OC-ALC plays part in fielding sniper pod

Published Sept. 15, 2008
By Danielle Gregory
72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., -- Two years ago Air Forces Central Command issued an urgent request that would turn the Air Force's B-1 into a more deadly aircraft.

The Air Force needed a quick way to add the sniper pod, a video targeting pod employed on F-15 and F-16 aircraft, to the B-1 bomber to enable AF crews to positively identify and engage enemy targets, significantly shortening the time it would take to kill a target. In response to this urgent need, the B-1 community swung into action with the B-1 Laptop Controlled Targeting Pod program, adapting the sniper pod to the B-1 by installing an external pylon and using an existing on-board laptop computer to control the pod and provide video image to the crew on board.

The new system allows Air Force air crew to look ahead with long range video and see what is happening on the ground. It is a stabilized image and allows them to use a laser beam to target and engage in real time. It also allows the aircrew to give their own bomb damage assessment and report back immediately on whether they hit their target or not.

"The pod shortens the kill chain from several minutes to almost instantly. That's a great capability; especially in Afghanistan where we're having troops in close contact. They can call the B-1 and the B-1 can see exactly what's going on and target the enemy forces in seconds," said 2nd Lt. Douglas Richardson, a B-1 avionics engineer, with the 427th Aircraft Sustainment Group.

Before the integration of the sniper pod, crews had used high resolution radar which is perfect for buildings but doesn't see a lot of "soft" images. With the new pod the aircrew can now see exactly what's going on and can see things more clearly.

Since it was a new developmental program for the B-1, the LCTP program was managed by Mr. Ed England of the 812th Aeronautical System Group at the Aeronautical System Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The 812th AESG is responsible for managing all new B-1 development programs. The 427th ACSG helped when requested to get the pod fielded on time to support the recent deployment of aircraft from one of the B-1 main operating bases to a forward operating location.

"Mr. England requested immediate assistance on July 23 from the 427th ACSG to deploy civilian field service engineers to the forward operating location to support the initial fielding ," said Lieutenant Richardson.

Lieutenant Richardson was appointed action officer and ensured the engineers arrived on site 12 days after the request was made.

"In twenty-four months this machine was fielded and developed for the B-1 and we just had the first combat use recently," said Lieutenant Richardson. "The use of the pod was deemed very successful."

Although a targeting pod was mounted on the aircraft and it worked well during testing, the B-1 maintenance personnel and aircrews were training with the pod at their main operating base since the system was new. The field service engineers were provided from Tinker for the support of the deployment effort.

"When we got closer to fielding the pod 427th ACSG folks helped clear several large roadblocks. With the sniper pod, we've significantly reduced the time for a B-1 to put warheads on foreheads and have given the war fighter tremendous new capability that will help save the lives of American and coalition forces," said Col. Michael Pelletier, 427th ACSG.

Because of the urgency to get the pod on the B-1, the program didn't go through the normal logistics planning cycle and was added as a temporary modification to the B-1. "This was a superb team effort within the entire B-1 System Program Office," said Colonel Pelletier. "Mr. England and everyone in the 812th AESG committed tremendous amounts of energy to take this system from concept to hardware on the aircraft." As the development of Sniper pod winds down sustainment of the pod will transition to the 427th ACSG