Russia Begins Observational Flyovers of US

 

Russia began observational flights over the United States on Sunday under the international Open Skies Treaty, officials said.

The monitoring missions are being carried out by a Tupolev Tu-154M/LK-1 aircraft through Aug. 12, RIA Novosti reported.

"The missions will be carried out from the Travis Air Force Base [in California] and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base [in Ohio]," said Sergei Ryzhkov, head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center. "These will be Russia's 23rd and 24th monitoring flights in 2013 over the territories of the Open Skies Treaty member states."

Russian military inspectors, along with U.S. specialists, will monitor surveillance equipment aboard the aircraft.

The Open Skies Treaty allows participants to conduct unarmed aerial observation flights over the territories of its 34 member states to promote openness of military forces and activities.

The treaty went into effect Jan. 1, 2002.

 

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/07/29/russia-begins-observational-flyovers-of-us.html?comp=700001075741&rank=2

Wright-Patterson’s C-5 cargo planes to be replaced by C-17s

from the Dayton Daily News By John Nolan, Staff Writer

The Air Force plans to retire the aging, massive C-5 Galaxy cargo aircraft assigned to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and replace them with newer C-17 cargo transport planes sometime between Oct. 1, 2010, and Sept. 30, 2012.

The 10 C-5s are to be replaced with eight C-17s, the Air Force said Friday, March 12. Maj. Cynthia Harris, a spokeswoman, said she did not have more precise dates for when the replacements will take place.

The 445th Airlift Wing, an Air Force Reserve unit, flies the planes several times a week from Wright-Patterson to carry munitions, weapons, airmen’s belongings and other cargo from the United States to international destinations in support of the global war on terror.

Reservists also often fly the planes in the Dayton area during pilot training runs.

The Air Force has seen rapidly increasing costs for modernizing its more than 100 C-5 planes system-wide, including replacing or overhauling their engines and navigation systems.

The oldest C-5s date to between 1969 and 1980. The C-17s date to the 1980s and 1990s.

The noisy C-5s are among the largest aircraft in the world. Their massive cargo interiors can carry up to 270,000 pounds of cargo, including tanks and helicopters.

Wright-Patterson AFB Trunk Radio System Upgrade

MMP readers in the Wright-Patterson AFB area, I have some interesting information for you. In May 2008, the 88th Communications Group at WPAFB issued a public PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)for a Land Mobile Radio (LMR) System Expansion and Five Channel Backup System. here are the details.

"WPAFB requires expanding its current 11 channel trunked LMR system to 16 channels to provide reliable communications for all base supported personnel. WPAFB also requires a five channel backup system, to be installed in a different location than the primary site, to support disaster recovering in the event the prime site is lost. WPAFB requires a “turnkey” effort to include the system upgrade design, furnishing of equipment, complete systems integration, testing, and training. These additional channels as well as the backup system also need to accommodate secure voice operation and support the Project 25 defined Common Air Interface and AES encryption algorithm.

"The current 11 channel system is located in Bldg 20620 and this is the location where the five channel expansion shall be installed. The five channel backup system shall be installed in the off-base Ground-to-Air-Transmitter/Receiver (GATR) site. The backup site shall be at a geographically separate location and will be accessed via radios and landlines.

"The system upgrade shall not affect the Radio Frequency (RF) coverage currently provided by Wright-Patterson’s LMR system. The system shall provide Radio Frequency (RF) coverage for base support radio users operating mobile and portable radio units throughout the installation. For mutual aid response purposes, coverage is required for at least a 10-mile radius outside each installation.

OK readers, I need your help to see if the freq info below has been implemented. Reports to our email address in the masthead are really wanted and appreciated.

Frequency Information

System Infrastructure Equipment located at Bldg. 620, Area B, WPAFB
This site will hold the System Central Controller and the current eleven (11) UHF Repeaters and the additional five (5) new UHF Repeaters, the Communications Dispatch Console Central Electronics including the LAN console position, and all system management terminals.

