Predators of the mountains

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. James Law
  • 455 Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) --  In an environment where the enemy troops conceal themselves among civilians and mountainous terrain, Airmen in the 62nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron provide the warfighter real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data to combat that enemy.

The weapon of choice: the MQ-1 Predator.

The unit performs this operation jointly with Airmen at Creech Air Force Base, Nev.

"We are called an LRE, or launch and recovery element, and the (Airmen) back in the states are the MCE, or the mission control element," said Maj. Lichen Pursley, 62nd ERS commander.

Major Pursley explained this meant the Airmen in 62nd ERS are responsible for piloting the unmanned aerial vehicles during takeoff and landing. The pilots and sensor operators at Creech remotely take control of the aircraft once it has reached altitude.

"It takes us about 45 minutes to get to altitude," said Major Pursley. "During that time, instead of just looking off into space, we are working with the Joint Defense Operation Center here to provide base defense."

Major Pursley explained the majority of the work done for the JDOC is performing route scans. The data provides increased reliability of intelligence and real-time definition of the surrounding area.

The 62nd Airmen also provide overwatch for the JDOC when they are performing missions in the local areas. Major Pursley said they recently gathered ISR on an area where a large cache of rockets was hidden and watched as a team raided the location and removed the ordnance.

"We can provide raid support where we are talking to the guys on the ground and telling them, 'Hey, a light just came on, they might hear you coming' or 'A squirtter just left the building' and tell them which direction he is heading," said Major Pursley.

The Airmen keeping these aircraft ready for whatever objective they are tasked with are the total force maintainers deployed from Creech.

"These aircraft are very reliable; a lot of our maintenance is schedule driven," said Maj. James Hood, the 62nd ERS maintenance officer-in-charge.

Airman 1st Class Troy Spence, a 62nd ERS crew chief, explained the bulk of maintenance performed is routine engine tune-ups, overhauls and replacements.

"We do a 360-hour and 720-hour inspection," said Airman Spence. "That is where we'll pull apart the motor, clean it and replace a few parts."

Airman Spence explained the life of the motors on the Predator is 1,080 hours.

"At 1,080 (hours) we send it back; those engines are no good to us," he said.

Over the past four months, the ERS flew more than 460 combat missions, totaling more than 8,500 flying hours, providing commanders and planners real-time "eyes-in-the-sky" information.

Whether the Predator is following an operation or high-value target for a long period of time or executing a strike, the 62nd ERS Airmen provide a force-multiplying capability to ground forces engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Comment on this story  (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

View the comments/letters page