In Air Force Doctrine Publication 1, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. wrote that "Victory goes to the rapid integrator of ideas." These ideas derive from our Airmen, whose innovation and courageous problem-solving skills solve the complex challenges that come with a rapidly evolving global environment.
One of these "rapid integrators" is Tech. Sgt. Kevin Flanagan, an Operational Test imagery analyst at the 410th Test and Evaluation Squadron who built an entire range of radar targets used to test the accuracy of U-2 and RQ-4 Global Hawk sensors.
Test programs rely on radar targets at surveyed sites to precisely identify the Target Location Error of various sensors. Similar to large mirrors, these targets reflect radar energy back to airborne sensors. The high volume of missions and significant number of hours required to maintain targets at the previous radar range led Flanagan to invent sustainable, low-cost alternatives consisting of new 24–28-inch radar corner reflectors.
"Every problem has a solution, you just have to look for it," Flanagan said. "I love problems because of the challenge."
His two-year project that began with cardboard and aluminum foil prototypes is now a robust radar range of 28 metal targets that saves the Air Force nearly $493K and 23 flight hours annually.
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