WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Oklahoma and Central Georgia airmen are training together this month using key communications-surveillance aircraft that flew to Robins Air Force Base.
Lieutenant Colonel Gerrit Dalman says it's special to train alongside Central Georgia airmen. He works with E-G AWACS aircraft in Oklahoma. It's known for its mounted top radar disc. Robins Air Force Base airmen are sharing ramp space and performing flight operations with E-8C JSTARS aircraft according to a news release from the base.
Airmen told 13WMAZ that it is unusual for both aircraft to be on the the same base. Crews got a special chance to learn from each other about the work they do with them.
"It's a huge learning opportunity to share best practices between two like systems and to make sure that we operate better as a unified whole when we deploy to overseas locations," said Dalman.
He says airmen brought three AWACS aircraft to the base.
Lieutenant Colonel Mike Roy of Oklahoma says both aircraft complement each other in the air.
"We have very similar crew builds and similar specialties for the crew members," said Roy.
Lieutenant Colonel Levi Rains of Oklahoma says the similar aircraft get the first call for aerial support to battlefield commanders.
"When we fly, we can integrate together and work on tactics, techniques and procedures we don't normally get to do unless we are co-located like this or in a deployed location," said Rains.
Rains says they're responsible for painting a picture of enemy and friendly forces operating in war zones, homeland defense, and places of natural disaster.
"The JSTARS and the AWACS are mission planning side by side. Young aircraft members don't often get that opportunity to work next to each other and talk about how we do things similar and differently and how we can interact when we actually execute missions together," said Rains.
Rains says the crews who work each aircraft have similar missions. Dalman says the AWACS aircraft will train at Robins for the next two weeks.
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