Posted on 08/11/2006 7:30:27 PM PDT by SandRat
8/11/2006 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- A C-130 unit assigned here is carrying a fairly conventional piece of equipment throughout the skies over the Central Command area of responsibility in an unconventional way.
Instead of hauling people and cargo, the 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron is carrying an airborne command and control communications suite, helping convoy commanders communicate on the ground.
The Joint Airborne Command and Control Command Post, what the unit calls Jackpot, fits nicely into the back of a Hercules, said Lt. Col. Mark Czelusta, 777th EAS commander.
"It's a way to use airlift other than from a pure logistics and distribution standpoint," the colonel said. "Using the C-130 in this way is just another piece of the whole airpower umbrella of support the 332nd (Air Expeditionary Wing) provides to convoy operators on the ground."
The airlift squadron's primary mission is convoy reduction. They fly cargo drops and movement, distinguished visitor airlift, detainee transport, aeromedical evacuations, troop transport and now Jackpot.
The people operating the equipment and controlling the information flow are from all branches of the military.
The people communicating with the convey operators on the ground are able to manage information and discern problems in advance, Colonel Czelusta said.
These messages range from "A-okay" to "we're engaged," he said.
"Providing this information is vital," Colonel Czelusta said. "Convey missions are dangerous, fluid situations. Collecting information and providing it to decision makers on the ground in a timely, efficient manner saves lives."
Those operating consoles serve as a communications relay center. They should not be confused with the E-3 Sentry, which has a radar system and serves as an airborne warning and control system.
C-130 crews at Balad have been flying the Jackpot missions for several weeks without a gap.
As the first and only forward-based C-130 squadron in combat, the 777th EAS has reduced the number of trucks on the road by airlifting about 15,000 truckloads of cargo since January. This has lowered the number of Soldiers exposed to danger. The new Jackpot missions further increases safety for Soldiers on the ground by connecting them with people who are looking out for them, looking around corners and who are ready to call in support.
"I'm very proud of everyone who flies these missions from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines working the consoles to the full-up members of the squadron who fly and maintain the aircraft," the colonel said. "Everyone is working very hard to accomplish this mission."
From concept to execution and now sustainment, everyone has pulled together to make this happen, he said.
"We've received strong praise from ground commanders," Colonel Czelusta said. "The warfighters are very happy."
Jackpot over Baghdad would be finding the WMD's.
I thought they decommisioned those C2 pods shortly after the gulf war.
Did they bring them back from storage? Or make em new?
hmmmm,.... some soldering here, and crimping there, a little Shielding paint over there and.......
Yet another very usefull tool in our new sophisticated military. From highly trained soldiers, Marines and special OPS SOCOM, now familiar with the latest techniques in SASO type operations to the most highly sophisticated hardware and weapon systems at their finger tips. We shall prevail.
Hobby shopping?
Try this.
http://www.afcea.org/signal/articles/templates/SIGNAL_Article_Template.asp?articleid=734&zoneid=132
They did. 500 of them.
Great. This reporter just gave the bad guys even more reason to shoot at C-130's.
"They did. 500 of them."
I know they did but, I'm equating "Jackpot" here with "the mother load"
So am I. 500 is a jackpot, a mother load.
Yeah. Real high concentration of those in Iraq. And they fly in the daytime when we run convoys, too.
C-130 392 steps around one. Amazing what you'll do to pass the time at 2:00am.
I setup the C-130 ABCCC operation in Udorn Thailand in June 1967. Had to get one up before I could recover the one already in the air. They flew 12 and a half hour missions. Never missed a mission in the time we were there.
That's bull. The 774th EAS is a forward based C-130 squadron based at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. I know because I'm there right now flying on C-130 missions all over the country.
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