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0248. Deployed firefighters practice lifesaving skills by Master Sgt. Bill Lincicome 40th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (AFPN) -- An explosion rocks the flightline during a routine maintenance operation aboard a C-17 Globemaster III. Three maintainers are missing. Others report the emergency to the command post. Within minutes, firefighters are on the move, racing toward the scene to save lives and fight the raging fire. That was the scenario for an emergency exercise held at a deployed location supporting Operation Enduring Freedom recently. Although the situation described above did not really happen, the 13 members of the 40th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department went roaring into action as if it were the real thing. The exercise tested the abilities of firefighters to respond to an emergency involving a C-17 aircraft, said Senior Master Sgt. "Milo," the fire chief. They train each month on all assigned aircraft to make sure they are familiar with entry procedures, aircraft shut-down and aircrew extraction. Most of the firefighters here are deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. Milo, the only firefighter deployed from MacDill AFB, Fla., said the exercise went extremely well. "Firefighters positioned vehicles to cover rescue-crew members entering the aircraft while deploying hand-lines from vehicles to fight the simulated fire," he said. The firefighters are coping with the real-world demands of a deployed environment, Milo said, but training is never set aside. "We only have a few minutes to get into the aircraft and save lives," he said. (Courtesy of Air Combat Command News Service) 0240. MC-130P crashes in Afghanistan MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- A U.S. Air Force MC-130P, deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, crashed Feb. 12 at about 5:20 p.m. EST in a remote region in Afghanistan. Eight crewmembers were onboard at the time of the crash. All survived and injuries are not life-threatening. They were taken to a medical facility in the Afghanistan area. The cause of the crash is not known at this time, although officials believe it does not appear to be the result of hostile fire. The names of the crewmembers are being withheld pending the notification of next of kin. 0246. Teets' goal: transform space ops by Tech. Sgt. Scott Elliott Air Force Print News WASHINGTON -- Transforming the best aspects of military and national space operations into one integrated national space security capability is the goal of the nation's highest space official. "I've been tasked with bringing together the military and national elements of space to assure that the nation has the best national security capabilities," said Under Secretary of the Air Force Peter B. Teets in a meeting with reporters at the Pentagon on Feb. 7. "To make this vision a reality, my first objective is to implement the recommendations of the National Security Space Commission," said Teets, who also heads the National Reconnaissance Office. "To do so, we're going to begin exploiting the best practices of military space and the NRO communities to make the world's best space forces even better." Teets introduced an organizational change designed to make the transformation smoother and transparent to national and military customers. Just as the NRO has a deputy director who is in charge of running day-to-day operations, "I have created a new 'deputy of military space' (position) so that we can have the same focus on the military side of the space equation," he said. Another new office is the Directorate of National Security Space Integration. "This (directorate) will be responsible for implementing the best practices of military and national space programs," he said. Its goal is also to help transform programs and pool resources more effectively, he said. Brig. Gen. Michael A. Hamel, director of space operations and integration, will lead the new directorate. Among the key goals for national space security is universal situation awareness, Teets said. "What we've found is that in moving ahead with the war on terrorism, it's going to be important for us to have persistent intelligence," he said. "It's going to be important for us to develop some breakthrough technologies and implement techniques that use the best of both military and national systems to implement the mission." One way to achieve that persistence is to have more satellites in stationary orbit, Teets said. The other way to elevate persistence over a battlefield is to develop new higher-altitude intelligence collection technology. "Typically speaking, the farther away you are from an object, if you want to take its picture, the larger the lens you need," he said. "So it becomes a technical question, really. "I think one of the great powers of the NRO has been the revolutionary, breakthrough technology it has made over the course of its 40 years of existence," Teets said. Another area of Teets' transformation plan merges the Air Force's reusable launch vehicle and NASA's space-launch initiative. "There have been some wheels put in motion to look at RLV development," he said. "I think it's wise for us to have a partnership with NASA and help them in ways that are possible for us, and vice versa." Though security for space-based assets is still in its formative stages, Teets realizes its necessity. "I think one of the important things we need to look at is how we are going to protect and defend our space assets," he said. "It is clear that these assets are vital to our national security. It's important for us to know at what point in the future those assets will be threatened in some way, to see how those threats develop and evolve, and then put together a plan that will allow us to protect those assets. "We have a tremendous team to leverage our unparalleled talent from the military, intelligence community and industry to provide the nation with the best space capabilities to meet the challenges of the 21st century," he said. 0247. Enhanced awareness provides battlefield picture by Staff Sgt. Amy Parr Air Force Print News WASHINGTON -- In the past, war was often a guessing game. Sure, strategy was involved, but oftentimes commanders had to guess what opposing forces were going to do. Without proper intelligence, that guess could have been made with the flip of a coin. Today, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance replace guessing. ISR provides commanders with a valuable tool -- the ability to know