U.S. Air Force MC-12 flies first combat mission

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The U.S. Air Force's newest intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft flew its first combat sortie June 10 over Iraq.

The MC-12 Liberty, assigned to the 362nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, arrived in Iraq June 8 and took off from Joint Base Balad at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time for a four-hour mission.

"This is truly a success story," said Brig. Gen. Brian T. Bishop, the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander. "Our mission here is to deliver combat airpower and overwatch to the joint fight in-theater, and the MC-12 brings a huge ISR capability to employ in support of the ground commander."

"This is the first combat mission for the 362nd ERS, and it was a huge success," said Col. Mike Fantini, the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group commander. "The milestone continues the extraordinary program to push more ISR capability to the joint-force commander."

Landing at approximately 6:20 p.m. local time, the four-person crew was all smiles after completing the historic sortie.

"It feels good being out here and doing something good for the warfighter," said Capt. Jason Goodale, the pilot.

"The crew was great," the Sioux Falls, S.D., said the native deployed from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. "We performed like we trained. It is great to be part of something that is bringing a unique feature to ground forces."

Flying alongside Captain Goodale were Lt. Col. Phillip Stewart, the mission commander deployed from Langley AFB, Va., and a native of Silver Spring, Md.; and the two sensor operators: Senior Master Sgt. Bruce Hunter, deployed from Offutt AFB, Neb., and a native of Rock Springs, Wy.; and Staff Sgt. Shaun Nelson.

"It was a great mission," Colonel Stewart said. "It couldn't have gone any better."

"It feels really good to validate the training we went through," he added. "I'm extraordinarily proud of (the Airmen of the 362nd ERS). They are a tremendous group of Airmen. All of them volunteered to come to a brand-new program not knowing what to expect because they believe in the mission and they believe in the men and women that we are protecting on the ground."

Designed to augment information gathered by other intelligence-collection capabilities operating in-theater, the MC-12 provides real-time full-motion video and signals intelligence and allow military leaders to make battlefield decisions.

"It's an awesome mission," said Sergeant Nelson, deployed from Tinker AFB, Okla., and a native of Lenox, S.D. "I think we are all excited to be a part of it. It's a big capability, and it's nice to be able to bring this capability to more and more of the troops on the ground. The job satisfaction is amazing out here. You know you're making a difference. You know you're helping the guys on the ground. That's what we are here to do."

MC-12 Liberty: The U.S. Air Force’s New Eye in the Sky

 

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U.S. Air Force orders additional Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350ER turboprops in support of Project Liberty
UNITED STATES - 20 OCTOBER 2009

Specially-equipped King Air 350ER aircraft performing ISR missions in several theaters of operation

ORLANDO (Oct. 20, 2009) � Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) today announced it has received a follow-on order from the United States Air Force for six additional King Air 350ER special mission aircraft in support of Project Liberty. HBC was awarded the original contract for 23 King Air 350ER turboprops, designated by the military as the MC-12W, in November 2008. The company has completed delivery of these 23 aircraft.

"This follow-on order is directly linked to the reliability and versatility of the MC-12W special mission aircraft in performing its important Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance mission and the fact that we delivered all of the aircraft in the original order on or ahead of schedule," said Jim Maslowski, president, U.S. and International Government Business. "Since being deployed in several theaters of operation, the aircraft have demonstrated extremely high-mission capability and logged hundreds of hours on station."

Modified with military-required equipment, the MC-12W provides the Air Force with advanced technology and reliability. The value of the additional order for six aircraft is approximately $45 million. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

The King Air 350ER, a derivative of the King Air 350, provides extended range through the addition of nacelle fuel tanks, along with an increase in gross weight from 15,000 to 16,500 pounds and the incorporation of heavy-weight landing gear. The aircraft is ideally suited for use in special missions as an airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform.

The aircraft can provide more than eight hours of endurance and has the flexibility to loiter low and slow or cruise at 300 knots and 35,000 feet. Taking off at gross weight with full fuel and full payload, the King Air 350ER can fly out 100 nautical miles, perform a low altitude surveillance mission for 7 hours and 20 minutes, fly back 100 nautical miles, and still land with more than 45 minutes of fuel on board. No other aircraft in its class can come close to this performance.


Source: Hawker Beechcraft Corporation

 

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MC-12 aircrews complete 2,000th combat sortie
UNITED STATES - 24 MARCH 2010

MC-12 Liberty aircrews assigned to the 362nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron completed their 2,000th combat sortie recently from Joint Base Balad.

The MC-12 program took off in the fall as Airmen flew the first combat mission in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft that supports coalition and joint ground troops in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

"A year ago the commander and I were learning how to start the new aircraft, and now the program just flew its 2,000th mission," said Capt. Ryan Woodman, a 362nd ERS mission pilot. "Given what this program accomplishes for the troops on the ground, it is a great feeling. We are the eyes in the sky for those guys. We are able to communicate and help them with their mission on the ground."

The MC-12, which allows the crew to support the ground troops, is a tactical ISR aircraft. The plane is operated by two pilots in the front of the fixed-wing aircraft and two enlisted members who gather intelligence by operating a sensor, a camera, located on the bottom of the plane. Having people in the aircraft allow adjustments to be made quickly. The adjustments allow a quick dissemination of information.

"As the signals operator, my job is to locate high value individuals and coordinate with the sensor operator to put the intel together," said Senior Airman Candise Woods, a 362nd ERS signals intel operator. "We are able to provide an angle of intel that other forces can't provide. We are providing real-time information to the ground forces."

Junior ranking Airmen in the MC-12 program have a lot of responsibility for this mission.

"Our junior Airmen are constantly in situations where they (must) give correct info in a matter of seconds," said Lt. Col. Phillip Stewart, the 362nd ERS commander. "Their decisions could mean the difference between life and death to the Soldier, Marine or Airmen on the ground. In a split second they have to be able to decide if the guy they are looking at is holding a shovel or a rifle and then transmit it to the ground. They perform under this pressure exceptionally well."

For the last nine months, the MC-12 mission has provided intelligence that has no doubt eased the minds of the security forces members patrolling villages, but it has also contributed to the arrest and prosecution of several dozen wanted individuals, and discovered multiple weapons caches and IEDs.

 

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PAF is reported to have acquired two of these aircraft.