SRI_Windshield_Tour_Script_(draft)_with_Threat_update_-_updated.pdf

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SRI WINDSHIELD

EGLIN OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES

(E-OMS) INDUSTRY DAYS

4 JUNE 2014

(UPON LANDING ON THE ISLAND SIDE OF BROOKS BRIDGE)

WELCOME TO SANTA ROSA ISLAND. LOCALLY, THIS

PORTION OF THE ISLAND IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS “OKALOOSA

ISLAND” BUT THE REALITY IS ALL 48 MILES OF IT, FROM FORT

PICKENS STATE PARK (SOUTH OF PENSACOLA) TO THE DESTIN

BRIDGE, IS IN FACT SANTA ROSA ISLAND.

(WHILE DRIVING THE 2.2 MILES ON SANTA ROSA BOULEVARD

TO THE RANGE SECURITY GATE)

THE 17 MILES OF THE ISLAND THAT EGLIN OWNS IS KNOWN

AS THE SANTA ROSA ISLAND LITTORAL RANGE. WE HAVE 4 MILES

OF LAND BETWEEN BROOKS BRIDGE, WHICH WE JUST CROSSED,

AND THE DESTIN BRIDGE (AKA MARLER BRIDGE) TO OUR EAST.

TEST SITES A-3 AND A-5 LIE WITHIN THAT SECTION. TEST SITE A-3

HOSTS OUR RANGE COMMAND GUIDANCE EQUIPMENT, USED FOR

FLIGHT TERMINATION OF UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS, AND

AERIAL WEAPONS BEING TESTED. OUR NEW, SOON TO BECOME

OPERATIONAL, TEST SITE A-5 FACILITY ACTUALLY SITS ATOP THE

NEWLY CONSTRUCTED HOLIDAY INN RESORT HOTEL. IT

CONSISTS OF A 1250 SQUARE-FOOT BUILDING ON THE HOTEL

ROOFTOP, A ROOF-MOUNTED TELEMETRY SYSTEM COVERED BY A

ROUND RADOME, AND A REINFORCED ROOFTOP TEST PAD FOR

HOSTING TRANSIENT RANGE INSTRUMENTATION OR SYSTEMS

UNDER TEST. MUCH OF THE BEACH ALONG THAT 4-MILE SECTION

OF THE RANGE IS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC USE, BUT THE

GROUNDS IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING THE TEST SITES ARE

CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.

(APPROACHING THE SRILR SECURITY GATE)

AHEAD, WE HAVE 13 CONTINUOUS MILES OF LAND THAT IS

ALL “CLOSED” RANGE AREA. ENTERING THIS SECTION OF THE

RANGE REQUIRES PASSING THROUGH A SECURITY CHECKPOINT

TO VALIDATE RANGE ENTRY AUTHORITY. THIS PORTION OF THE

SRILR IS ACCESSIBLE ONLY FOR OFFICIAL BUSINESS PURPOSES.

IT IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR RECREATIONAL USE, NOT EVEN FOR

EGLIN-ASSIGNED PERSONNEL.

(DRIVING BY A-6, LOCATED 0.4 MILE WEST OF THE SECURITY

GATE)

THIS IS TEST SITE A-6, OUR FREQUENCY CONTROL AND

ANALYSIS FACILITY.

(DRIVING BY A-7, LOCATED 0.6 MILE WEST OF A-6)

THIS IS TEST SITE A-7. ALL WE CURRENTLY HAVE HERE IS A

100-FOOT BY 100-FOOT CONCRETE TEST PAD TO INSTALL

TRANSIENT EQUIPMENT SUPPORTING MARITIME AND LITTORAL

TEST & EVALUATION MISSIONS AND SPECIAL OPERATIONS

FORCES TRAINING MISSIONS.

(WHILE DRIVING THE 3 MILES FROM A-7 TO A-10)

THE MOST COMMON MISSIONS THAT ACTUALLY HAVE A

PHYSICAL GROUND PRESENCE ON THIS RANGE AREA ARE TEST &

EVALUATION OF SYSTEMS REQUIRING T&E BE PERFORMED IN A

MARITIME OR LITTORAL ENVIRONMENT AND TRAINING OF SEA,

AIR, AND LAND COMPONENTS OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES

WHO NEED TO LEARN, PRACTICE, AND DEMONSTRATE THEIR

CRAFT IN MARINE ENVIRONMENTS. NOTE THAT WE HAVE A

“BLUEWATER” OR OCEANIC MARINE ENVIRONMENT ON THE

SOUTH SIDE AND A “GREENWATER” OR INLAND SEA

ENVIRONMENT ON THE NORTH SIDE. THESE OFFER TWO

DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT SALTWATER ENVIRONMENTS TO TEST

AND TRAIN IN.

(WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A-10)

HERE AT TEST SITE AT A-10, WE HAVE A DOCK ALONG THE

NORTH SHORE WHERE WE CAN RECEIVE LARGE ITEMS OR BULK

MATERIALS BEING DELIVERED BY BARGE AND WHERE WE

RECONFIGURE OUR LARGE INSTRUMENTATION BARGE THAT’S

USED TO SUPPORT OFFSHORE T&E MISSIONS. WE CAN REMOVE

AND INSTALL RADAR SYSTEMS, TELEMETRY SYSTEMS, ELECTRO-

OPTIC TRACKING SYSTEMS, OR OTHER EQUIPMENT TO TAILOR

THE ONBOARD INSTRUMENTATION PACKAGE TO THE NEEDS OF

INDIVIDUAL TESTS. ON THE SOUTH SHORELINE, WE HAVE A

PAVED TEST PAD TO HOST TRANSIENT EQUIPMENT SUPPORTING

MARITIME AND LITTORAL T&E MISSIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, WE

LAUNCH AERIAL TARGET DRONES, SUCH AS THE MQM-107, FROM

THAT LOCATION WHEN WE SUPPORT SURFACE MISSILE LAUNCH

TESTS SUCH AS THE ARMY PATRIOT MISSILE SYSTEM.

