NAVAIR Patuxent River, MD -- The PMA-231 Advanced Applications & Experimentation Integrated Product Team (AA&E IPT) here completed a successful deployment to Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif., to participate in Empire Challenge 2008 in late July.

The specially modified E-2C operated by Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 20, identified as “XHawk,” was used to prove the military utility and capability of several network applications in a combat-relevant environment.

EC 08 was sponsored by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to demonstrate the impact of new technology on the collection and sharing of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) data among multiple platforms. EC 08 was a joint and coalition exercise, with participation from the four U.S. military services along with Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Participation in Empire Challenge is part of the progression to improving the Hawkeye’s capabilities by harnessing new technology, said Lee Davis, AA&E IPT lead.

“Over the past year, we have been developing Internet Protocol based applications in an effort to use the principles of Network Centric Warfare. However, it takes a joint, dynamic and operationally relevant scenario to accurately judge these applications. It’s all about improving warfighter capabilities,” said Davis.

Using Tactical Targeting Network Technology, the XHawk exchanged data and imagery with the U.S. Air Force Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and the MIT/Lincoln Labs “Paul Revere” airborne command and control test bed. Other participants included China Lake’s Michelson Laboratory, operating as a surrogate Combined Air Operations Center; the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, E/A-18G Growler, AV-8B Harrier, U.S. Air Force JSTARS, Global Hawk and other Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

The team successfully demonstrated the utility of the Joint Automated Deep Operations Coordination System (JADOCS) - a Command and Control (C2) situational awareness tool - and StrikeLinkTM, an application that provides target and control data to strike platforms in the form of digital information, rather than voice, said Davis.

“The Joint Automated Deep Operations Coordination System is the standard deep operations management tool deployed worldwide,” said Scott Ponsor, the JADOCS lead for EC 08. “However, it has never been used in airborne command and control platforms before. It allows for collaborative mission planning and execution across all levels of warfare. The IP network at EC 08 provided an opportunity to demonstrate the ability of JADOCS to dramatically decrease the time to execution with a corresponding increase in accuracy,” Scott concluded.

“StrikeLinkTM enabled the XHawk to digitally task tactical aircraft to conduct Close Air Support, Non-Traditional ISR and Time Sensitive Targeting missions at Empire Challenge. The use of digital tasking reduces aircrew workload, decreases the potential for human error, and ensures that tactical aircraft are ready to execute their missions in the shortest possible time, said Chris Bates, StrikeLink lead for EC 08.”

The final portion of the XHawk’s EC 08 effort was to exchange near, real time radar and electronic surveillance track data with the U.S. Air Force AWACS aircraft. Each employing its own brand of Web service tools, the E-2C and AWACS shared track information over an IP network via publish/subscribe methodology. This method not only provides a viable alternative to tactical data links for sharing track data and other pertinent information between C2 platforms, but it also extends the battle space and provides better situational awareness as more joint and coalition participants are able to see the same track picture.

“Through the hard work of the government and contractor teams, we were able to show during Empire Challenge the ability of netted applications to increase the capabilities of new and legacy aircraft. We are testing emerging technologies that will someday be, and in some cases already are, integrated into weapon systems on the front lines of the Global War on Terrorism,” said Davis of the deployment to China Lake, Calif.

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Cutline:
Members of the Hawkeye Greyhound Advanced Applications & Experimentation Integrated Product Team completed a successful deployment to Naval Air Weapons Stations China Lake, Calif., to participate in Empire Challenge 2008 in late July. The event is held annually to test new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technologies and concepts.