VIRGINIA BEACH -- Military personnel are studying how to save the lives of U.S. troops, coalition partners and innocent civilians.
More than 1,000 personnel from nine coalition countries and two dozen aircraft are involved in a two- week long exercise called Bold Quest 2009.
The effort is taking place at a half-dozen U.S. military bases, including Naval Air Station Oceana in Va. Beach and Langley Air Force Base in Hampton.
It’s all about improving information-sharing between pilots up in the sky, and, friendly forces on the ground.
"When I’m up there flying around at 20,000 feet, 15,000 feet, whatever, and I look down with this level of information sharing that’s going to go on, I will be able to better distinguish who the friends are and who the enemies are," said Navy F/A-18 F Super Hornet pilot CDR Bill Mallory.
Mallory serves at U.S. Joint Forces Command as Senior Systems Analyst, helping oversee Bold Quest 2009.
"And ultimately, it will improve combat effectiveness and reduce the likelihood of friendly fire incidents," he added.
Specifically being tested for the first time is the Listening Advanced Targeting Pod. Attached to the belly of fighter jet, the pod uses radio, optical and infared technology to help air crews develop better battlefield situational awareness.
It helps them distinguish between the good guy and the bad guy by enabling them to digitally exchange position information with ground forces, relative to the ground forces’ presence in the vicinity of potential targets.
"It’s very exciting to be involved in the grass roots levels of the efforts that are going to eventually save lives down-range," Mallory said.
LT Col Frank Martson of the US Air Force 158th Fighter Wing Detachment agrees. He says the pod, now in its fourth generation, will "give me a big ‘x’ in my display saying don’t shoot, essentially dumbing it down to keep it real simple in the battlefield environment. So I think it can save lives."
The Norfolk-based U.S. Joint Forces Command has been conducting Bold Quest exercises since 2001.
Friday was the half-way point of this year’s exercise.
