Ground combatants now call air support by phone

Posted on: Apr. 22nd, 2006 || Source: blackanthem.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

Ground combatants now call air support by phone

Ground units in combat are now able to call for close-air support using the equivalent of a cellular phone that connects with a pod on fighter aircraft.

The new Fighter Aircraft Communication Enhancement pod, fielded for the first time in late 2004, is a solution to communication problems often experienced by aircraft in the mountainous regions of Afghanistan.

Now used effectively in several theaters, the FACE pod allows ground units to communicate with aircraft ready to provide close air support through the Air Support Operations Center at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.

"Aircraft communications are primarily line-of-sight," said Col. Gregory Touhill, director of communications at the Combined Air Operations Center here. "The mountains in Afghanistan were creating communication issues for our A-10 aircraft in that region; this technology is a solution to that problem."

The pod enables ground units to relay their coordinates to patrolling aircraft, allowing them to engage the enemy as needed.

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