9 OSS/OSW Global Hawk Unit Mission Briefing

1. 9 OSS/OSW Global Hawk Unit Mission Briefing MSgt Steve Williams NCOIC Global Hawk Weather Ops

2. Overview • Mission Statement • The Aircraft • How It Works • History • Scope of Operations • Example Imagery • Weather Operations • Aircraft Sensitivities • Forecast Challenges • Questions

3. 9 OSS/OSW Mission Provide the COCOMs & 9 RW with timely, actionable weather intelligence to facilitate sustained combat operations & training while utilizing the ‘remote split operations’ concept Vision Bringing imagery from sensor to shooter in minutes

4. The Aircraft • The RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system with an integrated sensor suite that provides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, capability worldwide. • Global Hawk's mission is to provide a broad spectrum of ISR collection capability to support joint combatant forces in worldwide peacetime, contingency and wartime operations. • The Global Hawk complements manned and space reconnaissance systems by providing persistent near real-time coverage using imagery intelligence and signals intelligence sensors.

5. The Aircraft (con’t.)

6. U-2 Global Hawk 70K 60K 50K 40K Altitude 30K Pioneer Predator Hunter 20K 500 400 10K 300 0 Speed(miles/hour) 200 10 100 20 Endurance (hours) 30 0 40 The Aircraft (con’t.)

7. How It Works • Global Hawk is flown by a Launch Recovery Element (LRE), and a Mission Control Element (MCE). • The LRE is located at the aircraft base and functions to launch and recover the aircraft while en route to and from the target area and is manned with one pilot. • The MCE controls the Global Hawk for the bulk of the ISR mission. Like the LRE, the MCE is manned by one pilot, but adds a sensor operator to the crew. Command and control data links enable complete dynamic control of the aircraft. • The pilot workstations in the MCE and LRE are the control and display interface (cockpit) providing aircraft health and status, sensors status and a means to alter the navigational track of the aircraft. • The pilot communicates with outside entities to coordinate the mission (air traffic, airborne controllers, ground controllers, other assets, weather and intel) from the MCE.

8. Launch and Recovery Element (LRE) (Forward Deployed) Mission Control Element (MCE) (Beale AFB, CA) How It Works (con’t.)

9. History • Global Hawk is produced in four distinct blocks. Seven Block 10 aircraft were procured, but were retired from the inventory in FY11. • Block 20s were initially fielded with IMINT only capabilities, four Block 20s will be converted to an EQ-4 communication relay configuration carrying the Battlefield Airborne Communication Node (BACN) payload. • Block 30 is a multi-intelligence platform that simultaneously carries electro-optical, infrared, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and high and low band SIGINT sensors. • Block 30 Initial Operating Capability (IOC) was declared in August 2011. • Eleven Block 30s are currently fielded with IMINT sensors and support every geographic combatant command.

10. History (con’t.) • Block 40 will carry the Radar Technology Insertion Program (RTIP) active electronically scanned array radar which will provide SAR and Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) data. • Block 40 IOC is projected in fiscal 2014.

11. Scope of Operations • Combat operations: • Operations Enduring Freedom • Operation Iraqi Freedom / New Dawn. • Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya • Humanitarian relief: • Operation Tomodachi in Japan (Earthquake/Tsunami) • California wildfires • Hurricane relief in New Orleans / Biloxi • Earthquake relief in Haiti • Many times we are on-station within 24 hours of notification. • Examples of imagery taken from RQ-4

12. EO Imagery Edwards AFB, CA Slant Range: 33 km Altitude: 60,000 ft

13. Day IR NAS China Lake, CA Altitude: 61,000+ ft. Slant Range: 22.6 km. C-130 Thermal Shadow AV-8 Harrier Thermal Shadow

14. SAR Spot Image Lake Success Dam Slant Range: 86 km (46.6 nm) Altitude: 18.4 km (60,400 ft)

15. Weather Operations • 24-hour RQ-4 weather support • All USAF RQ-4 missions, worldwide (6 COCOMS) • WX part of virtual crew (IN THE COCKPIT) via mIRC/VoIP • Unique weather sensitivities • Icing (no anti-icing) • Turbulence (image degradation) • Strict crosswind limits • Serve as RQ-4 pilot’s only “eyes” for weather phenomena • Storm recognition/avoidance (Google Earth flight follow) • Locating breaks in cloud coverage (imagery collection) • We are the “weather radar” for the Aircraft (no FLC) • Direct part of all RQ-4 missions from start to finish • AOR recommendations/missions canceled • Real time hazard, cloud cover, divert, and landing WX updates

16. Time Line Weather Operations As Requested During Mission Post Mission/ Return to Base 4hr Prior to Takeoff Every 4hrs After Takeoff 4.5hr Prior to Takeoff Takeoff 2-3+ Days 2x Daily LAND 12 RS Global AOR WX Update Takeoff Obs Provided toLRE Alt WX Update (Freq varies w/ route of flight) Landing WX Outlook Provided to Global Hawk Ops Center DD175-1 to LRE (Launch/ Recovery Ele) + 9 OSS/OSW Pre-Mission WX Brief provided to Global Hawk Ops Center Mission WX Update Landing Obs Provided toLRE Long Range Planning WX Deployed/ Overseas WX Unit Deployed/ Overseas WX Unit Deployed/ Overseas WX Unit 9OSS/OSW Beale AFB 9OSS/OSW Beale AFB 9OSS/OSW Beale AFB 9OSS/OSW Beale AFB 9OSS/OSW Beale AFB 9OSS/OSW Beale AFB

17. Weather Operations Standard BriefingProducts • Takeoff WX Forecast • Space WX • Satellite • HWD/Sig WX Fcst • MWA (Hazards) • Alternate WX/Impacts • Cloud Free Forecast • Strat’ Layer Turb • Flight Level Winds • Landing WX Forecast Product Origin/Producer • Deployed/Overseas Supporting Unit • JAAWIN • JAAWIN/Supporting OWS • Supporting OWS (AOR dependent) • Supporting OWS (AOR dependent) • JAAWIN, 9OSS/OSW (Tailored to Acft Sensitivities) • JAAWIN • JAAWIN • Supporting OWS/JAAWIN (AOR dependent) • Deployed/Overseas Unit • AllProducts tailored by 9OSS/OSW to meet mission parameters/aircraft sensitivities

18. Forecast Challenges • Training is intense for our folks, all types of weather and regions • Data sparse areas • Lack of good model output for upper atmosphere (TS tops and temps) • Fine scale models aren’t produced at long enough duration (48 hours or more) • Stratturbc: we are great at nowcasting but forecasting is tough. It is even harder to verify • Satellite availablity and resolution • Hazards charts and products geared to lower flying acft we must re-characterize the atmosphere.

19. Questions?