Grassley sent a letter today to the conference committee members working on the defense appropriations bill asking them to include this funding in their final conference report. "It's critically important for Air Force pilots to be able to speak directly with pilots on commercial airliners," he said. "We can't risk a communication mishap that could lead to a tragic situation."
Earlier this year, Grassley was able to secure $25 million for this initiative in the emergency supplemental appropriations bill. However, the funds were part of the $5.1 billion package the President has designated as non-emergency spending.
In his message to conferees, Grassley emphasized that this is a homeland security priority and that Very High Frequency (VHF) radios for F-15 aircraft have been endorsed by the Homeland Defense Working Group as an initiative important to America's safety and security.
If included, the Air Force will contract with a private firm to manufacture the radios after a competitive bidding process. Rockwell Collins, a company based in Cedar Rapids, is a leader in aviation electronics and communications for government and commercial applications and would compete for this contract.
A copy of Grassley's letter to conference committee members follows here.
August 16, 2002
Conference Committee for the Fiscal Year
2003 Defense Appropriations Bill
Senate and House Appropriations Committees
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Colleague:
As you begin consideration of the final version of the Defense Appropriations bill, I respectfully request your assistance in funding communications upgrades for the U.S. Air Force, specifically funding to equip 583 F-15s with VHF radios. The Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill included $25 million for this project, but the funding was a part of the $5.1 billion package that the President designated as non- emergency spending.
After the terrorist attacks in September, the Air Force and the Air National Guard (ANF) were tasked to fly Combat Air Patrol (CAP) homeland defense missions over the United States. F-15 fighter units are assigned the mission of intercepting commercial airliners that are identified or suspected of being under terrorist control. If hostile intent is determined, the interceptor acting through its chain of command, may be ordered to direct the airliner to an available airfield or, in the extreme case, to terminate the airliner's flight.
Airlines communicate on the Very High Frequency (VHF) band and the F-15's on the Ultra High Frequency (UAF) band. A difficulty arises because the F-15 fighters that would be called upon to intercept the suspicious airliners are not equipped with VHF FM radios needed to communicate directly with the pilots of the civil aircraft.
Communications are accomplished in an indirect way, by relay through ground controllers or hand signals. This can be cumbersome, time consuming, and subject to error. A few short seconds and a miscommunication could lead to a tragic situation.
Upgrading the radio systems for the fighter aircraft is imperative to keeping our skies safe. Attached, please find a letter of endorsement from the Department of the Air Force, a partner in the Interagency Homeland Defense Working Group which includes a panel of experts to harmonize civilian and military air security operations.
I sincerely appreciate your support to include adequate funding for VHF radio upgrades in the final version of the defense appropriations conference report.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Grassley
United States Senator