the battlefield, said Col. Marc Lindsley, Air Force surveillance and reconnaissance deputy at the Pentagon. "A large part of warfare all through history (has) been figuring out what the enemy's doing," Lindsley said. "When you have unmanned vehicles and planes, U-2s, satellites and special ops guys on the ground, when you have all this awareness of what's happening, you can do what you need to do to kill the enemy. "Our goal in the end is to beat the enemy -- to get him to quit," he said. "You can dominate the enemy far better when you have knowledge than when you don't. "It is our processes, people and capabilities that we have that give us intelligence about what the enemy is doing and what we think they're going to do," Lindsley said. "It involves what we call predictive battle-space awareness." This awareness allows the military to understand the enemy's capabilities and intent. It is accomplished through platforms, such as satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles. Once intelligence is gathered, it is analyzed to determine what the enemy is expected to do. "Then we use it to find out what the enemy is doing," Lindsley said. "During battle as we bomb targets or take physiological operations or whatever we do, we use intelligence to know if we're having any effect." This process is called "find, fix, target, track, engage and assess," he said. "It's a loop, and ISR is right in the middle," Lindsley said. "We have knowledge of what's going on before, during and after we attack that we've never had before. We call it persistent ISR." A battlefield can be as large as the global war on terrorism or as small as a city in Afghanistan, Lindsley said. Air Force officials at the highest levels are praising recent advances in technologies. Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force chief of staff, said ISR is a crucial part of fighting terrorism, and that much of the success seen thus far in the war on terrorism comes from the increased knowledge ISR brings to the fight. "We've got our platforms put together in ways that weren't even possible to do as recently as Operation Allied Force in 1999," Jumper said. "We have Predators coordinating directly with gunships. We have Global Hawk and Joint Stars resolving target locations. We have people on the ground with laser spots that are going right up to fighters to do their job. We have bombers doing what we always call close air support and direct liaison with people on the ground. We're figuring this out and we're going to make it hard for these folks to do their business." Lindsley said ISR is not specific to just the Air Force. Platforms also involve other services and coalition or allied countries. The real key to ISR is its total impact, he said. "It's a menu of capabilities," Lindsley said. "I have a menu and I select from it based on my requirements and needs and where I need to be." Not only does it offer a variety of choices, but it is very versatile. Lindsley said the ISR focus can be shifted anywhere around the world. It can range from simple sources, such as local newspaper, television and the Internet, to high-tech equipment, satellites and aircraft. "The real complexity is how we hook it up," he said. "Any one source by itself is not that powerful. But, if you hook it together, that's the power. The power is the network, the synergy coming together to give you a better picture than you would have gotten from one satellite or one airplane. And, the more we do it, the better we get at it." "The pieces of equipment (we have) are coming together in ways that we never deemed possible before," Jumper said. "I couldn't be more proud of the way our Air Force is contributing to the war on terrorism." 0243. Transport device advances air evacuation BROOKS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- A new patient transport device being developed here promises to rapidly reconfigure Air Force cargo aircraft into air ambulances, representing a significant evolutionary advancement in air evacuation. Called the patient support pallet, the prototype system 311th Human Systems Wing's System Program Office experts here are evaluating has captured the attention of customers from Pacific Air Forces and Air Mobility Command. "Less than a year ago during 'Pacific Warrior' (exercise) in Hawaii, PACAF decided it needed a new litter system to transport patients," said Col. Daniel Berry, 311th HSW SPO's aeromedical and medical information systems division chief. PACAF's urgent requirement is based on its need to move patients more rapidly and efficiently using available air transport resources, Berry said. These resources are dwindling because of maintenance issues and the fact the C-141 Starlifter is scheduled to be phased out by 2004. As a consequence, insufficient aircraft capable of fulfilling air evacuation requirements has significantly hampered PACAF transport missions, officials said. In calendar year 2000, less than half of the 8,700-plus patients air evacuated in the pacific region arrived at their destination on time. In many cases, mission delays averaged in excess of four hours, PACAF officials said. "PACAF approached the SPO with a requirement to develop a portable patient litter system with roll-on and roll-off capability," Berry said, noting that such a device could be used on KC-135 (Stratotanker) aircraft. "KC-135s were not designed for patient litters," Berry said. "Unlike other aircraft, such as the C-17 (Globemaster III) where litters can be tied to the floor, this is not possible in KC-135s because the floor temperature (when airborne) is 32 degrees Fahrenheit." The patient support pallet provides a solution. Berry said it could greatly expand the number of available air evacuation-capable aircraft, including KC-135s and KC-10 Extenders that historically have not been used as air ambulances because of their design as fuel tankers. "We searched the world for commercial off-the-shelf systems with palletized seats," he said. One of the four companies that had systems, and could be modified for Air Force use, was contracted to develop a prototype that is currently being tested and evaluated. This prototype consists of a reinforced metal pallet featuring four variations of litter-airline seat configurations, mounted to the pallet, which can accommodate six people. Berry said future advance prototypes to be tested would feature electrical power, oxygen and lighting capabilities. There are also plans to develop a galley and restroom-mounted 'comfort' pallet. In January, the pallet was evaluated during a C-17 