Youngstown comm Airmen provide high-tech capabilities for Idaho spray mission

by Master. Sgt. Bob Barko, Jr.
910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

9/17/2014 - MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho  -- A group of Citizen Airmen assigned to the Air Force Reserve's 910th Airlift Wing, from Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, began a two-week mission to aid in fire prevention by using the wing's unique aerial spray capability to control invasive cheat grass on the nearby Saylor Creek Bombing Range here, Sept.16.

Before the aircrews climbed aboard their modified C-130 aircraft or maintainers loaded a drop of herbicide into the Modular Aerial Spray System, members of the 910th Communications Squadron were busy setting up a mast antenna and a wide array of sophisticated equipment to support the air and ground operations in the coming days.

The five-person communications team travelled aboard the aerial spray flight's support C-130 aircraft along with their pallet of equipment and quickly set up shop just off the flight line here. The team joined the Mountain Home mission to provide internet and commercial and Defense Switching Network phone and Video Tele-Conference capabilities via a satellite system, known as Joint Incident Site Communications Capability, to the aerial spray aircrews, maintenance and ground support involved in the operation. The team also provided access to laptop computers, printers and communication back to home station for all of the YARS Citizen Airmen working here. Additionally, they brought Ultra High Frequency, Very High Frequency and High Frequency radio capabilities to the ongoing aerial spray mission.

Senior Master Sgt. Robert Fisher, 910th CS Cyber Systems superintendent, indicated the chance to travel across the country to support the Department of Defense's only large -area, fixed-wing aerial spray capability was a two-fold opportunity.

"Not only is this a chance to train our Airmen in the flexibility and capability we have with our equipment," said Fisher, "but we can also give the aircrews and maintainers the familiarity of what we can provide to the mission in the way of VTC, e-mail, printers and more."

Additionally, this mission provides valuable hands-on familiarity with these communications capabilities in the event the JISCC and radio systems are ever needed in a more dire situation.

"The comm squadron has been called upon to support aerial spray operations during Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustav and during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (response)," said Fisher. "Supporting the mission here in Idaho will keep us trained and ready to go if another real world contingency or emergency operation were to happen."