606th ACS member contributes to Av-Det Rotation 13-2

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kenya Shiloh
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LASK AIR BASE, Poland --  It takes a lot of components to get a machine to work. From nuts and bolts to circuit boards, no one piece can operate on its own. It is the same for coordinating training opportunities such as Aviation Detachment Rotation 13-2 taking place May 9-26, 2013. Everyone from pilots and maintainers to security forces, comptrollers, communications and logistics all play a role in its success.

For one 606th Air Control Squadron datalink operator, his role is just as crucial to the training as anyone's. He ensures U.S. and Polish F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft pilots have the ability to communicate effectively with each other while flying training missions over Polish skies.

"My role here is to set up a Battlefield Operations Support System (BOSS) so that the U.S. F-16 pilots and the Polish F-16 pilots will be able to 'see' and 'talk' to each other while flying training missions," said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Curtis Grider, 606th Air Control Squadron command and control battle management operator. "I provide an interface for the fighter pilots to see "tracks" on their display screen and allow the controllers to see the fighters and track their maneuvers at all times. It's a way to provide digital information without having to talk to them."

This is especially important since the U.S. F-16 pilots from the 176th Fighter Squadron, 115th Fighter Wing, Wisconsin Air National Guard, are using a different datalink system than their Polish Air Force training partners.

"The BOSS, in essence, is a translator for two different languages," said Maj. Matthew Spears, an F-16 pilot and Av-Det commander. "The ability for our air forces to share a common air picture is vital to mission success, as that picture drastically increases the pilot's situational awareness. This system is yet another demonstration of our efforts to increase interoperability with the Polish Air Force."

For Grider, attending training opportunities such as the Av-Det rotation allows him to improve upon his skills as a battle management operator since he will be putting these skills to the test in the near future.

"I'll learn more about the capabilities and limitations of their systems which, in turn, helps me as an interface control officer to know what to provide [pilots] and how to get it to them as quickly and efficiently as possible," Grider said.

According to Spears, being able to set up this system would not have been possible without the support of the Polish Air Force.

"... the Polish have been more than accommodating in coordinating this effort; a true sign of their shared interest in the success of these training opportunities," Spears said.