Combat Shield team visits Seymour Johnson

Senior Airman Timothy Puckett (left) and Tech. Sgt. Edward Youmans (right), Combat Shield team members from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., monitor signals sent to the cockpit of an F-15E Strike Eagle on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Oct. 20, 2009. Combat Shield is a program that assesses the fighter fleet, electronic warfare systems and combat readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ciara Wymbs)

Combat Shield team visits Seymour Johnson

Senior Airman Timothy Puckett, Combat Shield team member from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., removes an antenna coupler from the vertical stabilizer of an F-15E Strike Eagle on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Oct. 20, 2009. Combat Shield is a five day exercise that tests the radar warning receivers on aircraft to ensure they are responding accordingly to radio frequency signals injected into their systems. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ciara Wymbs)

Combat Shield team visits Seymour

Tech Sgt. Edward Youmans, Combat Shield team member from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., injects radio frequency signals into an F-15E Strike Eagle on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Oct. 20, 2009. Combat Shield began in 1999 and originated at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. On average, the team visits up to 50 bases per year. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ciara Wymbs)

Combat Shield trains Team Seymour aircrew

Published Oct. 27, 2009
By Airman 1st Class Marissa Tucker
4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- The 4th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron received a visit from the 53rd Electronic Warfare Group from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., during Combat Shield Oct. 19-23.

As part of Combat Shield, the 53rd EWG evaluated Airmen from the 4th Fighter Wing aircrew on their effectiveness and capability to defend enemy attacks on the electrical systems of F-15E Strike Eagles and troubleshot any electronic issues they had, said Lt. Col. Kenneth Rose, mission director for the 53rd EWG.

"This is not an inspection," he said. "We want to assess electronic warfare readiness to ensure equipment and systems will work properly in combat situations."

Combat Shield originated from the 87th Electronic Warfare Aggressor Squadron in the early 1990s with the purpose of assessing the electronic warfare readiness of the entire fighter fleet, Colonel Rose said.

For testing, the 53rd EWG uses the USM-642 Raven. This machine is specially designed to simulate enemy signal attacks on electronic systems of F-15E Strike Eagles.

The Raven helps train 4th FW aircrew to evaluate and defend system interference, he said.

While the 4th FW gains valuable training from Combat Shield, the 53rd EWG seeks feedback from maintainers, pilots and weapons systems officers about the state of the F-15E and frequent issues they have. The electronic warfare Airmen also correct errors on the spot and provide additional training if needed. All feedback is reported to Air Combat Command.

"We want to make sure we correct things on the spot," said Col. Joseph Diana, 4th Maintenance Group commander. "Our Airmen need to get the most out of this training so they will know exactly what to do in combat."

The 53rd EWG team is scheduled to return after the Airmen of the 335th Fighter Squadron redeploy from Afghanistan to assess aircraft used in combat. These aircraft will have spent eight months in the harsh, Afghan environment.

The 53rd EWG's week-long visit assessed more than 30 4th FW aircraft and included several maintainers across the base. The date for their return visit has not yet been set.