Photo By Staff Sgt. John Suleski | A US M-113 Armored Personnel Carrier sits at the Razorback Range aboard Fort Chaffee...... read more read more
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10/2/2014 - FORT SMITH, Arkansas -- About 25 minutes away from Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas is a range full of grass and deer coexisting with inhabitants of other types: tan military vehicles riddled with large holes, shipping containers arranged to resemble buildings and blue inert bombs resting next to their targets. This is the 188th Wing's Detachment 1 Razorback Range, which marks its 40th anniversary this year.
Since its opening in 1974, the range has grown from one strafing pit and one bombing circle on 177 acres to more than 60 targets and facilities on 1,000 acres. It has also expanded from only training pilots to enhancing coordination between air support and those on the ground. Despite the 188th's conversion from a fighter mission to remotely pilot aircraft and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission sets, Razorback Range is open for business and will continue to support training events ranging from close-air support to combat search and rescue with several unique capabilities that help provide the best and most diverse combat training experiences possible.
"Razorback Range is a staple of the 188th Wing and is an outstanding training range for a number of different aircraft," said Col. Mark Anderson, 188th Wing commander. "It's not only important for the public to understand that our range is still open for business but it's also critical for units seeking unique, quality training opportunities to know that Razorback Range is here to meet their needs."
One of those unique capabilities includes face-to-face briefs and debriefs between air and ground personnel, said Maj. Doug Davis, Detachment 1 commander. Razorback Range is only a 25-minute drive from Ebbing ANG Base and gives units the opportunity to get a more comprehensive review of what went right or wrong with an in-person mission pre-brief and post-mission debriefs at the 188th Wing.
"You can go not just to the surface, but down five or six layers and find the root cause of the error," Davis said. "It's an incredible learning experience."
Additionally, Razorback Range can host every kind of training event necessary for a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) to stay current on his qualifications, from close-air support to laser guidance of ordnance, said Tech. Sgt. Robert Ellis, Detachment 1 JTAC liaison and evaluator.
The range can also support scheduled specialized training if a unit calls ahead. This includes breach-and-clear exercises using explosives approved for range use and modified shipping containers fitted with doors. These shipping containers that populate the range have several uses, including being utilized as targets. While they aren't high-fidelity objects constructed to closely replicate a tower or mosque, the buildings furnish structural similarities sufficient to conduct authentic close-sir support scenarios from thousands of feet above ground.
"Whenever you get up to 5,000 feet in the air, you don't see the box itself," Davis said. "You see the entire structure."
Davis also said Detachment 1 focuses on efficient use of taxpayer resources by utilizing shipping containers and vehicular targets that were re-purposed assets from the Defense Logistics Agency. Davis said the targets were acquired for much less than the cost of new equipment. The range personnel re-purposed more than $1 million of equipment last year and $3.1 million of items from 2011-2012. With a theme of getting more bang for the buck, Ellis said there is a Forward Operating Base (FOB) on Fort Chaffee Maneuver Training Center near the range that visiting units can utilize for free instead of more expensive options.
Fort Chaffee also offers 65,000 acres of additional training areas. When ground units are not using Razorback Range they can conduct land navigation, firearms training and call for artillery at the neighboring training areas. With these sundry capabilities, Razorback Range can help service members achieve a diverse array of training requirements.
The range no longer has a primary user because the 188th Wing no longer operates its squadron of A-10C Thunderbolt II "Warthogs". Davis said the range can support more squadrons because of this. Ellis said JTACs are always available for joint training because they always need to fulfill currency requirements, especially with many fighter squadrons losing aircraft.
He said squadrons interested in joint training can simply call Razorback Range and he will arrange for JTACs to train with them. Due to the lack of training opportunities, there is a push within the JTAC community to be able to qualify on simulators, Ellis said. However, he said it would not be the same.
"I can teach my 10-year-old daughter to read a 9-line but getting her out on a range to do it in person is a whole different deal," Ellis said. "It's the same thing with the new guys. The place to learn is on the range."
For more information on Razorback Range or to schedule training, call Detachment 1 at 479-573-5171 or DSN 778-5171.
| Date Taken: | 10.02.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.07.2015 09:49 |
| Story ID: | 153889 |
| Location: | FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 182 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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