Military

By Staff Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. - The "smart tanker" is what it's been called. However, it's more like a revolution in tanker technology.

For the Warriors of the North here, this revolution involving the Roll-on Beyond Line of Sight, or ROBE, pallet-equipped tanker first became a reality in August.

Initially, ROBE will be a data relay that will allow Line of Sight/Beyond Line of Sight communication among members of a network. The primary objective is to connect battle directors in the Air and Space Operations Center to those communicating in theater or en route.

According to Senior Master Sgt. Dean Josephson, 319th Maintenance Operations Squadron quality assurance superintendent, the 319th Air Refueling Wing was first tasked with establishing a memorandum of agreement with the contractors for ROBE technology. Once that agreement was made, he approached the 319th Operations Group standardization/evaluation section for help. That help came from Capt. Dave Pratt, a 906th Air Refueling Squadron pilot.

Pratt said Maj. Ghevond Hookassian, 319th OG stan/eval chief at the time, worked with Josephson to coordinate with the crew who would fly the plane and how the aircraft modification would take place.

"This [ROBE] pallet is smaller than your standard size pallet, but they're still working on it and its size is still not determined," Pratt said. "It comes in about four cases with all the electronic equipment that plugs in to the hard wiring on the plane."

Staff Sgt. Dan Miller, 319th Maintenance Operations Squadron communications/navigation QA assessor, said the wing is in the process of uploading four cases containing electronic gear in more of the wing's KC-135R Stratotankers. He explained how that upload takes place.

"We hook it up to a power source and turn it over to the aircrew," Miller said. "We also added three more antennas for this modification that will be used for communications and to relay information."

According to Air Mobility Command officials, ROBE is the first in a family of Scalable, Modular, Airborne, Relay Terminals, or SMART, that will grow in capability with the availability of software programmable radios and advanced antennas. SMART terminals will reside on tankers and will be suitable for other platforms including unmanned and ground- or sea-based vehicles.

During an Oct. 23 demonstration for the Air Force chief of staff, Pratt piloted a ROBE pallet-equipped KC-135R which successfully moved all tactical data from deployed F-15s and Joint STARS to an operations center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. The demonstration team also reset the system during flight to demonstrate the ROBE system can be remotely controlled.

Pratt said being the pilot on such a historically significant event was a great experience, but he treated it as he would any other significant flight he's taken.

"It was really easy from my side of it because it was me just flying the jet again, but this time in a specific profile," Pratt said. "It was an honor to have two major generals on board who were a part of the team. To know the flight was monitored by the Air Force chief of staff - Gen. John P. Jumper - was also a great honor."

Pratt said his job was mainly to "keep the flight safe and keep the plane out of trouble."

Once it is finalized, Pratt said tankers equipped with this technology will provide pilots with a display that shows them what the battle space looks like.

"This includes things like Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine assets as well as foreign threats and other things," Pratt said. "It eventually will give tanker pilots nearly the same capability an airborne warning and control system controller has."

Miller, who has worked extensively on this project, said this is truly history in the making.

"Just like General Jumper said, this is a 'smart tanker,'" Miller said. "The tankers will now serve as flying communications relays and translators that put fighter aircrews and others in direct contact with air operations centers and aircraft. Since the tankers are already in the air providing aerial refueling they are in perfect position to create an 'Internet' in the sky."

By this spring, the Air Force will field the first full, ROBE-equipped SMART tanker, from the 319th ARW, and complete delivery of the remaining 19 palletized systems and 39 modified aircraft by next fall.

"Only one aircraft has been modified to perform this mission," Josephson said. "In March, the Air Logistics Center from Tinker Air Force Base (Okla.) will take another aircraft and ensure the procedures that were used on the last plane are sound. If all goes well, many additional aircraft will be modified to carry the pallet."

Pratt said completion of this project at Grand Forks shows how the Warriors of the North here are a "lead wing" for the 21st century Air Force.

"Whenever Grand Forks gets tasked for a new mission, whether it's a new test or something like that, we know the people here will do everything they can to execute it to the best of their ability," Pratt said.