Photo By Master Sgt. Roland Sturm | U.S. Airmen assigned to the 113th Air Support Operations Squadron, 181st Intelligence...... read more read more
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Airmen assigned to the 113th Air Support Operations Squadron, 181st Intelligence Wing, Hulman Field, Indiana, took advantage of one of the coldest weeks in December to conduct cold weather training, various vehicle maneuvering, land navigation, weapons proficiency and exercised airspace control, traveling to several locations in western Indiana, Dec. 9-11.
With temperatures reaching below 20 degrees, members of the 113th ASOS tested their field equipment and skills in the rain, mud and freezing temperatures. Airmen set up tents with rain covers, cold weather liners, and tent heaters when they first arrived at Redbird State Recreation Area, Linton, Indiana. Additionally, one team set up a tactical operations center with a communications antenna and related equipment.
"With it being a little cold and rainy, it was a great opportunity to test and use their issued cold weather equipment," said Maj. W. Matt Brown, 113th ASOS director of operations. "Also, an opportunity that they don't get a lot, is to overnight in those conditions and train and prepare for contingency operations.”
While at Redbird State Recreation Area, the squadron conducted vehicle recovery training, off-road vehicle maneuvering and land navigation after dark, communicating various wave-points with Airmen in the operations center. Later in the week, these skilled marksmen spent time at the Putnamville Correctional Facility range to maintain proficiency with their M4 carbine and M9 pistol.
“We deploy with the Army, we're in hostile conditions, and we're not necessarily inside a wire, so we need to maintain that proficiency,” said Master Sgt. Damon Girton, 113th ASOS chief of weapons and tactics.
Two Joint Tactical Air Controllers (JTACs) traveled to Vincennes, Indiana, and conducted day and nighttime close air support training with A-10’s assigned to the 122nd Fighter Wing, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
“The CAS (Close Air Support) training that we did in Vincennes, in the MOA (Military Operations Area) airspace is good because it's not on a range. It is in a dynamic environment that is more unfamiliar to our JTACs than the range, it simulates the real world. We're actually working on the ground in a civilian environment, but we're controlling military aircraft,” explained Girton. “These training events help us build the relationships between JTACs and pilots, helping to perfect our tactics, techniques, and procedures. That helps us when we’re deployed down range.”
| Date Taken: | 12.09.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 01.15.2020 14:43 |
| Story ID: | 358803 |
| Location: | TERRE HAUTE, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 162 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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