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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 0133.PDF
JSTARS workstation layout Communications consoles Five central computers Extra crew seating TSS stations — Operations section \ V AMSS consoles Navigator's station — Bunk Beds FLIGHT. verted 707 airframes was also criticised in 1996 in a report by the US Department of Defense's (DoD) director of operational test and evalua tion. For example, the aircraft cannot use NATO-standard 2,400m (7,900ft) runways without a fuel reduction, says die report. Re- engineing could help solve these problems, but would be expensive. "(The airfield perfor mance] constrains us at times," says Freniere, who points out rjiat people always want more. "In flight, it doesn't matter," he adds. On this mission, we took off at around 02:30, and headed towards die Adriatic, climbing slowly. It took around 1.5h to reach Bosnia from Frankfurt. Operation Joint Endeavour II in volves die withdrawal of existing United Nations Implementation Force soldiers, and their replacement by Stabilisation Force troops. The JSTARS provides the unique ability to monitor this transition, while also monitoring compliance with the Dayton Peace Accords. The aircraft commander was Capt Mike Edwards, and Maj Don Kepley was the mission- crew commander. For this mission, the crew was charged with monitoring Bosnia's south eastern Multi-National Division (MND), or sector, where French ground forces are sta tioned. UK and US troops occupy the south western and northern MNDs. It was planned that our aircraft would be flown in an orbital pattern inside Bosnian air space for 3 -4h, before heading back out over the Adriatic to rendezvous with a Boeing KC-13 5 R tanker for aerial refuelling. The aircraft would then return to its "orbit" for a further 3-4h. Because of the resumption of commercial flights through the airspace above Bosnia, the JSTARS was flown below its normal operating altitude of around 3 5,000ft. Most of the mission was flown at about 29,000ft, which reduces slighdy the area which the radar can monitor, and results in higher fuel consumption. As the aircraft reached the Bosnian border, the navigator monitored its position relative to the planned course, which is shown on his large display, overlaid onto a map. The navigator's console is separate from die flightdeck, and is therefore equipped with several analogue dis plays providing primary flight information such as altitude, speed and heading. It is also fitted with a flight-management system (FMS) unit, identical to those in the cockpit. The FMS uses data from dual inertial-navigation systems and a global-positioning-system receiver to calcu late the aircraft's position. Meanwhile, the radar had already been switched on, confirmed by a series of "clunks" audible in the aircraft's cabin.The phased-array radar antenna, the largest ever mounted in an aircraft, is housed inside an 8m-long canoe- shaped radome beneath the forward fuselage. 'RACE-TRACK' ORBIT Following a short holding period over the Adriatic with the crew awaiting final clearance, the E-8C was put into a "race-track" orbit as we entered Bosnian airspace. The orbit was orient ed roughly east to west, and measured around 140km (75nm) in length by 18km wide, and centred some 65km north of the "intended area of interest", says Freniere. Rob Faulk, an instructor navigator, says that the orbit is sometimes adjusted during a mission, "...to get the best radar data". He adds that so much information is available via the operator's consoles that an important aspect is rationalising what is displayed. "The biggest challenge is: 'What information do you want to manage to successfully do your job?'," he says, for the oper ator to avoid "information overload". Behind the navigator's console are two com munications consoles. The operators at these consoles manage surveillance and control datalinks with ground-station modules (GSMs), as well as ultra-high frequency, very- high-frequency and high-frequency voice channels and a satellite-communications datalink. The JSTARS also communicates with AWACS aircraft via the Joint Tactical In formation Distribution System secure data- communications network. Each GSM consists of a ground data terminal and general-purpose data-processing and display equipment, mounted on a 5t truck. These units allow commanders on the ground to receive and transmit information on a near-real-time basis. Near-real-time effec tively means a "delay" of around 5-10min, says The navigator's station is located behind the flight deck, in the forward cabin FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15 - 21 January 1997 27
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