Robins engineers becoming ‘force multipliers’ for SOF forces
9 months ago | 265 views | 0 
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With names like “Spectre” and “Spooky,” the gunships own the night over Iraq and Afghanistan, raining down a fearsome fusillade of precision-targeted 105mm and 40mm shells. The small---but absolutely essential---force has become a life-saving mainstay, defying darkness and bad weather to deliver close air support for friendly troops under siege on the ground.
But only eight aircraft exist and even fewer are available at any given time due to maintenance, modification and overhaul.
Plus, the outmoded, 1980s-vintage software onboard the four-engine aircraft meant that only one of the lethal guns could be targeted at a time, often requiring two aircraft to complete a mission – both flying in essentially the same orbit and exposing both to the inherent risks of close-proximity nighttime operations and enemy fire.
That’s when Air Force Special Operations Command filed the urgent change request with the SOF Program Office at Robins. Their request was simple: “Give us the ability to target both guns at the same time.”
The 402nd Software Maintenance Group at Robins received the tasking and turned on their engineering teams. After close coordination with SOF flight crews and extensive testing in the SOF Extendable Integrated Support Environment or EISE lab on base, gunship crews had their answer … an answer that came in a record time of five months.
Keith Atkinson, who heads the 580th Software Maintenance Squadron, said the change created instant dividends for the high-demand force.
“It meant that one aircraft could accomplish the mission,” he said, “and you could take the second aircraft and send it some place else. That’s a huge benefit.”
Atkinson said his squadron ramped up to two shifts per day to meet the short-notice requirement.
“About ten software and test engineers worked on it,” he noted. “We have one group that develops the code then the test engineers try to break the code and make sure everything works. They make sure all the requirements are met.”
The test engineers then take the software changes to the unit, install them on the aircraft and fly with the aircrews to ensure everything operates as expected.
The SOF EISE is a key element of the process. The lab duplicates the digital environment on the aircraft using many of the same components.
Bob Zwitch, 402nd SMG director, said the software doesn’t know if it’s in the lab or flying at 20,000 feet in the aircraft.
“So we can exercise the software in far more modes than it would ever be tested in the air,” he said. “That helps us make sure we didn’t make any mistakes.”
Before EISE, software changes usually required 10 to12 test flights to iron out all the rough edges.
“Now, we generally do one or two,” Zwitch said. “The cost savings and risk reduction are tremendous plus the aircrews have more time to do missions.”
During the change process, SOF aircrew members come to Robins, sit at the EISE’s work benches and participate with the test engineers.
“It helps us make sure we have the requirement correct and it gives the aircrews insight and training into what the change looks like,” the director added. “It’s hands on. It saves a lot of time. The crews can fly the change in the lab rather than in the aircraft.”
Steve Pollard, a veteran test engineer, said aircrews love the dual targeting change.
“There was a huge learning curve. It was quite different than what they were used to,” Pollard recalled. “It required some follow-on support and there were some growing pains, but they loved it. We’ve gotten a number of phone calls and e-mails telling us how good it was.”
Providing software changes to the gunship is a huge challenge, primarily because of the dated nature of on-board systems. Virtually any laptop or hand-held smart phone today has more memory capacity and processing speed.
“That means the code guys have some tremendous challenges to pack in what the crews want,” Pollard pointed out. “It takes a tremendous amount of design and ingenuity to rearrange the code and make sure everything still works within the constraints of the hardware.”
Again, the EISE is a mainstay. “We’re able to do 90 to 95 percent of our testing, troubleshooting and code development using the lab,” he said. “The testing on the aircraft really becomes a demonstration. Very seldom do we come back from a field test and have to change something.”
Direct contact with aircrews is a huge plus, particularly the chance to see improvements made at Robins being quickly used in combat. Tim Doughty, also a test engineer, echoed the feelings of all his co-workers.
“This job is one of the few in the Air Force where civilians get to fly on Air Force airplanes,” he said. “And it’s especially meaningful to have one of the aircrew members pull us aside and tell us they couldn’t do what they do without our support.”
