THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 10, 1995 TAG: 9504100031
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: STUMPY POINT LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
High above a marshy peat bog, more than 15 miles from the nearest village, an Air Force pilot holds his fighter jet just below the clouds.
Suddenly, an image shoots onto his radar screen. Heat-seeking missiles appear to be heading right at him. The pilot hits a button on his control board.
Two flares fall from the plane.
Within an hour, the pilot will know whether he would have survived the enemy attack, thanks to the Air Force's combat simulation station in Dare County.
With the flick of a switch, engineers at the station can launch simulated surface-to-air missiles at a B-1 bomber; fire imitation anti-aircraft artillery at a flat-winged A-10 jet; or make pilots of 14 different types of fighter planes feel as if a battery of ground troops is shooting at them.
``We can present 50 different threats to the pilots - including most of what they would encounter if they went to war anywhere in the world today,'' said Air Force Master Sgt. William A. Place, fastidiously dressed in combat fatigues and shiny black lace-up boots. ``The idea is to enhance the training missions for our air crews. We want to give them as much realism as possible so they feel they're flying over a defended, enemy area.
``We have an electronic counter that measures the time release in response to when the missiles would have been shot. We also videotape their flights so they can see if they reacted correctly - as well as quickly.
``They don't get hurt this way. We don't harm the aircraft. But they get to feel what it's like to be fired at. And this way, they have to respond.''
In July 1993, the Air Force established this Electronic Combat Station on the Dare County mainland. One of only 16 such sites in the country, the facility operates on a 46,000-acre Air Force bombing range off Route 264 - between Stumpy Point and Engelhard. Military planes from around the nation make more than 70 passes each day.
From the outside, the war games headquarters isn't impressive. Eight trailers, linked with insulated walkways, are overshadowed by a giant satellite dish. Inside, however, two dozen military engineers operate a myriad of electronic devices.
Place's crew operates the electronic combat station five days a week, with a $250,000 annual budget. Most of the military men live on the Outer Banks and commute more than an hour to work. None are pilots.
``With our system, we can simulate anti-aircraft artillery from both naval and ground forces,'' Air Force Staff Sgt. Bryan Defosse said from in front of his glowing green computer screen. ``We can give the pilots air-to-air combat from almost any type of plane in the world. Chinese, Russian, Middle Eastern operations - we can enact them all with this electronic equipment.
``Usually, the pilots tell us what they want to try to combat. From their seats, it's as if they really were in a war. The signals we send up help them identify different types of threats, better understand how to respond to them, and get used to certain restrictions like altitude.''
The electronic warfare station has two radar systems, a $6.5 million Multiple Threat Emitter System and a $4 million Threat Analysis and Indicator System. The first creates the threats that air crews see on their radar screens. The second tracks pilots' reactions.
Real artillery is never used.
But for the pilots, the images flying across their radar screens are the next best thing.
``We can give them real-time, real-life scenarios to practice on. If we can evaluate the pilots' counter-measures here, they'll go into future combat situations with a little bit more confidence,'' Defosse said. ``We're trying to help the military save lives and planes.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
DREW C. WILSON
Staff
Above, Air Force Master Sgt. William A. Place stands before an array
of radar at the combat simulation station in Dare County. At right,
an A-10 Warthog leaves a shroud of smoke as it fires machine guns
over the bombing range. Bottom right, Matthew R. Coulter and Kevin
Scollan, background, send signals to imitate the launch of missiles
as bombers fly overhead.
by CNB