In Afghanistan, EA-6B Prowlers to be replaced by Beechcraft King Airs capable to knock out cell phones, radios April 20, 2012
Posted by Richard Clements in Military Aviation.Tags: Afghanistan, Beechcraft King Air, CEASAR, Helmand Province, Kandahar International Airport, National Guard, NATO, Stars and Stripes, Surveillance aircraft, United States Army, US Army
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The US Army is using a brand new technology that is installed into its Beechcraft King Air aircraft deployed in the skies of Helmand Province Afghanistan, that can jam and intercept insurgent transmissions.
The new device, called communications electronic attack with surveillance and reconnaissance or CEASAR, is a rectangular box that is capable of knocking out cell phones, radios and intercepting transmissions. The new device is so precise it can knock out insurgent communications whilst not affecting friendly forces communications or that of local people in the near vicinity of ongoing combat.
Although it is not said in the Stars and Stripes article that gave the news, it is safe to say that CEASAR must be able to knock out cell phone signals that are used to trigger the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) which are killing and injuring NATO troops as well as Afghan Troops and civilians.
National Guard Maj. Darell Rasor, a pilot and commander of Task Force CEASAR, which operates from Kandahar Air Field said: “We can disrupt any kind of coordinated enemy action by stopping their communication, we take away the element of surprise.”
Image credit: CENTCOM
Rasor raved about the new device pointing out its cost savings over similar systems that are attached to fast jets rather than a relatively cheap fuel efficient twin engine King Air. “Two of these aircraft can replace a whole squadron of EA-6B Prowlers” said Rasor highlighting the costs savings that some could see as being controvertial.
The CEASAR plane is part of a bigger aerial surveillance fleet which includes drones and attack helicopters who all provide clear overhead views of the battlefield, its hard to see how the Afghan army will enjoy such luxuries if as mentioned troops’ begin to withdraw during 2014.
Richard Clements for TheAviationist.com
Image credit: Stars And Stripes
U.S. special operations plane crashes in Djibouti killing four crew members February 20, 2012
Posted by David Cenciotti in Military Aviation.Tags: 25th Intelligence Squadron, AFSOC, Air Force, Air Force Special Operations Command, Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Surveillance aircraft, U-28A, U-28A crash
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On Feb. 18, 2012, a U.S. spy plane crashed six miles from Djibouti International Airport during “a routine flight.” As a consequence, all four U.S. military personnel on board, belonging to the 319th and 34th Special Operations Squadrons, and to the 25th Intelligence Squadron, both based at Hurlburt field, Fla., died.
The accident occurred around 8.00 PM LT.
As usual in similar cases, a special investigation team has been dispatched to determine the cause of the crash.
Noteworthy, the doomed military plane was a U-28A; the U.S. Air Force has 21 such aircraft to perform intra-theater transport of small numbers of special operations troops.
The U-28A (where “U” prefix stands for “utilitarian”), purchased at a unit price of 3.5 million USD from the Swiss company Pilatus, is a militarized version of the PC-12. Although much similar in terms of basic design as the civilian plane, the U-28A is equipped with special navigation equipment, weather radar and other undisclosed equipment.
The plane has a crew of two (even if can be flown by one pilot only) and it is able to operate from short and unimproved runway surfaces
According to the information released by the Air Force Special Operations Command, depending on the internal configuration, the aircraft can carry up to nine passengers, or about 3,000 pounds of cargo.
Hard to say what the type of mission the aircraft was flying from Camp Lemonnier, a U.S. forward operating base involved in the recent Special Forces raid to free two Western worker in Somalia, but, according to the first rumors, it looks like the aircraft did not crash as a consequence of any hostile act.
Image credit: Flickr/Roberto Gonzalez
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