Grand Forks AFB Airmen welcome Global Hawk

Airmen from Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., welcome the first RQ-4 Global Hawk to the base May 26, 2011. The arrival marked the beginning of a new era of remotely piloted aircraft at the base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Johnny Saldivar)

by Airman Derek VanHorn, 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (AFNS) -- Airmen celebrated the arrival of the RQ-4 Global Hawk during a ceremony here June 1.

The ceremony highlighted the beginning of a new era of remotely piloted aircraft here.

"It is an honor to be here; what a great day for Grand Forks (Air Force Base) and North Dakota -- this is cutting edge technology," said Maj. Gen. Thomas K. Andersen, the director of requirements at Air Combat Command. "I'm sure this community will thoroughly enjoy the Global Hawk as a tenant unit on this base, and we're grateful for the support you continue to give our Airmen as we look forward to a very, very long relationship.

The RQ-4 Global Hawk is capable of providing government and military decision makers near real-time, high-altitude, long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance imagery that can support a full spectrum of operations. Flying above ordinary commercial traffic, the aircraft can survey large geographic areas with pinpoint accuracy, without impacting civilian aircraft routes. The imagery provides the most current information available during contingency or crisis situations.

"This marks the next step in the long history of the Air Force and what we provide here at this base to the nation's defense: global vigilance," said Col. Don Shaffer, the 319th Air Base Wing commander.

Grand Forks Air Force Base has new backup communication mission

To my regular readers: In a story I first broke back on November 21, 2008, on this blog (see http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/2008/11/breaking-news-grand-forks-afb-to-get-hf.html), it looks like Grand Forks is now officially operational, so time to keep a sharp eye on the primary HFGCS freqs for their appearance. I did report back on 24 Apr 2009 a brief appearance of Grand Forks on the HF-GCS (see http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/2009/04/hf-gcs-grand-forks-is-now-on-air.html). So which HF milcom enthusiast will be the first to report them OTA now that they are operational? Are they a part of the JCS HFGCS Scope Command HF ALE network? If so what is their new ALE address?

Complete frequencies for these two HFGCS networks can be found here on the MMP blog at Joint Chiefs of Staff HFGCS Network and click here for the HFGCS Scope Command HF ALE Network.

Article from AirForce Times by Dave Kolpack via The Associated Press

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — If the communication system fails at Andrews Air Force Base near the nation’s capitol, airmen in North Dakota will be ready to take over.

The Grand Forks Air Force Base launched a new mission Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for what looks like a big classroom with 25 computer work stations.

Officials say it is much more.

Read the rest of the story at http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/10/ap_airforce_319th_communications_standup_100809/

It's tankers away at Grand Forks Air Force Base

The curtain begins to come down on an era next week at the Grand Forks, N.D., Air Force Base when the remaining refueling tankers begin departing.

Having reinvented itself repeatedly since the end of the Cold War, the base will by next year be home only to unmanned aerial drones that will patrol the northern border.

The Air Force announced this week that the 912th Air Refueling Squadron will be deactivated March 20. The last KC-135 tanker will have left the base four days earlier.

See the complete story at
http://www.startribune.com/local/41019307.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUncacyi8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU