Maiden Voyage of a
TEAMMATE
by First Lieutenant Mark D. Davey and Sergeant First Class David A.
Brownson
On 19 July 1995, D Company, 311th Military
Intelligence (MI) Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault),
conducted the first external sling-loading of an AN/ TRQ-32A(V)2
TEAMMATE. Executed in close coordination with the U.S. Army Safety
Center and the Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center,
the soldiers of D Company proved that they could safely rig and
sling-load to standard the AN/ TRQ-32A(V)2 in both day and night
lift operations.
D Company is the 311th MI Battalion's general support MI company
and is equipped with three AN/TRQ-32A(V)2 systems. The TEAMMATE is
an intercept and direction-finding system capable of stand-alone or
netted operations. In addition to other TEAMMATEs, this
intelligence and electronic warfare (IEW) system is
interoperable with the AN/ ALQ-151(V)2 QUICKFIX IIB, the
AN/TSQ-138 TRAILBLAZER, and the AN/PRD-12. The
TEAMMATE's communications equipment allows operators to send
reports to the division's analysis and control element directly or
through a supporting traffic analysis team over the Tactical
Intelligence Gathering and Exploitation Relay system. These
capabilities make the TEAMMATE a critical player in the division's
overall intelligence collection plan.
The 101st Airborne Division routinely deploys its maneuver brigades
to areas 150 kilometers forward of the division's base. To support
these operations, the 311th MI Battalion often "slices" or attaches
an AN/TRQ-32A(V)2 team to the direct support MI company with the
brigade. They frequently exercise this support relationship during
rotations to the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort
Polk, Louisiana. At JRTC, D Company soldiers have demonstrated the
system value to the brigade warfighters in numerous rotations. The
TEAMMATE teams routinely provide more intelligence and survive
longer than the more vulnerable AN/PRD-12-equipped low-level voice
intercept teams during battalion task force operations at JRTC.
A recent division exercise replicated a long-range air assault by
flying 130 kilometers within Kentucky to Greenville training areas
and back to Fort Campbell. In the past, this type of operation
would have required the TEAMMATE teams to execute a long roadmarch
to catch up to the brigade at the distant landing zone (LZ). During
this exercise, D Company demonstrated that the TEAMMATE could be
airlifted and accompany the air assault forces into the forward LZ.
The maiden voyage of the TEAMMATE lifted more than a AN/TRQ-32(V)2;
it elevated IEW support to air assault operations to a new level.
D Company and MI units with similar missions can now spend less
time deploying in ground convoys and more time providing timely
intelligence during the earliest stages of an entry operation.
AN/TRQ-32A(V)2 SLING-LOAD OPERATIONS
Resources:
25k Sling Set.
Link Count:
Front - 62
Rear - 22
Safety:
Use reach pendants and spreader bars with the breakaways for safety.
Lift Points:
Front: Center of hood (2).
Rear: Remove steps, move towing shackles to ends of rear
bumper. (No additional hardware necessary.)
Breakaways (6):
a. Tie front legs together above
windshield.
b. Tie both front legs to the ring located on top of
the air conditioning converter at the front of the shelter, pulling
the legs tight to keep from being caught under the condenser or
converter.
c. Tie both front legs together just below the apex.
d. Tie each rear leg to the spreader bar where the
leg passes through the bar, keeping legs tight to avoid
dragging.
e. Tie both legs together at center of spreader bar.
f. Tie both rear legs together just below the apex.
Note The AN/PSN-11 PLUGGER antenna may be inverted on
the mounting bracket to keep it away from the sling legs. This will
not affect operations of the PLUGGER. An alternate approved
rigging requires the addition of an extra length of chain to each
sling leg.
First Lieutenant Davey is currently the Executive
Officer for D Company, 311th MI Battalion, DSN 635-3505.
Sergeant First Class Brownson is currently the Platoon
Sergeant for the Signals Intelligence Platoon, D Company, 311th MI
Battalion.