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Intel on target
Volume 49, No. 18, October 04, 2007 |
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JUST LOOKING: 87SQN intelligence personnel recently participated in multinational exercise Empire Challenge with the US, UK and Canada. Pictured is geospatial imagery-intelligence analyst CPL Mat Hunt (who is currently deployed) analysing data at 87SQN.
Photo by LAC Steve Hobbs |
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BACK-UPS: From left, CPL Mark Eigendorp, FLTLT Andrew Miller and SGT Stuart Williams at 87SQN provide reach-back support to Exercise Empire Challenge assets in the USA.
Photo by LAC Steve Hobbs |
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The ‘intelligence world’ became much larger for three members of 87SQN recently when they participated in multinational exercise
Empire Challenge (EC07) at China Lake, California.
87SQN targeting officer FLTLT Prudence Buckton and geospatial imagery-intelligence analysts (GIAs) FSGT Janet Cavell and SGT Michael Lo Proto were part of the imagery exploitation and targeting node at China Lake.
EC07 was held at the Naval Air Warfare Centre Weapons Division. More than 1400 civilian and military personnel from Australia, the US, the UK and Canada participated in the three-week exercise.
It was the fourth in a series of annual exercises aimed at demonstrating joint and coalition interoperability among intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, sensors and systems.
The requirement to integrate and communicate between various assets was developed after combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan identified technical issues with the sharing of ISR information with allied countries.
The 87SQN members were integrated into the operations centre, which for the first time in the exercise series, enabled the ability to precisely exploit, define and engage targets in a timely manner.
“EC07 provided members with the opportunity to exploit imagery from various coalition ISR platforms and use new technology and emerging software in support of imagery exploitation and targeting, which is currently not available within the ADF,” FLTLT Buckton said.
“It also provided an opportunity to compare techniques, tactics and procedures with coalition partners.”
Providing support from RAAF Base Edinburgh were 87SQN targeting officer FLTLT Andrew Miller and GIA’s SGT Stuart Williams and CPL Mark Eigendorp.
“The Edinburgh team’s support provided a reach-back capability to provide targeting support data,” FSGT Cavell said. “They provided a test-bed for trialling transnational 24/7 targeting support to operations. Upon direction by the operations centre, the Edinburgh team exploited, analysed and provided timely targeting support data.”
Coalition aircraft flew more than 100 sorties. They included two UK Tornados carrying the RAPTOR (reconnaissance airborne) pods, a US F/A-18 carrying the SHARP (shared reconnaissance) pod, a British Nimrod MR-1, and the US “Paul Revere”
B-707 test aircraft.
The US Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle relayed its digital video to China Lake and across the network to all exercise participants.
“EC07 was a complex demonstration of network architectures and emerging software tools,” FLTLT Buckton said.
“It provided 87SQN the opportunity to further develop and enhance its targeting capabilities and provide real-time support to coalition targeting activities for the first time since the squadron re-formed in July last year.
“Overall, it demonstrated the challenges and benefits of a coalition environment, and it is expected that Australia will continue to play a
pivotal role in the success of this exercise in the future.” |
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