Deployed Gunfighters train EWOs

Published Oct. 12, 2006
By Staff Sgt. Eric Petosky
13th Air Force Public Affairs

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (ACCNS) -- Deployed Air National Guard Airmen from the 266th Range Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base, are helping B-52 Electronic Warfare Officers quickly identify potential aircraft threats at Andersen AFB, Guam, as part of the Air Force's continuous bomber presence in the Pacific.

The National Guard Airmen operate, maintain and repair the Multiple Threat Emitter System, or MUTES, a system designed to simulate the signals radiated by early warning radar, surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles, and some types of anti-aircraft batteries, according to Master Sgt. Ronnie Pruit, 266th Range Squadron and MUTES work center supervisor. The threats can be sent up to 75 nautical miles away.

"There are different scenarios we run that contain a number of threats," said Sergeant Pruit. "Usually, we will consecutively send threat signals from 60 to 90 seconds in duration. Our transmitters simulate different signals using almost the entire radio frequency spectrum, and we can shape those pulses to look like any threat the EWOs want us to simulate. They depend on us to make it as realistic as possible."

For the EWOs assigned to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Minot AFB, N.D., the site provides a training opportunity that helps them to quickly identify and counter potential threats to the "Buff," according to Capt. Scott Case, 23rd EBS. As a trainer and evaluator, Captain Case said the main objective of the MUTES training is to quicken the response time of the airborne EWOs.

"The MUTES helps us identify threats we don't see stateside on a regular basis," he said. "Threat identification is crucial to the defense of the aircraft. If an EWO can identify a threat, they can counter it."

As an added benefit, the close proximity of the MUTES site and the bomb squadron allow constant and instant feedback between the two units, helping fine-tune the various training scenarios. Evaluators and technicians sit side-by-side in the MUTES control cab, monitoring and grading the airborne EWO response and ability to identify threats.

"I really enjoy working with these guys," said Staff Sgt. Scott Campbell, 266th Range Squadron ground radar technician. "It gives us a view of the operations side of the house we don't normally get to see, and it lets us know exactly what the EWOs need. I also get to see the effects of what we do in the big picture. It feels like we are making a difference."