Air Force Reservists have their eye on the future as they clear the range

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt Leslie Forshaw
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  While many people are gearing up to celebrate Mother's Day tomorrow, the 920th Rescue Wing Airmen here were all business today securing the Eastern Range prior to the launch of an Atlas V rocket whose payload will more than pay off for these Rescue Reservists.

Air Force Reserve helicopter, maintenance and life support personnel, along with their mission partners and host wing, the 45th Space Wing, supported the successful launch of the Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, today at 2:10 pm EDT.

Airmen launched an HH-60G-Pave-Hawk duo responsible for clearing approximately 1,000 square miles of Atlantic Ocean - the area which extends out from the launch pad in the anticipated direction of flight.

Securing the area, along with contacting mariners who didn't get the launch-hazard advisory, to stay clear, 920th Airmen divided the air space and put their rescue expertise into action.

In a worst-case scenario the rocket would incinerate causing a debris shower, or veer off course, so the Reservists scan the vast blue waters for boats and ships to advise them of the hazard and just in case, will employ their search and rescue skills.

Thelaunch carried the first in a new series of early warning satellites to detect missile launches. This technology could very well be used by the Reservists as deployments are looming in the near future.

"It is rewarding that we have the opportunity, as rescue community, to not only help with the launch of this payload but also be an end user of the equipment that goes up there," said Col. Robert Dunn, 920th Rescue Wing Commander.

We are part and partial to the launch, but the biggest payoff will be the protection it affords us while on the battle field, said Colonel Dunn.

"Working side-by-side with the 45th Space Wing, we are able to maintain and provide the safest possible launch for the public," he said.

The 920th RQW and 45th SW work hand-in-hand to make possible every launch that takes place from CCAFS and its nearby mission partner, Kennedy Space Center. While the 920th RQW provides search, rescue and aerial support, the 45th SW provides weather forecasts, a network of radar, telemetry, optical and communications instrumentation to facilitate safe launches on the Eastern Range.

After several failed attempts to find an acceptable launch window yesterday, the United Launch Alliance made the successful attempt again today, according to the 45th Space Wing.

"The mission of the 45th Space Wing is to assure access to the high frontier and to support global operations," said Eric Brian, 45th SW Chief of Media Relations. And the mission of the 920th RQW is combat search and rescue. In addition to their healthy wartime duty of saving lives, they support the space mission, both manned and unmanned.

The 920th is an Air Force Reserve unit which performs more than 20 percent of the Air Force's CSAR mission. The Wing is comprised of 1,500 Airmen and flies both fixed and rotor wing aircraft: the HC-130P/N extended-range Hercules and the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter.

To date, Rescue Reservists have supported approximately more than 400 launches alongside their active-duty counterparts.

For more information on the 920th Rescue Wing check out the website and Facebook.