(WHILE DRIVING BY TEST SITE A-11)

TO OUR LEFT IS TEST SITE A-11 AND THE HILLTOP SITE TO

OUR RIGHT IS A-11A. THERE ARE TWO TEST PADS ATOP A-11A

USED TO HOST TRANSIENT EQUIPMENT SUPPORTING T&E

MISSIONS. THIS IS THE HIGHEST LAND VANTAGE POINT ON THE

SRI RANGE, WITH THE ELEVATED PAD BEING 69 FEET ABOVE SEA

LEVEL.

THE HIGH POWER ILLUMINATING SIGNAL SOURCE (HPISS) IS

LOCATED AT A-11 AND IS ONE OF THE 11 ASSETS ASSOCIATED

WITH THE MULTI-SPECTRAL TEST & TRAINING ENVIRONMENT

(MSTTE). THE HPISS IS A SIGNAL SOURCE ONLY SIMULATOR FOR

A THREAT AIR DEFENSE RADAR SYSTEM. SEVEN OF THE 11

MSTTE ASSETS ARE LOCATED ON TEST AREA A-73,

APPROXIMATELY 18 MILES BY ROAD FROM THE MAIN BASE. TWO

OF THE MSTTE PRIMARY SITES, A-30 AND A-31, ARE LOCATED

HERE WITH THE ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS TEST FACILITY (ESTF),

BETWEEN THE 2 SITES. THESE SYSTEMS SUPPORT THE 96TH

TEST WING’S ELECTRONIC WARFARE (EW) TEST AND TRAINING

CUSTOMERS.

(WHILE DRIVING THE 2 MILES FROM A-11 TO A-13)

THE NEXT TEST SITES WE’LL PASS ARE A-12 AND A-13.

NEITHER OF THESE SITES HAS ANY PERMANENTLY INSTALLED

RANGE INSTRUMENTATION BUT BOTH ARE AVAILABLE TO

SUPPORT TRANSIENT EQUIPMENT INSTALLATION FOR T&E

MISSIONS. THE BUILDINGS AT A-13 ARE ALSO USED AS

“SHOOTHOUSES” FOR SPECIAL OPERATIONS SURFACE FORCES

TO TRAIN IN, PERFORM BUILDING RECONNAISSANCE, ASSAULT,

SEARCH, SEIZURE, AND ROOM CLEARING ACTIONS. SPECIAL

OPERATIONS AIRCREWS PRACTICE ALTERNATE INSERTION AND

EXTRACTION TECHNIQUES SUCH AS FAST ROPE INSERTION AND

EXTRACTION, OR FRIES, BY LOWERING SURFACE TROOPS ONTO

THE BUILDING’S ROOFTOP OR RECOVERING THEM FROM THE

ROOF FOLLOWING A BUILDING ASSAULT.

(WHILE DRIVING 0.75 MILE FROM A-13 TO A-13A)

NEXT TO OUR LEFT WILL BE TEST SITE A-13A, WHICH IS

HOME TO THE SADS III RADAR. THE SADS III IS A SIMULATED

THREAT AIR DEFENSE RADAR SYSTEM INCLUDED IN THE MSTTE

ASSETS.

(WHILE DRIVING THE 0.5 MILE FROM A-13A TO A-13B)

UP AHEAD, YOU’LL SEE THE SANTA ROSA ISLAND TOWER AT

TEST SITE A-13B.

(AFTER TURNING AROUND TO LEAVE THE SRILR)

BEHIND US, 2 MILES TO THE WEST OF THE SRI TOWER, IS

TEST SITE A-15. THE A-15 SITE COMPLEX IS OVER 120 ACRES, HAS

20 BUILDINGS, A BOAT RAMP, AND 4 TACTICAL HELICOPTER

LANDING ZONES. UNLIKE THE OTHER SITES ON THE ISLAND, THE

96 RANGE SUPPORT SQUADRON HAS CUSTODIAL RESPONSIBILITY

FOR THE FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE ON THAT SITE, BUT

THE RANGE O&M CONTRACTOR DOES SUPPORT MANY MISSIONS

ON A-15. SOME OF THE COMMON T&E MISSIONS CONDUCTED ON

A-15 ARE SURFACE MISSILE LAUNCHES OVER THE GULF, HIGH

ENERGY LASER WEAPON SYSTEMS, LOWER ENERGY SENSING

LASER SYSTEMS, HIGH POWER MICROWAVE WEAPON SYSTEMS,

RADARS, AND VARIOUS TYPES OF SURFACE AND AERIAL TARGET

TRACKING SYSTEMS. A-15 ALSO SUPPORTS SPECIAL

OPERATIONS FORCES TRAINING ON AN ALMOST DAILY BASIS. IN

ADDITION TO USING THE HLZS AND BOAT RAMP ON A-15, COMBAT

FORCES ALSO MAKE EXTENSIVE USE OF THE 6 “SHOOTHOUSES”

ON SITE, WHERE THEY HONE THEIR BUILDING RECONNAISSANCE,

ASSAULT, SEARCH, SEIZURE, AND ROOM CLEARING ACTIONS

TACTICS AND TECHNIQUES. THE LARGEST OF THE 4 HLZS ON SITE

HAS SIMULATED SHIP’S DECK MARKINGS PAINTED ON IT FOR

HELICOPTER AND CV-22 OSPREY AIRCREWS TO PRACTICE

LANDING ON LHD AND LPD AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIPS.