Moody Air Force Base, Georgia – Command and control are vital for efficient decision making, coordination and communication within organizations, enabling the ability to adapt to changing situations.
To meet future warfighting needs, Team Moody maintainers and Lockheed Martin technicians are working together to upgrade combat systems officer stations in the 71st Rescue Squadron's HC-130J Combat King II fleet.
“These upgrades will allow us to communicate with anyone on the battlefield in real time, enhancing our capabilities and allowing us to execute our rescue mission,” said Capt. Drew Houghton, 71st RQS combat systems officer. “As these systems continue to be modified and upgraded, they maintain the same basic language, which allows for backward compatibility and allows the upgrade to work for the foreseeable future.”
One of the largest system upgrades is the integration of Link 16 — a tactical data link communications system used by U.S., NATO and coalition forces — to transmit and exchange real-time situational awareness data between all network participants. This will create seamless integration with future allies and partners using the data link system.
“The upgrade will allow the HC-130J to integrate, coordinate and communicate not only with other Air Force units, but will also allow our community to leverage support from joint forces and networked partner nation forces to conduct rescue operations in contested environments,” Houghton said. .
Because combat systems officers are the eyes and ears of the sky, having a complete, connected vision picture is vital to collecting critical data, making quick decisions and executing the mission, even through degraded communications in an austere environment.
Houghton explained that communication in the sky is not always clear. If the distance between aircraft was too great, voice communications to the previous CSO station were not always successful. These upgrades will modernize technology to ensure the HC-130J rescue platform is at the forefront of evolving battlefield requirements, which include a combined all-domain rescue force.
“Our primary mission is combat search and rescue,” Tech said. Sgt. Thomas Tennemon, flight line speeder for the 71st Rescue Squadron and maintenance support coordinator for Lockheed Martin. “Any technology that allows us to find people when they need us is our biggest impact.
He continued: “We are working to upgrade our technology to stay at the forefront of the battle.” “Day by day, we may not see the impact, but as our enemies change, we have to keep moving forward.”
Having the ability to seamlessly integrate with joint forces is critical to operate effectively anytime, anywhere, as every second counts during rescue operations.
This is the first phase of modernizing 10 stations, which is expected to be completed towards the end of the year. With the upgrades completed, all of Moody's HC-130J fleet will have the ability to evolve as technology advances to prepare for future battle.
