Marines deployed to the Middle East and Asia-Pacific region U.S. 5th Fleet Persian Gulf are The 15 Marine Expeditionary Unit is conducting the first to field test a new deployed testing of a new roll-on, roll-off communications suite that gives troops in the back of aircraft unprecedented access to information and communications while in flight.
Members of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are now able to receive and send and receive text, photo, audio and video messages on handheld tablets audio communications from the back of an MV-22B Osprey or heavy-lift helicopter, said Maj. Chuck Buckley, the MEU’s communications officer. It's made possible by a new roll-on, roll-off communications device called the Called the Digital Interoperability Package, which maintainers can bolt the new system into aircraft to provide Marines in transit with the ability to receive and send text, photos, video and audio communications, said Maj. Chuck Buckley, the MEU’s communications officer. That is critical to keeping Marines on long flights to objectives appraised of the situation on the ground with up-to-the-minute intelligence.
The MEU now has six kits installed on two CH-53 Super Stallions and four 4 MV-22 Ospreys. Each of those aircraft received a simple modification in order to accommodate the pod, which that allows for plug and play of the kittakes a pair of Marines about 15 minutes to set up, "Two Marines during sustainment training got to the point where they were able to take it out of a helicopter and have it operational in another helo in 15 minutes," Buckley said.
A contractor supporting the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit installs the Digital Interoperability Systems onto a MV-22B Osprey. The system allows Marines to receive audio, video, photo and text messages on handheld tablets.
Photo Credit: Cpl. Elize McKelvey/Marine Corps
Before deploying in May, the MEU tested the suite, which uses a communications pod in the back of the aircraft to link wireless tablets with an operations centers that can provide a picture of what's changing on the ground as they're en route. The Marines took off from the amphibious assault ship Essex off the coast of California and flew to Flagstaff, Arizona, on a mock mission to recover a downed aircraft and crew. "During our workups, one thing we did from the [amphibious assault ship] Essex was an exercise where we ran [Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel] from off the coast of California into Flagstaff, Arizona," he said.
"Even with the speed of an MV-22 that is still a two-hour flight," Buckley said. "A lot can change during those two hours."
The But, by outfitting the aircraft with new communications equipment allowed the , Marines during that exercise were able to receiver incremental updates beamed straight to individual tablets. It provides far more detail than radio communication, and allows commanders, air crews and Marines riding in the back of the aircraft to communicate about what's changed on the ground as they fly to their objective. on the ground is an advance light years ahead of trying to communicate with traditional radios. It facilitates communication from command centers to field commanders in flight, between Marines in the aircraft and even between aircrews by translating different signals so various communications systems can talk to each other seamlessly.
"When you look back across history, ever since we started doing helo ops, one thing that has not changed much is our ability to get info into the back of helicopters to guys executing the operation," Buckley said.
The only way to do that for a long time was to perform jury rigged modifications to aircraft by, for example, bolting an antenna onto a helicopter skid which he said was against Naval Air Systems Command regulations.
That led Marine leaders to call for the development of a new system that has resulted in the Digital Interoperability Package.
"For our Marine in those planes, iIf your combat radius is 450 miles ... vice 70 or 80 miles, your information requirements have changed drastically [during transit]," said Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, the deputy commandant for aviation. "You can now travel say 2,000 miles with a tanker. What has changed on that battlefield in that time you have been in the tanker? A lot."
Davis said the service — with testing by the 15th MEU — is getting close to fielding that capability.
The MEU has tested the already used the system during on several exercises, including one in Kuwait in which a where the battalion landing team used it to call for artillery fire. During those types of fire-support missions, a Google maps-like application capability already installed on the tablets allows ed Marines to zoom, pan and see their locations on a digital map.
That could mitigate risk of calling for fire delivering supporting fires on the wrong location because of misunderstood verbal communications over radio. In the past, Marines have even used paper maps to get fires approved by their chain of command, Buckley said.
In November, the MEU will use the system during MALUS ,an amphibious exercise conducted with the Malaysian military off their coast and on their beaches. During that test, enemy There, they will use it to beam enemy locations will be beamed to Marines in transit, allowing them and allow Marines to game plan from in the aircraft.
"That could save reams and reams of paper maps with a 5-inch tablet and allow Marines to pass 10-digit grid coordinates all the way up the chain to get fires approved," he said.
The system has already been tested experimented with by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One during exercises in Arizona and by students at at the Infantry Officers Course during mock raids in California at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. But, leaders like Davis called for data and experiments in the field, – like those now being carried out by the 15th MEU.
Asked if Marines would take the system on a real operation during this deployment, if an emergency springs up, Buckley said it is possible. But, would be limited to what the Marines going in are comfortable with. They may, for example, use their tablets on the aircraft, but not take them into the field.
As the Marine Corps y continues to testing the system, officials they will make incremental improvements. It is built on an open architecture, which will allow them to add additional applications. Leaders are also working to determine whether every Marine in the back of an aircraft should have a tablet, or if they should be reserved for fire team or squad leaders.
Following the MEU's field tests, Next, developers will work to tag personnel and gear that ride in aircraft with radio frequency identification or RF ID. That will ould allow a commander in an operations center to see exactly where Marines are and make decisions based on real time locations of his men and gear and whether or not they are still on the aircraft, Buckley said. That could be particularly useful on cargo resupply runs.
In November, the MEU will use the system during MALUS ,an amphibious exercise conducted with the Malaysian military. There, they will use it to beam enemy locations to Marines in transit and allow Marines to game plan in the aircraft.
"The weak link is trying to listen to audio. You can annotate John Madden style what the unit is going to do and when and disseminate it to the unit. You can do that without huddling together and yelling over the rotor wash," Buckley said.
Buckley said the 15th MEU is just the first of many deploying units to test deploy with the new technology as the Marine Corps works to refine the system. For example, they are still trying to work out the density of tablets — whether there should be one for every Marine, fire team leader or squad leader. He and his leaders will brief the 13th MEU on lessons learned before that unit e 13th deploys with it in early 2016.
