Secretary of the Air Force views ROVER demo at WPC

  • Published
  • By Andy Rhude
  • Warrior Preparation Center
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne visited U.S. Air Forces in Europe's Warrior Preparation Center here to see a demonstration of the ROVER training program Dec. 12.

The Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver - essentially an antenna, receiver and laptop used by Joint Tactical Air Controllers to take to the field to receive direct, real-time video feeds from airborne unmanned aerial vehicle - platforms like Predator or the newer Reaper, the Army's Raven or Hunter and even targeting pods on Air Force fighter aircraft like LITENING-AT and Sniper XR.

This video feed gives forward operating JTACs in the field working with ground commanders an incredible amount of situational awareness, increasing lethality and minimizing decision loops and fratricide. These ground commanders also link back to the 603rd Air Operations Center here for time-sensitive targeting missions.

Senior Airman Michael Wilhelm, a JTAC with the 1st Air Support Operations Squadron, who had a recent tour as a JTAC in Iraq, demoed the ROVER to Secretary Wynne, providing a talk-on with a pilot at the other end of the line flying a simulated Predator, who then launched a Hellfire missile, destroying a vehicle on the ground.

The center recently completed a connection with the Joint Fires Center of Excellence at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, where new JTACs and NATO forward air controllers are trained in theater.

They now have the ability to receive simulated Predator feeds from the center right into their classrooms. The center is working at expanding this capability throughout the theater so JTACs and NATO FACs in other organizations - such as the 4th Air Support Operations Group in Heidelberg - can benefit from this training.

Secretary Wynne was very pleased with what he saw and was very happy to hear that the training is being made available to coalition FACs and not just U.S. JTACs.

"What you are doing is saving lives," said Secretary Wynne.

The WPC has developed a low-cost solution using existing hardware and UAV simulation software to transmit a simulated UAV feed to the ROVER, allowing JTACs to train with the system as if they were in the field talking to a Predator operator or fighter aircraft conducting close air support or non-traditional intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance.

This solution is crucial to the JTACs' training since they currently have no access to Predators or other video-feed sources for the ROVER in-theater and often show up in combat with a brand new ROVER having never actually used one before.

Future versions of the ROVER system will be able to send pictures back up to fighters, further reducing the chances of fratricide, and will come in smaller hand-held versions for easier portability.