AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- In 2016, 20 Airmen arrived at Aviano Air Base, Italy, tasked with setting up a compound that would eventually house more than 300 personnel.
The 606th Air Control Squadron seamlessly integrated themselves into the 31st Fighter Wing as the compound grew after transporting $170 million of communication equipment from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.
The squadron’s mission is to provide mobile command and control support to air and ground units, whether at Aviano or in a deployed location. Their support includes using radars to map out sections of air space so they can coordinate with other units.
There was a need to increase their support capability, and on May 2, 2017, after a year of planning and constructing, the 606th ACS installed their second long-range radar at Aviano.
“We put the new radar on a 60-foot tower which allows us to see 240 nautical miles in nearly all directions with less ground radar interference,” said Tech. Sgt. Nathan Coley, 606th ACS ground radar production superintendent.
Tech. Sgt. Donald Hester, 606th ACS assistant NCO in charge of radar maintenance, explained the need for this capability was due to the wing’s operations over northern Italy and parts of the Adriatic Sea.
So what does that mean for Aviano?
Imagine an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot flies at 700 mph above Aviano. A 606th ACS operator on the ground can give the pilot a 20-minute notice of potential assets, obstacles or targets up ahead.
“The two fighter squadrons here love our operators because now they have an extra set of eyes on the ground,” said Coley. “It’s a huge advantage to wing operations because the F-16’s onboard radar doesn’t reach as far as ours.”
According to Coley, 606th ACS personnel coordinated with Hill Air Force Base, Utah, for all the radar design aspects. Once the design was finalized, a local metal fabricator constructed the individual parts to attach the radar to the tower. A maintenance crew from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, flew down to help install the fabricated pieces. Now that the equipment is in place, 606th ACS Airmen must finish installing all the components to make it operational.
The long-range radar is the same equipment used by the 606th ACS on their deployments. The equipment can be mounted on vehicles to ensure mobile support to combat operations.
“The overall objective of the 606th is to have everyone be wherever they need to be in 72 hours, whether that’s in the middle of a field or desert,” said Hester. “That includes all of our equipment, personnel, and anything we need, even the radar we just installed.”
Last year, 170 606th ACS Airmen deployed to various locations in the midst of moving their squadron to Aviano.
While here, the squadron, made of 25 different career fields, will train all Airmen on this equipment, ensure the radars are running optimally, work closely with pilots and their missions, and solidify their foothold as the only air control squadron in Europe.
“The unit just moved here and we have multiple projects including this new radar and literally building up our entire operational site on base,” said Hester. “Our Airmen here are the absolute best. They hit the ground running and don’t stop no matter the challenge.”