Latest demonstration promises bright future for RADBO

  • Published
  • By Jess Echerri
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The Air Force explosive ordnance disposal community is one step closer to fielding its newest technology.

The latest demonstration of the recovery of airbases denied by ordnance, or RADBO, vehicle has left a good impression on the project's stakeholders, including Lt. Col. John Tryon, deputy director for the Air Force Civil Engineer Center's Readiness Directorate, and Air Force EOD subject matter expert Dr. John Olive.

"I am very optimistic that RADBO is going to be a very viable system and a technology that we can use to mitigate ordnance rapidly from an air field without directly exposing our Airmen to those hazards," Olive said.

RADBO is another step towards developing a robust multiple unexploded ordnance removal system, or MURS, capability. Using a three-kilowatt Zeus III laser mounted atop a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle, an operator inside the vehicle can aim, engage and mitigate unexploded explosive ordnance safely and efficiently.

"The type of attacks this laser is going to help us mitigate is the theater ballistic missile threats we now face in some of our areas of responsibility:  potentially thousands of unexploded munition items scattered across an air field," said Senior Master Sgt. Steve Coppock, the EOD operations and training program manager at AFCEC. "This technology will help us to get rid of these hazards quicker and more efficiently."

The RADBO demonstration took place at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, July 16 with several stakeholders in attendance. Organizations that collaborated on this project included the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center, Redstone Test Center, Prototype Integration Facility, Air Force Air Combat Command and several private companies.

AFCEC, in partnership with ACC, has led RADBO efforts in terms of research and development, and in developing an acquisition strategy. EOD active-duty operators have been an integral part of the RADBO testing process and will continue to be as the team moves towards a final production decision. AFCEC and ACC advocate for any changes proposed by operators to ensure mission success.

"We had them involved in every step to validate this weapon system," Olive said. "We want to ensure that when fielded, it will perform and provide the capability our operators need."

The next stage in RADBO testing is the limited operational utility evaluation, scheduled for September at the Silver Flag Exercise Site at Tyndall.