The temperatures could have been cold here last week, but Thompson Hill Complex was hot as about 70 Soldiers from B Battery, 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., performed live-fire Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar training.
The Soldiers, who’re a mixture of Air Defense Artillery, referred to as ADA, military occupational specialties, were transitioning from the Avenger surface-to-air missile system to Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar, referred to as C-RAM.
“It’s been excellent; we’ve been knocking them (incoming mortars, rockets) out of the park,” said Spc. Clifton Hawkins, B/5-5th ADA. “It’s amazing to return out here and notice how everything at the C-RAM works, and to return together as a unit and perform well.”
In addition to live-fire training, the battery performed a command post exercise and mission ready exercise in the course of the two-week training, Jan. 24 through Feb. 7.
The short-range air warriors were familiarizing themselves with various aspects of the C-RAM at their home fort since October, said Staff Sgt. Quavise Cherry, B/5-5th ADA squad leader.
The C-RAM weapons system includes an electrical six-barrel gun that may fire 75 20mm high explosives rounds per second and a layered network of counter-mortar radars. a sequence of the guns are used to, say, defend an outpost against indirect fire, called IDF, said a C-RAM trainer. It’s radar system provides early warning of incoming fire.
Fort Sill trainer Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Nardi, with D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 6th ADA, engagement operations cell platoon sergeant, was one in all about 40 instructors working with the 5-5th. He said the learning was designed to copy conditions the warriors will see in combat.
REALISTIC
Small drones were flown around Thompson Hill Range to simulate aircraft appearing on radar to force C-RAM commanders to discern potential threats, and to make decisions to fireside, Nardi said.
“Should we shoot the round and risk the aircraft within the air or will we let the round are available in?” he asked. “It’s an actual challenge for decision making. There’s no by-the-book answer.”
The Soldiers also trained on a brand new radar system they’ll see once deployed, in addition to the computers and software they may use in an engagement operations center.
In addition to the live fire, the warriors used simulators, Nardi said.
“We use a computers system that puts in fake radars, air tracks and IDF rounds, for you to get the simulation without firing rounds,” Nardi said.
Hawkins said the learning instructors and Raytheon contractors provided invaluable information.
“The Raytheon guys are necessary to the learning,” Hawkins said. “A lot of them are former military, they’ve got the information base. They’re the glue that holds us together.”
TRANSITION
Transitioning to C-RAM requires a Soldier to be informed an array of systems, Nardi said. This includes forward area air defense hardware, software and communications equipment; an air defense command and control center, a radar network and the gun.
Although they may have used one of the vital systems as an Avenger crewmember, that’s Military Occupational Specialty 14S, or Air Defense Battle Management System Operator, that’s Military Occupational Specialty 14G, “they will come here on C-RAM and work them differently than they’re used to,” Nardi said.
Cherry, a 14S, said one difference with C-RAM is that he’s sitting inside an Engagement Operations Center staring at computer screens.
And, C-RAM operators have less time, typically 10 seconds to react to indirect fire, than Avenger crewmembers who engage aircraft, Hawkins said.
EXERCISES
The two-day command post exercise laid the groundwork for the battery’s communications and reporting to the 1st sergeant and commander. It tested the unit’s standard operating procedures and other protocol.
The mission readiness exercise was the culmination of the educational and included the EOC Soldiers operating in a combat scenario, detecting IDFs and firing the C-RAM.
First Lt. Benjamin Bowman, B/5-5th ADA platoon leader, said his Soldiers had done plenty of classroom training with the C-RAM at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, nevertheless it was the 1st time they’d fired it.
“These newer Soldiers on the unit are becoming trained quickly,” he said. “I’m very impressed and happy with them.”
The Soldiers returned to Washington state, and could deploy to accomplish their C-RAM mission.
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