Air Force tests reduce time for making kills

Jace Radke

Thursday, July 29, 2004 | 8:35 a.m.

In the opening stages of the Iraq war it took U.S. forces about 23 minutes to launch an attack against a building that intelligence had identified as a possible hiding spot of Saddam Hussein.

"I think we could now probably cut that time down to a minute," said Col. Jeff Smith, who is part of a $53 million dollar experimental program at Nellis Air Force Base designed to test new technologies that allow battle commanders and troops to obtain and analyze information faster.

More than 350 military personnel from the United States, Great Britain, Canada and Australia are scheduled to be testing more than a dozen new technologies at Nellis Combined Air and Space Operations Center through next week.

The program, known as Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004, tests the technologies using a simulated battle with real aircraft flying over the 2.9-million acre Nevada Test and Training Range. The three-week test period marks the fifth time in the last 10 years that the Air Force has held such experiments, and the first time that other countries have participated.

The experiments are focusing on using computer links to quickly share information between the front lines and commanders, and to provide intelligence information and battle plans on easy to read computer screens.

Another example of the new technology at work was illustrated through an example from Operation Iraqi Freedom involving a bomber that had to change targets in flight. For the change to happen the bombardier had to make several radio contacts with a command center that was in turn communicating with AWACS and other intelligence-gathering aircraft.

Using the technology being tested at Nellis the bombardier would get a readout on his screen directly from the AWACS, Air Force officials said.

Lt. Gen. Bruce Carlson, who is overseeing the experiments, said that they have been successful in beaming a real time picture transmitted from ground forces into the cockpit of an F-15E.

"It's not easy to do, but we're getting better at it," said Carlson, commander of the 8th Air Force based at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

Another experimental program being tested is GRIDLOCK, a targeting system that can correlate intelligence information from several planes and ground-based units to give better locations of enemy weaponry.

The experiments also include testing of a computer program that will allow for pilots flying aircraft in close air support to magnify their view of a target area to help prevent deaths of U.S. and coalition forces from friendly fire.

"In the future we'll get to a point where an individual soldier can be displayed," said Lt. Col. Brian Searcy.

The M2M weather system provides real-time weather information on target maps, allowing for better planning for when and where to launch strikes, Smith said.

Another advancement that is being tested is the ability to send electronic messages to enemy forces in an effort to stop them from fighting without having to fire a shot.

"We now know that you don't have to kill every airfield and aircraft to stop an enemy," Smith said. "Saddam's planes didn't roll a wheel in Iraq.

"We working on being able to put messages up on screens of enemy weapons systems letting them know we see them and if they move we're going to kill them."

Historically about 40 percent of the technologies tested during Joint Field Expeditionary Force Experiments are approved for use in combat. A final report on the viability of the technologies is scheduled to be completed by November, Carlson said.