of fuel every day to coalition receivers
overhead Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. We
have the high-altitude U-2S and RQ-4
Global Hawks that provide coverage of
the entire AOR [area of responsibility] and
give us decision-quality information. Our
command and control [C2] is provided by
the E-3 AWACS eet here that has own
in an extremely dynamic environment
this past year with Russian aircraft ying
over Syria, [and] an unpredictable Syrian
Air Force, as well as Turkish aircraft ying
near the borders, [and] Iranian unmanned
aerial vehicles, so the part they have to
play is huge. The E-3s work closely with
our ‘Kingpin’ ground control facility,
known as a control reporting center [CRC].
‘Kingpin’ has a huge footprint and it isnetworked across the AOR with thousands
of variables in play every single day. Their
controllers decon ict aircraft outside
the standard air tra c control zones,
orchestrating the various air assets, while
detecting and distributing the entire
recognized air picture [RAP].’
‘Kingpin’ and AWACS have similar
missions, but they bring di erent
strengths. ‘Kingpin’ maintains a god’s
eye view of everywhere from the
Mediterranean right out to the east
of Afghanistan. The Combined Air
Operations Center (CAOC) at Al Udeid,
Qatar, is geared towards the operational
side of things — the top-echelon
decision-making and generation
of a daily air tasking order (ATO) —Our primary reason for being
deployed here is our ability to
ensure air dominance in the theater —
that means defending coalition forces on
the ground and in the air, so our primary
role is defensive counter-air
Lt Col ‘Habu’line. Moreover, new operational areas
are now planned to be constructed over
the coming years to give the US a more
permanent and long-term presence.
France says this is operation is all about
‘long-term regional stability, and not just
tackling the immediate threat of ISIS.’Motown
The US ight line, maintenance and
operations areas are collectively known
as ‘Motown’. Here, the various elements
of the 380th come together to form an
impressive, cohesive, unit. ‘We are unique
in that we execute ve core USAF missions
here under one patch,’ says France. ‘We
have the air mobility KC-10 Extenders that
deliver hundreds of thousands of poundsBelow left ot right:
The F-22’s typical
OIR load includes
six AMRAAMs,
which are seen
here ready for
loading.
With a long fl ight
ahead, a 94th EFS
pilot pre-fl ights
the jet’s AIM-9X.
Bottom: A team
shot of the 380th
AEW at Al Dhafra,
which brings
together RQ-4,
KC-10, F-22, E-3
and U-2S. USAFhttp://www.combataircraft.net // August 2018 31
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