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Robins engineers becoming ‘force multipliers’ for SOF forces
9 months ago | 265 views | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | |
With names like “Spectre” and “Spooky,” the gunships own the night over Iraq and Afghanistan, raining down a fearsome fusillade of precision-targeted 105mm and 40mm shells. The small---but absolutely essential---force has become a life-saving mainstay, defying darkness and bad weather to deliver close air support for friendly troops under siege on the ground.
But only eight aircraft exist and even fewer are available at any given time due to maintenance, modification and overhaul.
Plus, the outmoded, 1980s-vintage software onboard the four-engine aircraft meant that only one of the lethal guns could be targeted at a time, often requiring two aircraft to complete a mission – both flying in essentially the same orbit and exposing both to the inherent risks of close-proximity nighttime operations and enemy fire.
That’s when Air Force Special Operations Command filed the urgent change request with the SOF Program Office at Robins. Their request was simple: “Give us the ability to target both guns at the same time.”
The 402nd Software Maintenance Group at Robins received the tasking and turned on their engineering teams. After close coordination with SOF flight crews and extensive testing in the SOF Extendable Integrated Support Environment or EISE lab on base, gunship crews had their answer … an answer that came in a record time of five months.
Keith Atkinson, who heads the 580th Software Maintenance Squadron, said the change created instant dividends for the high-demand force.
“It meant that one aircraft could accomplish the mission,” he said, “and you could take the second aircraft and send it some place else. That’s a huge benefit.”
Atkinson said his squadron ramped up to two shifts per day to meet the short-notice requirement.
“About ten software and test engineers worked on it,” he noted. “We have one group that develops the code then the test engineers try to break the code and make sure everything works. They make sure all the requirements are met.”
The test engineers then take the software changes to the unit, install them on the aircraft and fly with the aircrews to ensure everything operates as expected.
The SOF EISE is a key element of the process. The lab duplicates the digital environment on the aircraft using many of the same components.
Bob Zwitch, 402nd SMG director, said the software doesn’t know if it’s in the lab or flying at 20,000 feet in the aircraft.
“So we can exercise the software in far more modes than it would ever be tested in the air,” he said. “That helps us make sure we didn’t make any mistakes.”
Before EISE, software changes usually required 10 to12 test flights to iron out all the rough edges.
“Now, we generally do one or two,” Zwitch said. “The cost savings and risk reduction are tremendous plus the aircrews have more time to do missions.”
During the change process, SOF aircrew members come to Robins, sit at the EISE’s work benches and participate with the test engineers.
“It helps us make sure we have the requirement correct and it gives the aircrews insight and training into what the change looks like,” the director added. “It’s hands on. It saves a lot of time. The crews can fly the change in the lab rather than in the aircraft.”
Steve Pollard, a veteran test engineer, said aircrews love the dual targeting change.
“There was a huge learning curve. It was quite different than what they were used to,” Pollard recalled. “It required some follow-on support and there were some growing pains, but they loved it. We’ve gotten a number of phone calls and e-mails telling us how good it was.”
Providing software changes to the gunship is a huge challenge, primarily because of the dated nature of on-board systems. Virtually any laptop or hand-held smart phone today has more memory capacity and processing speed.
“That means the code guys have some tremendous challenges to pack in what the crews want,” Pollard pointed out. “It takes a tremendous amount of design and ingenuity to rearrange the code and make sure everything still works within the constraints of the hardware.”
Again, the EISE is a mainstay. “We’re able to do 90 to 95 percent of our testing, troubleshooting and code development using the lab,” he said. “The testing on the aircraft really becomes a demonstration. Very seldom do we come back from a field test and have to change something.”
Direct contact with aircrews is a huge plus, particularly the chance to see improvements made at Robins being quickly used in combat. Tim Doughty, also a test engineer, echoed the feelings of all his co-workers.
“This job is one of the few in the Air Force where civilians get to fly on Air Force airplanes,” he said. “And it’s especially meaningful to have one of the aircrew members pull us aside and tell us they couldn’t do what they do without our support.”