"BOMBS AWAY - A Block 30 F-16 from the 416th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards drops a joint direct attack munition, during testing in January at Edwards Air Force Base. Software had to be changed after the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom."
Posted on 04/13/2003 10:26:14 AM PDT by BenLurkin
EDWARDS AFB - With advancements in technology, dropping bombs requires more than just flipping a switch. Software, global positioning systems and explosives are integrated to create a precise explosion on a direct target.
So what happens when the system as a whole displays performance problems in combat?
For the pilots flying combat missions over Iraq, Block 30 F-16s have a new software load, which the 416th Flight Test Squadron has been working on for some time.
According to Lt. Col. Evan Thomas, 416th Flight Test Squadron director of operations, after the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, an intermittent problem occurred when munitions were being dropped. The software had to be changed, and Edwards was called to test it.
"As Operation Iraqi Freedom began, Block 30 F-16s armed with JDAMs began having problems," Thomas said. "We immediately started getting reports that the employment of those weapons weren't going as expected, which created deficiencies and prevented the pilots from carrying out their mission."
Around 9:30 a.m. March 21, the call came in to Edwards that there was a problem. Because of the vital missions being carried out overseas, the problem had to be fixed and fast.
"Ogden Air Logistics Center got the call right before we did and began working with the software," Thomas said. "They found a solution to the problem and had the software sent to us electronically by 12:30 p.m. The disk with the new software was taken directly to the aircraft and programmed in."
According to Thomas, the whole flight crew did a tremendous job of prepping the aircraft; they had it ready to fly immediately. The components inside were reprogrammed with the new software, and the weapons troops were ready to roll.
"It was pretty impressive to see the guys on the front end of the aircraft still trying to load the software, while the weapons folks had already hung up their equipment and were completing the station check prior to loading the JDAMs," said Thomas. "All these things were happening at once. The crew was eager and did not want to lose a moment of time on this project."
With the updated software and two joint direct attack munitions loaded, the plane was flown to China Lake Naval Weapons Station, where both JDAMs were dropped on targets that day.
The next day, an aircraft from the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Test Center in Tucson, Ariz., was flown in and paired up with a 416th Flight Test Squadron jet to conduct a combined developmental and operational test with the joint direct attack munitions on the firing range.
"As soon as the bombs were dropped, we received information that the software was working correctly, and turned around and released the system back into the field," said Kypp Wetmore, 416th FLTS lead armament engineer with the test.
Maj. Nate Smith, the 416th FLTS project pilot and one of the pilots on the accelerated test, said this was a remarkable effort.
"It was absolutely amazing how much we got accomplished in such a short period of time," Smith said. "We finished this test a little under 30 hours. The same effort normally takes weeks. The amount of time it took to identify the problem, find a solution, test it and get it back into operation was incredible."
Thomas agreed, saying without the help from 19 different organizations here, the accelerated test could not have been completed so fast.
"Multiple test activities were being accomplished simultaneously," said Tom Pugh, Block 30 flight test program manager from Hill AFB, Utah. "The Edwards team was an important part of the overall test effort." The joint direct attack munition test acceleration involved several organizations within Air Force Materiel Command.
"We had tremendous support from our own organizations," he said.
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