Eglin 'deploys' unit to Tyndall

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Christopher Reel
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Members of the 728th Air Control Squadron, nicknamed "Demons," from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., set up a radar site at Tyndall's Heritage Park May 29 through June 2 to help with the 325th ACS change of command on June 1.

With 23 Airmen, the 728th ACS set up their control and reporting center from a bare bones site to an operational site controlling aircraft in roughly 26 hours.

The CRC is a mobile command, control, and communications radar element of the U. S. Air Force theater air control system. It consists of several separate subsystems all integrated to perform its various missions, such as: 3-D, 360-degree coverage out to approximately 240 nautical miles which provides a real-time radar airspace picture.

The CRC mission is to provide persistent Battle Management, Command and Control for combatant commanders for an operational air picture and tactical control of aircraft. That task requires real time 3-D radar picture, datalinks and a variety of communication suites to be mobilized, convoyed and set up.

"Our objective was to support the 325th ACS change of command and allow Air Battle Manager students to see what they can expect from their future assignments," said Capt. Tom Terrell, 728th ACS senior director. "This convoy to Tyndall AFB gave us the opportunity to hone our skill sets by practicing mobilizing, setting up and providing tactical control. It takes a variety of AFSCs dedicated and working together to execute the plan. "

Some of Tyndall's air battle manager students had the opportunity to see some of the CRC capabilities.

"The CRC is used for ground based air battle command and control," said Staff Sgt. Zackary Lee, 728th ACS weapons director. "We we were able to show the ABM students here a different method of command and control."

"I'm proud of the Demons and our support and cooperation with the 325th Fighter Wing assets made this training opportunity a great success," added Terrell.