability to quickly provide agile combat command and control anywhere in the CENTCOM AOR."