by Monica D. Morales, 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. (AFNS) -- The 751st Electronic Systems Group here has now completed an effort to provide operators at workstations onboard the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System the ability to chat, e-mail and browse the Defense Department's secure Secret Internet Protocol Router Network from any location.
The completed installation of a beyond-line-of-site ground-entry station in Virginia late last month marked the finale of the program, which came to fruition in response to an urgent operational need -- and came both on time and on cost.
"In a time when delivering programs on cost and on schedule can be challenging, BLOS is a success in both respects, coming in early and on cost while also meeting an urgent warfighter need," said Capt. Kate Stowe, BLOS program manager.
Beyond-line-of-sight communication capabilities use two straight lines, one going from an origination point to an orbiting satellite and another coming from the satellite to the second point to relay intelligence data. The globally available data and voice communications are enabled via connection to an existing commercial satellite, allowing for heightened communication and smoother recall of intel data.
In February 2007, Air Forces Central Command Commander Lt. Gen. Gary North asked to have this feature added to the E-8C fleet in the command's area of responsibility. Operating under a UON request, members of the 751st ELSG, along with operational users at the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., and prime contractor Northrop Grumman Corp., got to work to meet the warfighter need.
The fleet of aircraft received the upgrades at Robins, with each undergoing a six-day retrofitting process that included the addition of new equipment. The first of these jets was in theater by March, with the last of the aircraft being retrofitted in early December.
The feedback from operational users reflects that the enhanced capabilities all point to added precision in executing the mission.
"By about May, we started hearing from users that the chat capability had broadened the number of people that can interact on a real-time basis," said Paul Scoville, a contractor that works with the program.
But the capability goes further, Captain Stowe said, in that the communication tools offer flexibility in how the warfighter uses them to accomplish objectives. In other words, BLOS has changed the way the Joint STARS aircrew members conduct operations.
For example, imagery reflecting a potential threat can be put in a search engine for potential matches, imbedded in an e-mail for additional 'eyes on,' or inserted into chat conversations for convoys on the ground to confirm the threat level.
"BLOS has enabled them to do all of that in real-time, and has given the warfighter more heightened situational awareness," she said. "Where before they had one piece of intel, now they can layer on other intel, and that gives them much greater fidelity. It is this greater fidelity that has fundamentally changed the nature of how we're currently fighting the jet in theater."
With the UON met, exploring further uses and adaptations of BLOS is on the horizon. Mr. Scoville said that among them is gaining greater bandwidth.
"It's not something we necessarily have to do, but we have the potential to expand it and make it a non-commercial, government-only capability," he said.
Maj. George Peasant, also of the BLOS program, said that increased bandwidth would benefit the warfighter even more.
"That next path of gaining wider communication capabilities to the jet would mean a higher data rate," he said.
