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Show September 5, 2002 Workshop offers preview of new technologies r by Ma. James R. Wilson 419th FW Public Affairs Office acceleration forces, much of a pilot's blood is During high-the toward body's lower half. In a matter of seconds, a pushed shift in blood volume away from the brain can cause a blackout. To fight such deadly occurrences, fighter pilots use pneumatic G if than 30 vendors provided a glimpse of what life in 21st Century Air Force could look like during the 5 Worldwide Life Support Workshop Aug. at Snowbird, Utah. Engineers and product specialists used the opportunity to promote devices currently being considered by Air Force officials to improve aircrew survivability and enhance overall mission effectiveness. "The entire basis for the workshop is to provide information to life support specialists on new procedures and technologies," said Chief Master Sgt. Mark Anderson, head of the 419th Fighter for the event Wing's life support office which served as st with the FW. 388th along For one week, the lobby of the Snowbird Lodge near Salt Lake City resembled something akin to the set of a Star Trek episode replete with dozen of gadgets boasting next generation More anti-- 12-1- j in: (Hr 1 Peter Stumpen left provides an overview of Libelle's anti-suit during the recent life suport antl-13. The suit was one of many new workshop, Aug. on items display. technology Mr. liquid-fille- d th Integrated Mission Helmet One of the proposals being considered by the Air Force, and on display during the workshop, is for an Integrated Mission Helmet. The concept was created from a need to address multiple mission scenarios with what has been to this point a protective piece of life support gear. "The helmets Air Force pilots use today was built for one head protection," said Mr. Bill Wood, marketing purpose "The helmet has representative from GENTEX Corporation. and become an extension integral part of the weapons actually system." The IMH is a two-pa- rt helmet system that consists of an inner helmet that is custom fitted and can be matted to a variety of outer helmet assemblies. The outer shell is made of composite material and provides complimentary features that make the unit a fully functional protective helmet. - JKl Photo by Maj. James R. Wilson ay day-to-d- Q G when performing nighttime operations. While effective, aircrews have compared the circular field of view offered by current NVGs to "viewing through a soda straw." Panoramic NVGs offer an intensified field of view that more view provided by the current than doubles the circular ee goggles. the panoramic goggles with the user in maintainers and life support personnel," said Mr. David Hale, vice president of business development for Insight Technology Incorporated. "An advanced version of the goggles will incorporate overlay information from image sources such as the heads up display." "We've designed mind-aircre- Liquid-fille- d anti-- G suit The Air Force is also evaluating a new concept in aircrew suit. Operational full body protection-- a liquid-filleanti-in Swiss the "Libelle" of began May at Holloman testing Air Force Base, N.M. and Edwards AFB, Calif. Using hydrostatic liquid force to regulate suit pressure, the Libelle, which means "dragonfly" in Swiss, could prove better suits. than current pneumatic (compressed air) anti-anti-gravi- ty d, G Panoramic Night Vision Goggles Pilots in the 419th FW have been training with Night Vision Goggles since the fall of 1996. Once introduced, NVGs provided Air Force aircrews with tactical advantages over adversaries G anti-- G straining maneuver. liquid-base- t co-ho- technology. The workshop itself netted hundreds of active duty, Guard, Reserve, Coast Guard and Department of Defense civilians in the life support career field. Among other tasks, life support technicians take care of oxygen masks, flight helmets and survival vests on a basis. Besides the daily checks, technicians also perform monthly inspections, which include disassembling helmets piece by piece. suits and the G "One of the big advantages of the Libelle ensemble is that it does not require compressed air currently used for pressurized breathing," said Mr. Peter Stumpen, product specialist for Libelle. d G suit reduces fatigue and still "Consequently, the allows the pilot to talk while pulling nine Gs." Test and evaluation of the suit is expected to last for several more years before reaching the operational fighter unit, Virtual Reality Parachute Simulator 419th FW pilots practice parachute emergency procedures in order to safely and inexpensively develop proficiency in what could be a life or death situation. The Air Force's answer for this requirement was to invest in a Virtual Reality parachute simulator to address these training requirements in a realistic and cost effective environment. While pilots in the 419th have been utilizing the VR simulator for approximately two years, they'll soon notice some new upgrades that were recently installed to the device which will further enhance training effectiveness. "Among other improvements, we've now made the helmet compatible" so the user can now utilize helmet, visor, oxygen mask and communications equipment for egress situations, said Mr. Jeffrey Hogue, principle specialist, Systems Technology Inc. "We've also significantly improved the graphics for the simulator to more closely replicate actual landing areas versus notional locations." Other product demonstrations provided at the workshop included a low profile survival vest ensemble, improved NOMEX flight gloves and survival radios for covert conducting communications as well as a process for testing the radios not previously possessed. The workshop also included an overview of new procedures that affect how all airmen in the wing will practice and fight wars in the future. Life support technicians went through a processing line to see how those members exposed to chemical and The biological agents in war will be decontaminated. Contaminant Air Processing System includes all readiness items necessary to fight, sustain attacks, and fight again another day. One of the major changes outline under the new program includes tailored responses to attacks. "If a bomb explodes on one end of an installation, that area would implement appropriate attack measures while the other "Where part of the base might not," said Chief Anderson. warfighting is concerned, this process is revolutionary." enables Reserve to support AEF WRIGHT FLYER, continued from page A Flexibility aerodynamics program at USU. Dave Widauf, an associate professor at the university and project head, came up with the idea while planning ideas for students senior projects. "Why not build a replica of the Wright Flyer?" he said. "And why not use materials that would can then provide a high degree of predictability for our people who are deploying. We have