JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron E3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft recently received an innovative solution to a radio deficiency, developed by one of their very own Airmen, April 22.
U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Thomas Boyd, the 3rd Wing non-commissioned officer in charge of Agile Combat Employment assigned to the 3rd Wing, created a solution that is slated to save the Air Force thousands of dollars on equipment, hundreds of maintenance man hours and overall improve the E-3 Sentry’s radio capabilities.
A key mission set to the E-3 Sentry is its ability to communicate with multiple aircraft. E-3B/C/G aircraft have 27 Ultra High Frequency radios that come with a separate bandpass filter which is required to be pressurized to five pounds per square inch. If this pressure drops below five PSI, it trips a warning flag and disables the transmit or receive capabilities of that radio. The only fix at the time was a stand-up bike pump that only ground maintenance could utilize to pressurize the filters.
"Back then we could only resolve the issue on the ground, which meant that while airborne, we would lose two to three radios of our 20 UHF radios available each flight,” Boyd said. “After realizing the only requirement was a standard bike pump and a dry air filter, I was inspired to create my own solution that was portable enough to bring in our in-flight tool kit.”
Collaboration between Boyd and other members led to a solution for the maintenance problem. He approached the 962nd Aircraft Maintenance Unit, 703rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron with a mock-up of the device, which included 3D printed hardware securing all components together.
"It was an easy decision to assist Boyd,” said U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. Anthony Pieper, support section chief from the 962nd AMU. “He is a professional individual to collaborate with, and the idea he presented was straightforward and clean in its execution.”
The idea started back in December 2020. After a couple iterations of the prototype, the final solution that is currently being utilized was developed.
Boyd attained an aluminum pump that came with the correct nozzle fitting and PSI gauge for the filter, along with a desiccant kit that provides a filter to create a dry air pump. The total cost for the device was 67 dollars, compared to the 520 dollars for the large pump cost.
Testing was conducted by the 962nd AMU communications and navigations maintainers, before quality assurance certified the pump for use on the aircraft UHF filters. Ten more of Boyd’s gadgets were purchased in the meantime while a more permanent solution is crafted through commercial vendors.
“Overall, the project was simple, and it not only saves money but also time for maintenance and operations personnel in order to maintain and troubleshoot equipment,” Boyd said.
The initiative increases the AWACS’ communications capabilities in the air, and reduces the amount of equipment that aircrew and maintenance are required to carry to and from the aircraft.
"Small changes or improvements such as this one can have a legitimate impact on our Airmen’s quality of life during daily maintenance,” said Pieper. “Plus, it could inspire someone else to develop the next great innovation”.