Posted on 04/03/2002 8:23:43 PM PST by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
04/03/02 - EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- With its low-observable stealth technology, the F-117 Nighthawk has proven its ability to fly deep into enemy territory and unleash an array of weapons with pinpoint accuracy.
In an effort to improve the combat effectiveness of the stealth fighter, test experts from the F-117 Combined Test Force at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., are working to expand what it brings to the fight.
On April 2, developmental test experts in Palmdale teamed up with their operational counterparts from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., to complete the second phase of a demonstration project designed to provide the F-117 and its pilots with the ability to receive and transmit mission and target data in real-time from the air.
Phase one tests, completed in October of 1998, allowed a pilot to receive live-threat information and manually replan a mission from the cockpit. The second phase completed the test cycle by demonstrating the transmission of real-time mission and target data out of the cockpit and into the hands of command and control forces on the ground.
F-117 pilot Lt. Col. Phil DeLillo from Holloman flew the final test flight April 2 over the Naval Air Warfare Center's China Lake test range in California.
Soon after takeoff, DeLillo received new target information, which required him to replan the mission from the cockpit and attack a new target in a different location. After successfully replanning the mission, DeLillo identified and simulated an attack on the new target. Within minutes he transmitted real-time battle damage assessment data back to command and control forces working inside the CTF.
Until this testing, the potential time-critical combat capabilities of the F-117 had not been explored, said DeLillo, who serves at Holloman as the commander of Detachment 1 of Air Combat Command's 53rd Test and Evaluation Group. The group is located at Nellis, AFB, Nev.
Test pilots at the CTF previously flew test missions similar to DeLillo's using laser-guided bombs to destroy new targets and provide real-time battle damage assessments back to ground forces. Building on the work of the CTF, DeLillo's operational review served as the final chapter in the overall test project.
With modern enemy forces getting better at moving and hiding critical targets, DeLillo said the Air Force has to improve its time-critical targeting capabilities.
"We have to reduce the timeline of detection, targeting and weapon impact," said DeLillo. "The inherent surprise offered by stealth can enhance our response to time-critical targets. Without this type of capability, the F-117 can't be considered the weapon system of choice against time-critical targets."
The target data technology works by allowing the aircraft to receive and transmit tactical information on targets or pop-up threats via satellite communication, said Mike Seelos, the test’s project manager.
"We know the stealth fighter is very capable as a weapon delivery platform, but now we've seen that it has the potential to play a reconnaissance role in a combat environment," Seelos said.
The fighter's ability to send and receive text and images enhances its combat flexibility yet does not compromise its stealth configuration, Seelos said.
Experts from test, operational and acquisition communities are working to include the F-117's time-critical targeting capabilities in the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment, or JEFX, in August. This year's chief of staff-sponsored experiment will focus on new integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technologies.
If Iraq thought the F-117 was fun the first time around, just wait for round 2 (which I predict will end in an Iraqi knockout).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.