Page 3 - Nellis AFB Bullseye 7-10-15

BULLSEYE
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GPS, from page 1 ______________
military technology, and is still integral
to military operations today.
“The advances in GPS over time have
resulted in more compact systems that can
be incorporated into fighter aircraft,” said it’s a self-contained system on an airplane are very accurate,” said Weed. “In the old
Lt. Col. Jon Berardinelli, U.S. Air Force
Weapons School deputy commandant.
“Additionally, newer systems incorporate
features that make them more resistant to
jamming in combat operations. You can
use it in a contested environment where the
enemy is attempting to deny the GPS signal.” made a gigantic impact on air-to-ground
GPS military capabilities were first put
to the test in 1990 and 1991 during Opera-
tions Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and
were relied on heavily by allied troops to
navigate the featureless deserts in Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq.
F-35B, from page 1 ____________
the Ogden Air Logistics Complex on Feb.
2, 2015, for depot-level modifications.
The jets came to Hill AFB from the Ma-
rine Corps with less than a week’s notice.
In just over four months, workers
completed the modifications necessary
for the F-35B’s initial operational capa-
bility, putting in 24,000 hours to get the
job done.
“The work accomplished by the men
and women of the 570th Aircraft Main-
tenance Squadron has been nothing
short of amazing,” said Brig. Gen. Carl
Buhler, the Ogden Air Logistics Complex
commander.
Completing the modifications on time
required the maintainers to overcome
numerous challenges, Buhler said. They
removed sections of the aircraft that
many thought would never be removed,
and they strengthened wing ribs and
worked in areas that required rare “micro
tolerances.”
“In the process, the maintainers
News
Col. Jeffrey Weed, 414th Combat Train-
ing Squadron commander, said pilots
didn’t always use GPS technology.
“What did pilots do before GPS? Every
airplane had an INS, an inertial naviga-
tional system,” said Weed. “Let’s just say
that does a pretty good job of telling you
where you are and you would also use radio
navigational aids that also told you where
you were in relation to the ground.”
According to Berardinelli, GPS has
employment in the USAF because of its
contribution to guiding munitions. Prior
to GPS, the pilot had to guide precision
weapons into the target with an optical
device or laser designation. With GPS
the pilot has the option of inputting
coordinates and allowing the munition,
A Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II takes off at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, June 18. The aircraft underwent a functional check flight following
modifications at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex.
developed techniques that will be used
as benchmarks in a variety of depot
operations in the future,” Buhler said.
“The accomplishments of the members
of the squadron — in concert with our
U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Sanjay Allen Col. Ross Anderson, 926th Wing
with the help of satellites, to guide itself.
“The weapons we drop are hitting
targets more accurately, which means the
Nevada Test and Training Range has to
spend more money on replacing targets
that get destroyed because the weapons
days of Nellis Air Force Base, the airspace
was defined by easily-identifiable things
on the ground so you could stay within
the airspace.
“It’s not that pilots don’t have to rely on
the ground references anymore, but we
have a series of airspace lines within the
aircraft that’ll allow us to hopefully stay
in the airspace a lot better than before. So,
it allows us to use corners and edges of the
airspace we previously wouldn’t even dare
get close to because now we have a very
accurate representation of where we are.”
Lockheed Martin teammates, with the
support of the 75th Air Base Wing —
have been remarkable.”
The second F-35B is scheduled to be
completed in the coming days.
3July 10, 2015
Facebook.com/NellisBullseye
Local community
celebrates with
Airmen during
July 4th parade
commander, and his wife, Doni, greet
spectators during the 21st annual Patriotic
Parade in Summerlin, Nev., July 4. Seven
Airmen were recognized on behalf of
Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases for their
contributions to the local community and
in defense of the nation.
Air Force Space Command plans to
continue to enhance the GPS technology
over time. In 2017, they will be launching
GPS III satellites, which will provide global
positioning services for military and civil-
ian use, and is expected to provide three
times the accuracy and improve coverage
for hard to reach areas.
“In the early days of GPS, there weren’t
as many satellites as there are today,” said
Weed. “You actually had to pay some
attention to times of which the satellites
would be accurate and times of which
they wouldn’t be. That has now become
something you don’t have to think about
very often because our great Air Force
has put satellites in orbit that have made it
accurate most of the time, in most of the
world. I think that will continue to improve
as with any military technology.”
U.S. Air Force photo by Alex R. Lloyd
“I couldn’t be prouder of you and
the support we’re providing to our joint
partners,” Levy said in a message to the
workforce. “The Marines were counting
on us, and you delivered.”