Eagle Vision experiment wraps up at Lajes

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Marcus McDonald
  • 65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LAJES FIELD, Azores, Portugal --  A U.S. Department of Defense experiment testing the versatility of one of the U.S. Air Force's Eagle Vision systems wrapped up here Sept. 29.

Eagle Vision-1, based at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, is a ground communication station designed to receive a variety of information from civilian remote-sensing satellites.

"This experiment has proved our capabilities for persistently tracking ships in the Atlantic - both from here to the United States as well as from the United States to European ports," said Michael Mignone, chief of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency's Assessments Division.

With a 4-meter-wide tracking antenna and an accompanying 7-meter shelter that houses the electronics for processing the satellite signals, the Eagle Vision system allows operators to record images of the Earth on CD and DVD for later viewing.

The radar instruments gather information about objects on the sea surface by measuring the energy reflected from them, said Capt. Benjamin Powell, Eagle Vision-1 commander.

"Vessels larger than 25 meters in length can be detected on the resulting images and plotted on maritime charts," Mr. Mignone said. "Compiling histories of multiple images can reveal a lot about ocean-going traffic patterns and help to design and develop new safer and more efficient shipping routes."

Captain Powell and his team of Airmen from the 24th Intelligence Squadron at Ramstein joined the Mr. Mignone and a team of scientists from the University of Miami in conducting the two-week experiment.

The Eagle Vision-1 commander said his team is more than capable of supporting this ongoing operation.

With our capability of monitoring a 2,500-kilometer radius and visibility circle in the Atlantic, we're more than ready to support this key surveillance initiative," he said.

Staff Sgt. Omar Ruiz, commercial imagery operator for the 24th IS, said his time at Lajes has been a memorable.

"About two months ago, we were making observations in Niger," he explained. "Spending two weeks here in the Azores has been a totally different experience. We've received outstanding support, which has made it easier for us to concentrate on the mission at hand each day."

Captain Powell commented on the type of support his team received during the two-week experiment.

"From setting up our e-mail to actually building our site, the 65th CS and the rest of Team Lajes helped us tremendously in getting this $20 million system operational," he said. "We've deployed to several different places and this has been by far the best and easiest deployment for us."

Mr. Mignone echoed the captain's sentiments.

"The hospitality of everyone on the island, to include the Portuguese, has been terrific," he said. "To say that the support we've received has been fantastic would be an understatement," he expressed.

"Whatever our needs are, the 65th (Air Base Wing) has bent over backwards to take care of us," Mr. Mignone continued. "This has been the easiest experiment I've ever had to run because of the support system in place here at Lajes. Kudos goes out to everyone who had a part in helping make this a successful experiment."

Mr. Mignone said the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency officials and the University of Miami will put into application the lessons learned from this experiment and possibly return to Lajes for additional research at a later date.