PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE, Saudi Arabia (AFNS) —
For the 430th Expeditionary Digital Communications Squadron, delivering communication protection to the American warfighter, the nation’s allies and coalition companions is a major goal.
The 430th EECS is the one unit within the U.S. Air Drive that operates the E-11A plane with the Battlefield Airborne Communication Node payload. As such, the 430th EECS strives to supply constant and efficient communication channels for air, floor and maritime forces within the U.S. Central Command space of accountability.
“The 430th helps warfighters who conduct across the clock operations within the CENTCOM AOR,” mentioned Lt. Col. Todd Arthur, the 430th EECS commander. “We provide communication protection to floor and air forces in energetic fight zones, who require constant, clear communications to greater ranges of management and different command and management property.”
To assist preserve the 430th’s fleet airborne projecting fixed fight communications assist, the Air Drive and Air Fight Command procured a brand-new E-11A, which arrived at Prince Sultan Air Base Dec. 16.
“This new E-11A will relieve the strain on the remainder of our fleet and allow us to maintain a excessive mission succesful charge,” Arthur mentioned. “Having an extra plane will give our upkeep staff one other choice to reliably put fight airpower into the skies.”
Primarily functioning as a low earth satellite tv for pc, or “Wi-Fi within the sky,” the E-11A is used to supply prolonged aerial command and management capabilities to air property and troops on the bottom.
The E-11A is the one plane of its sort within the Air Drive, and all of the pilots with the 430th EECS are all volunteers from different airframes.
“Identical to America is a melting pot of different nationalities, the 430th is really a melting pot of the Air Drive,” Arthur mentioned. “Now we have fighter pilots, bomber pilots, transport pilots, tanker pilots, particular operations pilots, coach pilots, check pilots, a program supervisor and three enlisted profession fields.”
For the reason that BACN mission’s inception in 2008, the 430th has constantly delivered hundreds of annual flight hours and confirmed to be a vital part to trendy conflict preventing.
With the excessive mission success charges, the E-11A has demonstrated within the Center East, and the strategic functionality benefits the plane brings to the joint power, the Air Drive has introduced plans to convey a brand new E-11A BACN squadron to Robins Air Drive Base, Georgia.
“The Air Drive and U.S. Congress have acknowledged what the E-11A platform brings to the combat,” Arthur mentioned. “Consequently, we’re standing up a brand new squadron of E-11s at Robins AFB in February of 2023.”
As the one E-11A BACN squadron, the 430th EECS will play a key position in serving to the Air Drive set up a extra conventional mannequin with one dwelling station squadron and a deployed squadron.
In keeping with Arthur, the 430th EECS is a novel staff with a novel mission set, and he famous that it has been a very rewarding expertise to guide this squadron.
“Having the privilege and honor of commanding a number of the greatest pilots America has to supply is the chance of a lifetime and one that can by no means be forgotten,” Arthur mentioned.