historically taken care of our people when we go through these kinds of changes." AFRC must continue to reorganize in order for deploying AEF, the blueprint to meet the new demands of expeditionary forces, designed in part to provide greater t u As the dynamics of war,it the general said. In doing so, stability- - and predictability for may require training and war fighting the men and women of the Air restructuring in numbers of unit Force, has been strained but type codes and pieces of units. changes, the Air not broken by the war. As Force must change. UTCs are much as possible during the ? that codes That Is the strength alphanumeric war, the Air Force wants to identify each type of military of the Air Force." j skill. its of ensure promise and The general acknowledged deployment predictability for its members and one concern facing the Air that -- Maj. Gen. Wallace VV. their families. Force in the war on terrorism is To address recent concerns, f that certain specialty codes, operations at such as security forces an(j fire Air Force Vice Chief of Staff f Headquarters Air Force , fighters, are stressed. Gen. Robert Foglesong Reserve Command established a new office, j "Every time we fight, we "" learn new lessons, and we special assistant to the chief of staff for AEF Matters, to operate for at least should," saidGeneral Whaley. "That is the one year to review, clarify and publish AEF dynamic of the changing Air Force because we policy and guidance. In addition, every other don't know where we will fight next. One month, major command vice commanders, a lesson we've learned is the flexibility of the group of Air Staff lieutenant generals and AEF construct to fight this type of war." representatives of the AEF Center will meet Despite the shakeup of war, up to 90 percent with the vice chief of staff as the "AEF Forum" of forces can still count on returning home at to review and refine the AEF structure. their scheduled time. Replacements should "As the dynamic of war fighting changes, continue to receive up to y notices the Air Force must change. That is the strength before deploying. One reason for the high of the Air Force," said Maj. Gen. Wallace W. percentage of timely tours can be attributed to Whaley, director of operations at Headquarters the large number of reservists volunteering for Air Force Reserve Command. "The AEF deployments. (Courtesy of AFRC News structure will help balance the forces, and we Service) The ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga war on terrorism now requires that the Air Force review the construct of the Air and Space Expeditionary Force in order to meet new wartime commitments. f, " be available if the Wright Brother were building the aircraft today?" Students at the university jumped at the chance to , n ii & participate in the project. Ten senior mechanical and aerospace were students engineering selected to participate in the design project that commenced in the fall of 2001. "The timing couldn't have C . five-charact- ,, . .. a been better," said Mr. Widauf. "This project honors the Wright I iiiiiUm. i iiihii Tiiim nil imiii Photo Dy Maj. James R. Wilson and innovation brothers' persistence while showcasing Brig. Gen. F.C. Williams, 419th Fighter Wing commander, developments in the first century signs posters and caps for aspiring aviators after landing of powered aviation." at Logan-Cach- e his airport. Students spent about 4,000 The airplane will cost between $20,000 and hours drawing up the plans. The flyer, which has two seats to allow for a pilot and pilot $30,000. The project was designated an official trainer, will weigh 400 pounds 300 less than the original and cruise at 45 miles per hour, 20 centennial event by the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission. The USU replica of the mph faster than the original. While the original needed to 1905 Wright Flyer is slated to fly at the launch a them, Wright planes catapult the USU craft should take off under its own "Inventing Flight" celebration at Dayton, Ohio, in July 2003. power. . ; F-- Chief of staff approves 11 120-da- patriotic outreach program A program designed by WASHINGTON the Air Force to unite Americans in support of their military has recently been approved by the Air Force Chief of Staff. The program seeks support from key groups such as families, employers, politicians, educators, community leaders and media through a myriad of ways such as letters, posters, patches, post cards and more. "I believe 'Your Guardians of Freedom will help promote real grassroots support for the efforts of all airmen involved in Operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom," said Gen. John Jumper. "To sustain the war on terrorism to its conclusion, America's Air Force will need extensive support." Brig. Gen. Edward Tonini, the chief of staff of the Kentucky Air National Guard, originally crafted the program for troops in his home state, but soon was asked to implement it nationwide in the Air National Guard. Interest and enthusiasm for the project has now expanded across all three components of the e Air duty, Guard and Reserve. "The Air Force has Wonderful tools and wonderful weapons systems, but ultimately it all boils down to people," said General Tonini. "What we're trying to do with 'Your Guardians of Freedom' is make the support structure as solid as it can be over the long term." General Tonini's motivation for developing Force-activ- COPY the program came as he was visiting several of his troops as they were preparing to deploy. "I asked an airman, a police officer in his civilian life, how he notified his boss that he was being deployed," said General Tonini. "He said he handed in his gun and badge and told the watch officer he didn't know when h6 was coming back. It was then that I realized we had a problem. I want to make sure that when this is over and when these airmen return, they are welcomed back with open arms." The program recognizes that America's military benefited from huge public support in ($ in billions) The largest portion of the Air Force is geared towards budget (34) Air Force people and improving their way of lite. 87.2,' theimmediateaftermathofSept.il. However, that support may eventually start to erode as the war continues and as other national and world events, such as the economy, rise to the top of people's consciousness. "Our president has said several times that the war on terror is a marathon, not a sprint." Said Brig. Gen. Ronald Rand, Air Force director of public affairs. "We need to maintain support for our airmen around the world. What better way to maintain this support than to have a campaign of letters, posters and reminders that this person close to you is supporting the war on terror? This war in terror really does reach out and touch everyone." (Air Force News Service) i V v Total DoD Budget Source: Department of Defense Infographic by 379 Air J Force News Service |