News United States Air Force
 Joint Black Flag tests night-one capabilities, introduces RAAF E-7, first mobile C2 elementPublished May 23, 2022
                        
                        By 1st Lt Lindsey Heflin
                        
                        
                        53rd Wing Public Affairs
                **EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --**
                The**53rd Wing**conducted Black Flag 22-1, bringing together four branches of the U.S. military and the**Royal Australian Air Force**in a first coalition test environment to identify enhancements to night-one capabilities, May 9-13.As part of the Air Force’s test flag enterprise, Black Flag allows the Air Force to test like we fight, developing force integration techniques and discovering capabilities utilizing existing and emerging material to deliver combat capability to the warfighter.As one of the participants in Black Flag, the RAAF brought the**E-7A Wedgetail**allowing the Air Force an opportunity tolook at the operational integration capabilities the E-7 has to offer. While this isn't the first time the RAAF has integrated the E-7 with the USAF, it’s their first time taking part in a test exercise. The Air Force’s first E-7 prototype is **projected to be delivered**to the fleet in FY27.Following Black Flag, the RAAF’s E-7 flew to**Tyndall AirForceBase**where it took part in the 53rd Wing’s**Weapons System Evaluation Program-East**, a premier joint event that evaluates a squadron’s ability to conduct air-to-air live fire missions.U.S. Marines and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) members work together to refuel a RAAF F-35A during Forward Area Refueling Point (FARP) training during Black Flag 22-1 at Nellis AFB, May 13, 2022.U.S. Marines and Royal Australian Air Force service members work together to refuel a RAAF F-35A Lightning II during a Forward Area Refueling Point training during Black Flag 22-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., May 13, 2022. FARP training prepares U.S. and allied forces to effectively refuel aircraft in austere locations when air-to-air refueling is not possible or when fueling stations are not accessible. (U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis)
            
            
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“This integration is more than just test, we are developing the backbone that will drive our tactics and communication capabilities in a wartime scenario,” said Maj. Theodore Ellis, Black Flag director. “So, if we get to night one, we don’t have to educate everyone, the knowledge will already be out there and we can focus on the fight.”A large objective of this Black Flag iteration was addressing automated long-range kill-chains and how to ensure the technologies that support them are operationally ready and relevant.In January, at the 2021 Weapons and Tactics Conference, Maj. Ridge Flick and his team presented WATCHBOX and Tactical Radio ApplicationeXtension, or Trax, two powerful data translation and routing tools that significantly speed up the data transfer from sensor to shooter.“A single intelligence hit in a database during our weapons school integration phase normally could take 25 to 30 minutes before it is passed to a shooter on Link 16,” said Flick,**Air University**Fellow assigned to the**USAF Warfare Center**. “Now we’ve shortened the timeline through automated means to anywhere from 40 seconds to four minutes, and removed the errors associated with humans transposing information from one system to another.”Incorporated in Black Flag 22-1, Flick and his team tested automated intelligence reporting usingWatchbox and automatically disseminated the reporting to six separate ground nodes and two Link-16 networks using TRAX. The testing proved combining machine-to-machine communication and automated intelligence reporting enables significantly shorter kill-chains.“The Advanced Battle Management System will solve some very crucial infrastructure problems, but that’s projected for thefuture, and we need something that works now,” Flick said. “Watchbox and other intelligence reporting programs, like SNAPGLASS, paired with TRAX are the interim solution.”Buildingoff **Secretary Kendall’s** **seven operational imperatives**, the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron Command and Control, or C2, division created and employed a never-before-seen mobile C2 element during Black Flag that aggressively responded to four of those imperatives.Often referred to as “movable not mobile,” tactical C2 capabilities have historically been stationary in nature due to the hours it takes to transport the aging cumbersome technology that has been employed for the past 20 years, according to Maj. Paden Allen, 422nd TES C2 division commander.Airmen assigned to the 355th Logistics Readiness Squadron's Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants section, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, pack up the equipment used in Forward Area Refueling Point (FARP) training during Black Flag 22-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, May 11, 2022. As part of Agile Combat Employment, FARP training prepares Airmen to effectively refuel aircraft in austere locations when air-to-air refueling is not possible or when fueling stations are not accessible. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Josey Blades)Airmen assigned to the 355th Logistics Readiness Squadron's Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants section, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., pack up the equipment used in Forward Area Refueling Point training during Black Flag 22-1 at Nellis AFB, Nev., May 11, 2022. As part of Agile Combat Employment, FARP training prepares Airmen to effectively refuel aircraft in austere locations when air-to-air refueling is not possible or when fueling stations are not accessible. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Josey Blades)
            
            
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    Two EC-130H Compass Call aircraft assigned to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base are refueled at a Forward Area Refueling Point (FARP) during Black Flag 22-1 at Nellis AFB, May 10, 2022.Two EC-130H Compass Calls assigned to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., are refueled at a Forward Area Refueling Point during Black Flag 22-1 at Nellis AFB, Nev., May 10, 2022. As part of Agile Combat Employment, FARP training prepares Airmen to effectively refuel aircraft in austere locations when air-to-air refueling is not possible or when fueling stations are not accessible. (U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis)
            
            
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    An F-16C Fighting Falcon assigned the 64th Aggressor Squadron takes off during Black Flag 22-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, May 10, 2022. The mission of the Aggressor Squadron is to prepare warfighters to win in air combat against any pacing competitors. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Josey Blades)An F-16C Fighting Falcon assigned the 64th Aggressor Squadron takes off during Black Flag 22-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., May 10, 2022. The mission of the Aggressor Squadron is to prepare warfighters to win in air combat against any pacing competitors. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Josey Blades)
            
            
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In an effort to modernize, Allen and his team **equipped an SUV** with commercial and government "off-the-shelf" technology to assemble a tactical C2 element that was able to provide command and control functions while on the move. Some examples of their gear include a Kymeta antenna, assorted radios, ruggedized computers with servers, and Move Out/Jump Off, or MOJO, that provided additional tactical data link capability."It's inconspicuous and if we needed to abandon the vehicle in ascenario, we could do so in less than 20 minutes with all our gear,” Allen said. “Through this innovative capability, we proved that we can set up shop anywhere with no setup time.”Allen’s team executed two missions which providedtactical C2 capabilities that demonstrated the flexible and rapid mobility options to and from the **Nevada Test and Training Range**.This included driving the SUVs more than two hours to demonstrate command over land as well as airlift using a U.S. Marine Corps’ **KC-130Hercules**to a drylakebed on the NTTR to replicate deployment and extraction from austere environments.Through successful testing, the team discovered they could scale this solution to multiple types of vehicles, potentially increase the number of classifications of data they could workbetween and add additional data links by integrating emerging technology. These solutions would allow more integration among other forces.“We don’t have time to wait for the newest weapons system, but we can develop a new tactic tomorrow,” said**Col. Matthew Bradley**, 53rd Wing commander. “Those integrated tactics that come out of Black Flag are how we’ll combat the pacing challenge. It all comes down to who has the tactical advantage.”The 53rd Wing’s next test flag event will be a first-ever maritime Black Flag. The Air Force will partner with Marine Air Group 11 to focus on long-range takedown of mobile maritime threats. The maritime Black Flag will take place in June 2022.LR 



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