Page 6 - Aerotech News and Review, October 2, 2020

STORM, from 6
cies gave the wing more and more leeway, typically introducing Android Tactical Awareness Kits, hand-
establishing a fire season, months in which the wing held devices with which first responders on the ground
would be expected to fly with pre-approvals in place. could gain situational awareness and direct the video
“[Sensor Operator] Master Sgt. Chad Jones, an integral feed of the RPA overhead. Hovering over the Ranch
part of current operations for many years, built phe- Fire of the Mendocino Complex blaze that year, then
nomenal rapport with the different agencies,” Jeppsen the largest in the state’s recorded history, the MQ-9’s
says, “which include passing through Edwards Air ability to provide a live picture of inaccessible ter-
Force Base’s space for its [test center] special projects. rain triggered a desperate, last-minute evacuation, and
Those relationships opened a lot of doors.” likely saved lives.
By 2018, the wing had procured the first eCOA to The continual advance of the 163rd’s innovation has
fly anywhere in northern California. And when a fire not been lost on the agency it has more frequently been
in southern California’s Apple Valley flared early this tasked to serve during state emergencies. “Over the
month, the perfect storm of 2020 had finally gathered. years, as the fire seasons have gotten worse, we are
Responding to a Cal Fire request for 163d overwatch, relying more and more on the military for the tech-
“Jones went for broke and just asked for authority to nology that they already have in place,” said Lynne
fly the entire state. We have the dynamic tasking ability Tolmachoff, Cal Fire public information officer. “The
to operate anywhere in the state and at any time, once great working relationship with the National Guard has
we were airborne.” made using their assets easier every season.”
The dynamic tasking capability “is paying huge
dividends, especially in the ad hoc tasking for Grizzly Of the torrid ops tempo of 2020, Nichols simply
Line 3, at night,” Jeppsen insists. “It goes anywhere commented: “It’s an honor to answer the call of our
it is needed, north or south, or both. Sometimes we’re state leadership and contribute to the safety and well-
scouting the fires at night to gather pertinent informa- being of our fellow citizens.”
tion for the next morning.” “Whenever you show proof of concept that you can
“When an aircraft takes off, it may look like it’s do something, you’re going to be asked to do it the
only Maintenance and Ops who make it happen,” said next time,” Weddington concluded. “You have to make
Weddington. “But there are so many people who are sure you have the programs in place to continue doing
working and executing at the highest level to get these that while balancing your other missions. It has been
planes over target. We have incredible support from a perfect storm, in that everything is going bad at the
the Logistics and Readiness Squadron, Mission Sup- same time, but it is also a testament to how strong our
port Group, Headquarters, and more getting the teams team is. We’re in the fight and we’re going to keep
everything from lodging, supplies, equipment, and fuel working hard, which is the Grizzly way.”
to fly. It is a total team effort just to launch one plane Air Force Reserve photograph by Master Sgt. Gregory Solman
for Domestic Operations.” An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft flown by
The wing’s development and maturation of RPAs for 163rd Attack Wing pilot Lt. Col. Paul Brockmeier, with
firefighting has been creative and unceasing. In 2018, sensor operator Master Sgt. Anthony Martinez, views
the wing pushed the boundaries of RPA DOMOPS the smoky San Gabriel Mountains of southern California
further by flying across a state line into Oregon in in transit to a fire mission in northern California, late
August, 2020.
pursuit of the Klamathon and County fires, while also
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