Colorado AF Reservists support new military cargo tracking system

  • Published
  • By Capt Jody L. Ritchie
  • 302nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  An Air Force Reserve C-130 Hercules participated in a prototype air drop Sept. 24 at the Airburst range at Fort Carson, Colo. 

The proof of concept drop, supported by the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based 302nd Airlift Wing, assisted a research project sponsored by the U.S. Air Force Academy's Institute for Information Technology Applications. The project aims to provide war fighters in places like Afghanistan and Iraq with exact details on cargo locations and inventories. 

The concept of the airdrop project is expected to be used as a real-world tool that forwards information on cargo inventories to deployed forces and command and control elements over a unified common operational picture. The project is known as the Airdrop Enhanced Logistics Visibility System, or 'AELVIS.' The technology of AELVIS combines existing Blue Force Tracker capabilities with automated information and geospatial technologies, providing the exact location of an air dropped container delivery system and its inventory within minutes of the load leaving the aircraft. This technology can also be applied to heavy equipment air drops, such as vehicles.

During the September air drop, a recovery team was placed approximately 1,000 yards from the drop zone and was able to identify the exact GPS coordinates of two separate CDS's dropped during a Joint Precision Airdrop System training mission. The team was also able to identify the contents of each CDS immediately after the loads landed.

Simultaneously, a simulated operations center at the USAFA, located 39 miles north of the drop zone, observed the drop and received CDS information at the same time as the recovery team. Additionally, personnel at the operations center were able to determine the effectiveness of the drop by using a scoring application developed by contractors working with the USAFA's IITA.

"This project addresses the 'last tactical mile' in airdrop operations," said Lt. Col. Patrick Ryan, project officer for AELVIS and a C-130 navigator assigned to the 302nd AW. "With this system, we're providing instantaneous airdrop information to multiple stakeholders. For example, ground commanders at the drop zone can prioritize the recovery of CDS's after an airdrop utilizing our integrated inventory data viewer with the click of a mouse while operations and support personnel thousands of miles away can accurately score each CDS bundle in reference to the point of impact." 

"FedEx determined a long time ago information about a package can be more important than the package itself. We believe in this philosophy and are determined to provide this capability to war fighters," said Colonel Ryan, "even if it's one CDS at a time." 

The unique nature of the project incorporated the expertise of Air Force Reserve, Guard and Active Duty personnel providing another example of the value of a Total Force team. 

Lt. Col. Freddie Rodriguez, director of reserve research for IITA, makes a point to incorporate Air Force Reservists, including those from the 302nd AW, who have extensive operational experience. These war fighters, according to Colonel Rodriguez, provided real-world experience and input to the concept of real-time cargo tracking.

"This drop demonstrates the value of bringing the war fighter to the research," said Colonel Rodriguez. "Tapping into the deployed and corporate experience of reservists and the research talent of more than 4,000 cadets and faculty gives us the opportunity to make a difference in the operational Air Force."

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