Exercise FOAL EAGLE 97 marked the first participation of the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft in the largest air base defense exercise in the world. The presence of Joint STARS not only added a new airborne platform to the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility; it introduced a revolutionary command and control capability for U.S. commanders in the Asia-Pacific Region.

The job of Joint STARS was to provide support to Republic of Korea (ROK) and U.S. commanders in the ROK during FOAL EAGLE 97. They tracked troop movements, provided indications and warning, directed attack support aviation assets, and acted as a communication relay platform for various ground and airborne units.

The Joint STARS system provides an exceptional ground surveillance and battle management capability to any commander. As the use of the first operational radar system changed the rules of aerial combat during the WWII Battle of Britain, so too Joint STARS will substantially alter the conduct of future ground combat and ground support operations.

The Joint STARS E-8C is a Boeing 707 modified by Northrop Grumman with a specially designed radar, housed in a canoe-shaped tube on the underside, which can detect and identify slow moving ground targets up to 250 kilometers (150 miles) away. A typical mission lasts 10 hours and can produce map images or photos of the precise locations of vehicles as well as buildings, bridges or other man-made impediments to ground maneuver. Basically, it allows a ground commander to know what lies ahead.

Joint STARS provides ground commanders a near-real time, bird's-eye view of the battlefield, by transmitting images and radar data to mobile U.S. Army ground stations. Simultaneously, the mission crew is able to direct strike aircraft on attack support and interdiction missions. Various missions can be conducted at the same time because a 22-man mission crew of both U.S. Army and Air Force personnel man the aircraft, combining the required staff skills for both air and ground warfare.

Perhaps the best example of Joint STARS' ability to influence the battlefield was demonstrated by one of FOAL EAGLE 97's first events. Joint STARS was tasked to detect a moving convoy of 75 opposition force vehicles. Relying on cross-cue information from an unmanned aerospace vehicle and a U.S. Army RC-7 Airborne Reconnaissance Low, Joint STARS was able to maintain continuous tracking, calculate the arrival time of the vehicles into the designated target "kill" area, and provide a launch order to 24 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters from Camp Humphreys, Korea. Even though the helicopters had to travel over 100 kilometers to get to the fight, precise updates from the Joint STARS mission crew ensured they arrived exactly on time as the opposing forces' convoy reached the engagement point. The commander of the 6th U.S. Cavalry Brigade, which successfully "destroyed" the vehicles with the Apaches, called it the most significant event in the last 30 years of Army attack aviation operations.

The ability to interact with ROK forces was one of the highlights of Joint STARS' deployment to FOAL EAGLE 97. On two occasions, Joint STARS radar data was used specifically to support ROK airborne assets that were operating in conjunction with U.S. aircraft. In both cases, the information available from Joint STARS made significant contributions to the outcome of the exercise events.

During the amphibious landing phase of the exercise, Joint STARS provided ground movement data and Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery of the landing zone to the friendly forces commander. When Joint STARS detected an Opposing Forces column maneuvering to reinforce the landing area, Joint STARS directed ROK Air Force F-5 and F-4 aircraft onto the target to halt the advance of the hostile vehicles.

Joint STARS demonstrated another of its capabilities in a separate event. An ROK HH-60 search and rescue helicopter, with Joint STARS data and support from U.S. Air Force A/OA-10 aircraft from the 25th Fighter Squadron at Osan Air Base, Korea, successfully recovered a simulated downed aircrew. This marked the first time that Joint STARS data was used to support a search and rescue operation in the Korean theater of operations. The data provided the escorting A/OA-10 pilots an unprecedented long-range sensor capability. This allowed the search and rescue aircraft to select the best possible minimum risk route, while simultaneously providing the capability to select optimum attack parameters against ground threats that were beyond the escorting pilots' visual range.

Though there are still some limitations that must be overcome to make full use of Joint STARS' downlink data, the first deployment of Joint STARS to Korea demonstrated the special capabilities of the aircraft and pointed out its tremendous potential value for future operations. Since Joint STARS functions as part of a larger interlink communication system that includes Airborne Warning and Control Systems, Air Defense Operations Centers, fighter aircraft, U.S. Navy ships, unmanned aerospace vehicles and U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, future FOAL EAGLE exercises are likely to focus on even greater cooperation between the U.S. Air Force's newest command and control platform and the U.S. and ROK forces in the ROK.

Capt. Andy Veres, USAF, is assigned to the 12th Airborne Command and Control Squadron, 93rd Air Control Wing, Warner Robbins AFB, Georgia.

"Company E! You have a column of six enemy tanks approaching your left flank toward Blue Beach, now 40 kilometers away in Deep Shadow Canyon!" The above scenario was just one small example of how well Joint STARS, coupled with a U.S. Navy P-3 real-time aircraft reconnaissance system, helped to fill in the tactical picture ashore for the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps team during combined exercise FOAL EAGLE 97 in Korea.

For FOAL EAGLE 97, a Joint STARS ground station was temporarily installed aboard the USS Belleau Wood (LHA-3). With its ability to scan up to 40,000 square kilometers for any and all signs of movement, Joint STARS gave the embarked amphibious warfare commanders a remarkably accurate tactical picture of what was happening in the exercise area. Joint STARS flew its missions from a safe standoff distance of up to 250 kilometers.

Using indications provided by Joint STARS, the U.S. Navy P-3 aircraft could then provide a close-up optical view of any desired area using its high-resolution video camera. The P-3's video output was downlinked to the ship and fed into a TV system that displayed the picture at key command locations. With the P-3 video providing accurate classification of the Joint STARS' contacts, mission commanders on the beach and supporting arms commanders (naval gunfire support, carrier-based attack aircraft, and shore-based artillery) could be vectored to the simulated enemy and remove any threat approaching the amphibious forces ashore.

Lt. Cmdr. David Acton is a Public Affairs Officer for Amphibious Squadron II. He was a participant in FOAL EAGLE 97 aboard the USS Belleau Wood.
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Date last modified: 30-Jul-98