thedrifter
09-18-09, 07:46 AM
GRAND ENTRANCE: Station members work together to position new radar
9/18/2009 By Lance Cpl. Claudio A. Martinez , Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
Sections from around the station coordinated their efforts to safely transport the largest pieces of a newly acquired Airport Surveillance Radar 11 Digital Airport Surveillance Radar from the station southside port area to the northside DASR site here Tuesday.
The Provost Marshal’s Office, Logistics, Operations, Facilities and Japanese contractors worked together to off-load the ASR-11 DASR at the port, provide traffic control, lift utility power lines and open perimeter fence lines to safely deliver the radar to its destination.
“The main thing (working together to transport the radar says) is that we can work well as a team. We can get different entities on the base to work together for the main mission of the base, which is to maintain the airfield and the airspace,” said Gunnery Sgt. Lisa Buskey, Ground Electronic Maintenance Division radar maintenance chief.
The radar equipment, some pieces weighing up to 100,000 pounds and too large to deliver via the streets of Japan, was delivered to the station port by cargo boat.
Members of PMO and logistics were on-hand at the port with Japanese contractors to oversee the off-loading of the radar shelter, generator shelter and antenna.
Within three hours, the pieces were off-loaded and transported via lowboy trailers by road through the flight line to the designated northside DASR site.
Buskey said in order to familiarize the participating members of the project with the route, she had them practice before the equipment arrived.
“It’s been very time consuming, but it hasn’t been extremely difficult,” said Buskey.
Many of the members working together to transport the equipment agreed with Buskey.
“It was pretty hectic for a little while, but once things started moving, everyone got into place and everything went very smooth,” said Cpl. Jason Willis, GEMD radar technician. “I think that it shows that the station is very capable, because we didn’t have any problems getting to and from where we were going. Everyone was where they were supposed to be.”
Though the transport of the equipment was fairly smooth it wasn’t without small challenges that needed to be overcome.
The biggest challenge was probably the language barrier in trying to explain to the Japanese contractors where we needed each individual truck to go, but all that was resolved, Willis said.
The new ASR-11 DASR, considered to be the next generation in terminal surveillance radar systems, is an upgrade from analog radars up to 20-years-old and is the first aboard station.
Primary surveillance coverage for the radar reaches out to 60 nautical miles with secondary surveillance coverage up to 120 nautical miles.
Another feature of the radar is it can be controlled from multiple locations and is designed for unattended operation using redundant subsystems along with built-in test equipment.
“It’s going to be new, more reliable, somewhat less maintenance,” said Dan Hill, a Space and Naval Warfare System Center Atlantic project engineer. “From what we’ve seen so far, the reliability has been pretty good with these radars.”
Though the ASR-11 DASR is considered to offer some of the best advances in radar technology to the station, many aboard the station agree the people who positioned the equipment in place and run it are just as important and capable.
“From my experience so far, with Gunny Buskey and the team here, this has been a unique experience in the sense on how we are having to get the equipment here and all that’s going on with the station, and the teamwork all across the board here from S6, GEMD, Motor T, TMO and the Japanese nationals,” said Hill. “I mean we just couldn’t have done it without these folks in place here.”
Pieces of the ASR-11 radar are scheduled to arrive through the end of the month, and the system is slated to be fully operational by December.
Ellie
9/18/2009 By Lance Cpl. Claudio A. Martinez , Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
Sections from around the station coordinated their efforts to safely transport the largest pieces of a newly acquired Airport Surveillance Radar 11 Digital Airport Surveillance Radar from the station southside port area to the northside DASR site here Tuesday.
The Provost Marshal’s Office, Logistics, Operations, Facilities and Japanese contractors worked together to off-load the ASR-11 DASR at the port, provide traffic control, lift utility power lines and open perimeter fence lines to safely deliver the radar to its destination.
“The main thing (working together to transport the radar says) is that we can work well as a team. We can get different entities on the base to work together for the main mission of the base, which is to maintain the airfield and the airspace,” said Gunnery Sgt. Lisa Buskey, Ground Electronic Maintenance Division radar maintenance chief.
The radar equipment, some pieces weighing up to 100,000 pounds and too large to deliver via the streets of Japan, was delivered to the station port by cargo boat.
Members of PMO and logistics were on-hand at the port with Japanese contractors to oversee the off-loading of the radar shelter, generator shelter and antenna.
Within three hours, the pieces were off-loaded and transported via lowboy trailers by road through the flight line to the designated northside DASR site.
Buskey said in order to familiarize the participating members of the project with the route, she had them practice before the equipment arrived.
“It’s been very time consuming, but it hasn’t been extremely difficult,” said Buskey.
Many of the members working together to transport the equipment agreed with Buskey.
“It was pretty hectic for a little while, but once things started moving, everyone got into place and everything went very smooth,” said Cpl. Jason Willis, GEMD radar technician. “I think that it shows that the station is very capable, because we didn’t have any problems getting to and from where we were going. Everyone was where they were supposed to be.”
Though the transport of the equipment was fairly smooth it wasn’t without small challenges that needed to be overcome.
The biggest challenge was probably the language barrier in trying to explain to the Japanese contractors where we needed each individual truck to go, but all that was resolved, Willis said.
The new ASR-11 DASR, considered to be the next generation in terminal surveillance radar systems, is an upgrade from analog radars up to 20-years-old and is the first aboard station.
Primary surveillance coverage for the radar reaches out to 60 nautical miles with secondary surveillance coverage up to 120 nautical miles.
Another feature of the radar is it can be controlled from multiple locations and is designed for unattended operation using redundant subsystems along with built-in test equipment.
“It’s going to be new, more reliable, somewhat less maintenance,” said Dan Hill, a Space and Naval Warfare System Center Atlantic project engineer. “From what we’ve seen so far, the reliability has been pretty good with these radars.”
Though the ASR-11 DASR is considered to offer some of the best advances in radar technology to the station, many aboard the station agree the people who positioned the equipment in place and run it are just as important and capable.
“From my experience so far, with Gunny Buskey and the team here, this has been a unique experience in the sense on how we are having to get the equipment here and all that’s going on with the station, and the teamwork all across the board here from S6, GEMD, Motor T, TMO and the Japanese nationals,” said Hill. “I mean we just couldn’t have done it without these folks in place here.”
Pieces of the ASR-11 radar are scheduled to arrive through the end of the month, and the system is slated to be fully operational by December.
Ellie