Channel Transmit (MHz) Receive (MHz)
1 408.7625 417.7625
2 408.9625 417.9625
3 409.1625 418.1625
4 409.3625 418.3625
5 409.5625 418.5625
6 409.9625 418.9625
7 410.1625 419.1625
8 410.3625 419.3625
9 410.5625 419.5625
10 410.7625 419.7625
11 408.5625 417.5625
12 406.1625 415.1625
13 406.3625 415.3625
14 406.5625 415.5625
15 406.7625 415.7625
16 406.9625 415.9625

Backup Site (GATR Site)
This site will hold the five channel backup system and all required interface/system equipment

Channel Transmit (MHz) Receive (MHz)
1 408.7625 417.7625
2 409.1625 418.1625
3 409.5625 418.5625
4 409.9625 418.9625
5 410.3625 419.3625

Water Tower Single Channel backup Site
This single channel site will remain as tertiary backup site in the advent both the primary and secondary site fail.

Channel Transmit (MHz) Receive (MHz)
9 410.5625 419.5625

So what is really going on at Wright-Pat on the TRS right now? Your help is needed.

Wright Patterson AFB Trunk System Update

Our original profile of the Wright-Patterson AFB was posted to this blog on July 10, 2006. Now according to Mark Meece on the Milcom newsgroups reports that the system has now been narrowbanded. Here is the new information from Mark.



System: Motorola Type II Mixed Mode (3600 baud)
Motorola System ID: 2b1c
Base Frequency: 406.350 MHz, Spacing: 12.5-kHz, Offset: 380
Frequencies: 408.7625 408.9625 409.1625c 409.3625 409.5625 409.9625 410.1625 410.3625 410.5625 410.7625

Based on so information we have been told off the record the talkgroups from the old analog system are being used on this new mixed mode (analog/digital) system. Additional field reports to confirm this would be appreciated.

Talkgroups:
16 Patterson Ground
48 Unknown user/usage
112 Civil Engineering – Housing
144 Unknown user/usage
176 Crash Crews
208 Hazardous Material?
272 Fire Ground
336 Unknown user/usage
368 Fire – crosspatch to 154.280 MHz
400 Unknown user/usage
432 Unknown user/usage
496 Base Operations
528 U.S. Air Force Museum
560 Unknown user/usage
592 Fire/Medic 1
624 Unknown user/usage
656 Fire Ground
688 Fire Ground
720 Unknown user/usage
752 Civil Engineering
816 Civil Engineering – Grounds
944 Transportation
976 Fuel Control
1008 88 Air Base Wing Flight Line
1040 Security car to car
1072 Flight Line
1136 Flight Line
1200 Unknown user/usage
1232 Supply
1584 Unknown user/usage (heard Charlie 3, Cobra 1 on weekend)
2352 Medical Net?
2384 Unknown user/usage
2480 Bio Net
2512 Unknown user/usage
2640 Unknown user/usage
2704 Unknown user/usage
3216 445 Airlift Wing Aircraft Maintenance
3248 Nightwatch Net (E-4B system)
3280 445 Air Wing Aeromed?
7568 Unknown user/usage
8016 Security 1
8048 Security 2
8080 Security 3
9776 Unknown user/usage
9808 Unknown user/usage
9840 Unknown user/usage
9904 Commo
10000 Unknown user/usage
10064 Unknown user/usage
10128 Unknown user/usage
10224 Civil Engineering
10320 Unknown user/usage – testing radios
10352 Unknown User Maintenance
10640 Civil Engineering
10672 445 Air Wing
10736 Unknown user/usage – testing radios
10800 Civil Engineering
10928 Civil Engineering
10960 Fire
11008 Unknown user/usage
11024 Security Tactical
11056 Security Tactical
11088 Security Tactical
11216 Transportation
11248 445 Air Wing
11280 445 Air Wing Aircraft Maintenance
11312 Flight Line Operations