F-14s Help Ground Forces View Their Surroundings
Aero-News has learned the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)
proved quick to answer the fleet’s request to install
technology on F-14 Tomcats that gives boots on the ground an eye in
the sky.
In early November, aviators serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom
requested their Tomcats have the technology to download data to
Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receivers (ROVER) - laptop
computers that give troops the ability to view their surroundings
from the aircraft’s point of view.
"When an air crew establishes radio contact with troops on the
ground, the first question they are asked is 'are you ROVER
download-capable?' That shows how important it is to them," said
Lt. Cmdr. Lee "Griz" Grubbs, class desk for NAVAIR’s F-14
program (PMA 241), Patuxent River Naval Air Station, MD.
The F-14 program responded to the fleet request with an
unprecedented push from requirement to real-world capability. The
program had an obvious mandate to equip the aircraft early enough
to make a difference on this last Tomcat deployment. Grubbs eyed
another looming deadline he wanted to precede –- Iraq's
December 15 elections to determine the government’s president
and prime minister.
In six weeks -- a blink of an eye on the acquisition and
development time scale -- the program moved from paper to
installing the data transfer systems on Tomcats, even allowing
several days for pilots to train with the technology before
election day. The systems arrived on the carrier December 10. The
first ROVER download-equipped flight took place the next day.
"The team demonstrated NAVAIR’s capability at its best,"
said Grubbs. "We probably made a significant difference in theater.
We may have had a direct impact on the overall peace that existed
during the Iraqi elections."
The program lassoed help from several organizations to complete
multiple tasks in parallel, which significantly hastened results.
Randy Snyder led a team at Jacksonville conducting the engineering
study. The Tomcat program at Patuxent River Naval Air Station
pursued regulatory approvals such as a flight clearance and
approval for an interim airframe change.
The program has now equipped 22 Tomcats, with additional systems
to spare. The upgrades to the Tomcat squadrons more than doubles
the number of aircraft flying Operation Iraqi Freedom missions with
the capability to download to ROVER.
"I saw tremendous teamwork and a sense that what they were doing
would make a difference for the warfighter," said F-14 Program
Manager Chris Frayser. "Everyone contributed, and everything
happened just right. It was not about getting a pat on the back, or
about the money, it was about taking pride. It was awesome!"
"This success is part
of our team’s continuing contribution to the Navywide goal of
delivering the right force, with the right readiness, and at the
right cost," said Rear Adm. David Venlet, program executive officer
for Tactical Aircraft Programs. Venlet oversees the efforts of PMA
241. "You’ll see much more of this as the Naval Aviation
Enterprise continues to streamline development and procurement of
the systems we send forward to our fleet warfighters."
The Naval Aviation Enterprise is a partnership among naval
leadership to optimize processes that maintain current readiness
while investing in future readiness.
The enterprise concept focuses naval aviation on the single
fleet-driven metric of producing aircraft ready for tasking at
reduced cost.
(Aero-News salutes Chuck Wagner, PEO(T) Public
Affairs)
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