Kandahar Airmen Give Theater Air Control a New Look

Published May 2, 2014
By 73rd Expeditionary Air Control
73rd EACS

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Airmen at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan upgraded air control capabilities throughout the country April 27 when they replaced one of their TPS-75 long-range radar systems.

The 73rd Expeditionary Air Control Squadron, "Double Dagger," recently updated a military radar site. The replacement culminated months of planning and coordination.

"The new system is an incredible asset," said U.S. Air Force Col. Scott Campbell, 451st Air Expeditionary Group Commander, "that ensures we will keep providing the 240 nautical mile air picture needed for hundreds of combat sorties a day."

Staff Sgt. Joseph Fletcher and Staff Sgt. Meghan Beach, 73 EACS radar non-commissioned officers, along with Rudy Diaz, Naval Space and Warfare Systems consultant, and the contracted crane team foreman, briefed the team on the order of activities and each phase's safety precautions. From there, the team removed 80 ¾-inch bolts holding the radome to the tower; lifted the radome from the tower; removed radar number 1057 from the tower; placed radar number 1040 on top of platform; raised and re-aligned the 5,000 pound radome; and replaced the bolts. With the help of an 80-foot bucket truck and 100-foot crane, the team accomplished the mission in a single day.

"This mammoth effort was made possible by the exquisite attention to detail and old-fashioned hard work put forth by everyone in the squadron," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Rachel Reynolds, 73rd EACS Commander.

While the actual installation of the radar system sounds daunting, the project began months before and required cooperation across the Air Force and Department of Defense. Since September 2013, radar number 1057 required significant maintenance. Due for its 5-year refurbishment at the TPS-75 depot in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, number 1057 was burning through assemblies and components at an accelerated pace. Maintenance technicians worked in overdrive to keep the 1970's era radar spinning.

Squadron leadership and technicians reached back to higher headquarters, and Air Combat Command leaders and Tobyhanna depot members worked rapidly to prepare radar number 1040, fresh off the refurbishment line, for shipment to Afghanistan. Along the way, various Air Force teams pitched in to help the sensor safely reach its new home. The 436th Aerial Port Squadron at Dover Air Force Base, Del. manifested the radar for shipment through Ramstein Airbase, Germany and Incirlik Airbase, Turkey. The 451st Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron at Kandahar tracked the radar's progress. The Kandahar Airfield Engineering and Installation team trained 73rd EACS members on proper tower climbing and safety harnessing operations. And, the 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron at Bagram sent out a Non-Destructive Inspection Airman to ensure all the hardware was ready for the installation.

The 73rd EACS's radars, radios, and datalinks are part of the Theater Air Control System. Their sister squadron, the 71st EACS, in Southwest Asia uses Double Dagger's sensors to control all of the ISR, tanker, airlift, and close air support aircraft in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Of the 42 Airmen at Double Dagger, 41 are deployed from 726th Air Control Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho and Staff Sgt. Rito Orozco-Jaramillo, from Spangdahlem Airbase, Germany, serves as their medical technician.