12th RS wraps up Haiti relief efforts

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Chuck Broadway
  • 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Within hours of receiving news of the Haiti earthquake the 12th Reconnaissance Squadron launched an RQ-4 Global Hawk towards the disaster area to begin the largest humanitarian relief mission in the squadron's history.

Although only six sorties were completed, the contributions of the Global Hawk and 12th RS directly increased the efficiency of relief efforts.

During the six flights throughout the mission, the pilots and sensor operators successfully collected more than 2600 images of various landscape and structures over Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The RQ-4 was the first aircraft on scene and immediately began taking images. The operators were searching for helicopter landing zones, drop zones for supplies, groups of people who were displaced as well as assessing damage to buildings and runways. 12th RS personnel coordinated with the Army and Marine Corps to aid in relief efforts. The Coast Guard also used imagery from the Global Hawk to locate ports which were accessible for docking.

"You can't question the ability to be first on scene and remain for 24 hours," said Capt. Gary Toroni, 12th RS Operational Support Flight commander. "There's no other aircraft that can sustain the on-station time and put out the amount of imagery in such a short time."

Captain Toroni said the Global Hawk was producing images within three minutes of being in over Haiti.

Tech Sgt. Aaron Naasko, a 12th RS sensor operator, took more than 500 images during two flights and said it felt good to be a part of the mission.

"It made me feel like a direct supporter and part of the relief effort instead of someone who was by standing and heard about it," Sergeant Naasko said. "Coordination was faster than usual and the opportunity to support something of that magnitude made people move faster."

The overall time frame given to the 12th RS to complete its missions was a big challenge for the squadron. They had to launch the aircraft, fly across several time zones coordinating air space with multiple countries, take and process images and get them approved for release as fast as possible.

This process, according to Captain Toroni, usually takes 45 days. For this mission, it was accomplished in less than 12 hours.

"I was amazed and proud we were able to pull all these people together so quickly," he said. "The mission planners came up with new mission sorties at the drop of a hat. People were working overnight and didn't go home and it was amazing."

Captain Toroni said the 12th RS constantly utilized the dynamic, real-time capabilities of the Global Hawk and the imaging systems to produce intelligence that could be used quickly by ground forces. Their ability to satisfy requirements of many customers at one time, with no prior knowledge, showed how the Global Hawk enhanced the integration and humanitarian response to Haiti.

"This was a chance for the 12th RS to step out of its footprint and extend it," Captain Toroni said. "It was a chance to jump out and spearhead the effort. We're trained for it, and this was a chance to put it into effect. It was great working with the Red Cross, the host nation, U.S. Embassies, and Canadian forces. It was a basewide effort and was a true testament to what Beale can do to contribute to worldwide efforts by supplying support to those in need during times of crisis."

Both Captain Toroni and Sergeant Naasko believe the use of the Global Hawk during the Haiti relief efforts opened doors for the future. They hope people will see how the timeliness and effectiveness of this mission displayed the flexibility and capabilities of the RQ-4 and will call upon it again when needed.