training flight. "The SPO's objective for this mission was to conduct a proof-of-concept demonstration of the patient support pallet on a C-17 aircraft," said Capt. Brian Collins, the SPO's program manager. SPO evaluators are optimistic that the pallet will save its customers money, Berry said. Projected annual savings to PACAF are estimated to be $6.6 million. PACAF is scheduled to field test the pallet on a KC-135 during an actual air evacuation mission from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, to Yokota and Kadena air bases in Japan in February. Three of the four prototypes are being rushed into service to meet current aeromedical evacuation needs, Berry said. 0244. Night-vision device aids downed aviators by Rudy Purificato 311th Human Systems Wing BROOKS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- Air Force pilots no longer have to grope around in the dark behind enemy lines, hoping to avoid capture, thanks to a new night-vision device 311th Human Systems Program Office experts recently approved for use. The Evader, a night vision imaging system, is now part of an Air Combat Command aircrew member's survival vest ensemble. "Scott O'Grady couldn't see his rescuers," said Maj. Al Gracia, referring to the downed Air Force pilot's 1994 ordeal in Bosnia. O'Grady magnified certain search and survival technological deficiencies that have since been addressed. Before the new system, downed Air Force pilots had been without a survival night-vision device. Gracia's warfighter requirements and new technologies integrated product team assessed the Evader, a commercial off-the-shelf device, because of an urgent ACC request. "An F-117 [Nighthawk] pilot, shot down over Kosovo in 1999, during a (post-rescue) debriefing, identified some big deficiencies -- the ability to evade the enemy and see rescuers at night," Gracia said. The pilot prompted a recommendation to ACC headquarters officials to investigate adopting a small, portable night-vision monocular device that can be packed inside a survival vest during combat missions, said Col. John Snider, ACC's 49th Operations Support Squadron commander at Hollomon Air Force Base, N.M. In a memorandum to ACC headquarters, Snider wrote, "This device would greatly increase the downed pilot's ability to assess the enemy threat, aid in the pilot's ability to evade the enemy at night, provide an additional covert directional signal, increase their chances of survival and improve their chances of rescue." "ACC contacted us in early 2001, recommending this device...," said Richard Rousett, 311th SPO IPT requirements program manager. "Once we got the requirements, we identified and coordinated tests to evaluate the device." He said ACC officials wanted them to evaluate the multipurpose Evader, produced by Emmaus, a Pennsylvania-based night-vision equipment company. The company claims Evader is the only night-vision system in the world designed specifically to meet military requirements for survival, evasion, resistance and escape. Operating on two double-A batteries, Evader is smaller than most survival radios, Gracia said. It weighs less than 15 ounces, uses infrared imaging technology, and features both a compass module and a covert signaling capability. The device passed a series of rapid decompression, windblast and sled tests, said Al Gonzalez, SPO IPT member. ACC headquarters was subsequently granted an interim safe-to-fly approval for one year. The recommendation allows Evader to be used on all combat Air Force SRU 21/P and Air Ace survival vests for contingency operations only. "In the future, we're looking at full safe-to-fly certification that will allow its permanent use on life-support ensembles," Gracia said. (Courtesy of Air Force Materiel Command News Service) 0242. Air Force Museum highlights AFMC mission by Chris McGee Air Force Museum Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- A team from the U.S. Air Force Museum here recently built a heraldic device that projects the Air Force Materiel Command mission as "the power behind the power." A heraldic device is an item that builds unit identification and fosters esprit de corps by visually conveying the unit's mission and history. A small team of museum exhibits specialists built the device for AFMC to dramatize the command's role of arming and sustaining the warfighter. The device, a large, semicircular, domed creation, features the Air Force and AFMC emblems encased in a vacuum chamber. A flowing electrical current dances around the bowl's inside perimeter, emanating from and traveling through a central power cog. "There's a lot of symbolism in this device," said Doug Campbell, museum exhibits division chief. "Placing the AFMC emblem below the Air Force emblem represents the command's role of supporting the service. The current flowing through the cog in the center where the emblems are located represents AFMC supplying the 'power behind the power,'" a slogan that appears on the front of the item's base. The power the current symbolizes ushers from the command's logistics, acquisition and research and development activities, Campbell said. The device accentuates AFMC's indispensable role in arming the warfighter and enabling and extending the Air Force's technological superiority over adversaries, said retired Maj. Gen. Charles Metcalf, the museum director. "The technology used in today's Air Force was unimaginable even at the end of the Vietnam War," Metcalf said. "The tools that Air Force warfighters use today, and incredible capabilities like precision lethality and information superiority, were conceived and developed by AFMC. Just as the device's inscription reads, AFMC is truly the power behind the power." Heraldry is well ingrained in military tradition. Throughout recorded history, symbols have identified armies and distinguished friend from foe in battle, from biblical times through the Greek age, and in the 12th century during the period between the first and second crusades. The heraldic device is one example of the museum's broad creative capacity, Campbell said. In recent years, the division has launched a wave of bold exhibit design at the museum relying on sensory effects like life-size mannequins, authentic artifacts, theatrical and fiber-optic lighting and sound effects. These effects transform exhibits into vibrant habitats that present history through the human drama and emotion associated with the various historical moments and eras depicted. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. 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