Grounded, but governing the sky

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Allison E. Day
  • Cooperative Cope Thunder Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) --  While F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons take off from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, for one of the many Cooperative Cope Thunder exercise scenarios, Japanese and Australian weapons control officers sit side by side viewing and controlling the sky.

To do so, the controllers use a computer-based ground control system that provides raw data of the fighter aircraft’s location.

“By using this system, controllers are able to tell the location of all aircraft,” said Tech. Sgt. Mark Cooper, a 176th Air Control Squadron weapons director with the Alaska Air National Guard. “We’re trained to use electronic means of figuring out the difference between military and civilian aircraft and their location.”

The controllers are a part of the mission because everything pilots do is based on information provided by ground controllers.

The purpose and mission of the controllers are the same around the world; however, the equipment they use varies at different locations.

“The function keys on this system are a little different from the one I normally work with at home, but once I figured it out, it was okay,” said Japanese 1st Lt. Jun Yamada, weapons control officer.

Things have been a little bit more challenging for Australian Flying Officer Chris O’Donoghue, a weapons control officer with the 114th Mobile Control and Reporting Unit, and fellow officer Flight Lt. Heidi Schumacher, a weapons control officer with the 41st Wing.

“At home, we have a totally different system, so we’ve needed a lot of training and assistance on this system,” Officer O’Donoghue said. Both teams said they have received a lot of willing help from the 176th ACS Airmen.

“We don’t mind helping out at all,” Sergeant Cooper said. “They basically do the same jobs we do. Their systems may be different, but they understand the concept.”

It has been a good opportunity to learn how the United States conducts operations, Lieutenant Yamada said.

“In Japan, I normally control four to six fighters, but here it’s challenging because it’s up to 25 [aircraft] during exercise scenarios,” Lieutenant Yamada said. “I enjoy my job because I control the fighters in any direction. Fighter pilots can see a limited area, but as a weapons officer, I see the entire area.”

It is what we call “the God’s eye view,” Sergeant Cooper said.

“Looking at the screen, we have the ability to give the pilot the ... distance and height of his target from a predetermined point,” he said.

The exercise provides the most valid and realistic threat representation, officials said.

“This exercise gives our pilots the opportunity to train in a vast area with other countries while providing very realistic scenarios for our air-to-air combat training,” said Japanese Maj. Nobuyuki Watanabe, an F-15 pilot. “Ground controllers play an important part of our mission.”