One of the workhorses of the surface target fleet, a High Speed Maneuverable Surface Target (HSMST), is operated in Willoughby Bay at Naval Station Norfolk by ATMO Norfolk Detachment personnel during preparations for surface target support.

ATMO Norfolk’s aerial targets team is located at NAS Oceana Dam Neck Annex, Va., while the surface target component operates from Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Strategically located within 30 minutes of 50 percent of the U.S. Fleet, Joint Forces, and NATO Commands, and in close proximity to NAS Oceana and major Army and Air Force Commands, the Norfolk Detachment extends NAVAIR’s presence to provide manned and remote target presentations for fleet training and testing events.

According to Steve Carlson, ATMO Norfolk Detachment lead, the group has done a great job taking over the VC-6 function in such a short time. He says, ‘‘It’s going well. The key is we have a great group of people — a team of civil service and contractors — who work together to provide aerial and surface targets, which provide real-world threat scenarios to train the fleet to go out in theater — in harms way — and they take a lot of pride in everything they do.”

The ATMO Norfolk Detachment team consists of seven civilians and 58 CSC and STS contractor employees. Some are retired from the Navy; some have worked at VC-6 or for a previous contractor that provided maintenance support to VC-6.

Carlson says, ‘‘So many of these folks have a vast background in aerial and surface target operations. Their background and experience are what make this team so good and the transition so smooth. Both of the lead civilians for surface and aerial target operations – Steve Thomas and Paul Porter – collectively have over 60 years with the Navy, VC-6 and target operations. Our CSC leads, Gary Houze and Jim Steadman, both have a wealth of Navy and target experience. We are also taking advantage of our Patuxent River teammates’ expertise.”

During the transition, Patuxent River employees have been training and qualifying ATMO teammates at Norfolk Detachment to ensure a fully integrated, cross-trained work force. The ultimate goal is to combine crews to augment and share personnel depending on workload surge, thus being better able to support Navy training around the world.

‘‘Because most of these guys didn’t have boat operating experience, Pax trainers spent time down here helping them qualify,” says Rocky Hammett, CSC ATMO lead. ‘‘One of our Pax captains, Jimmy Tennyson, was the Mission Commander for the first Norfolk mission at AUTEC (the Atlantic Underwater Test and Evaluation Center), and it went off without a hitch. We’re also cross-training the CSC administrative teams that support the aerial and surface groups so that Pax, Norfolk and Dam Neck are all using the same processes and systems — whether it’s purchasing, travel or database management.”

Surface Target Support

In the VC-6 hangar at Naval Station Norfolk, a variety of bright orange, manned, remotely controlled and towed watercraft are being readied for future target presentations in support of fleet, foreign military and commercial customers.

A row of thirteen High Speed Maneuverable Surface Targets (HSMST) lines one wall. The workhorses of the surface target fleet, HSMSTs can be operated manned or unmanned and remotely controlled.

The 56-foot QST-35 Seaborne Powered Targets (SEPTAR) that the detachment operates can simulate medium- to high-speed patrol boats. The SEPTAR can also tow other targets for fleet presentations. SEPTARs can be remotely controlled or operated manually and augmented actively or passively with a heat and IR⁄RF source.

The detachment also has use of larger vessels: the NS Retriever, NS Transporter, NS Hugo and NS Hunter, operated by ATMO Patuxent River and Key West; and the TSV-1 Prevail, operated by Commander Strike Force Training, Atlantic (CSFTL). Complete with seasoned crew, these vessels can support local or extended underway periods and can also be used to simulate terrorist boats during fleet training.

Two 29-foot patrol boats are used for search and rescue, range support and local operations, as well as range clearance during aerial operations at Dam Neck. Other assets include the Trimaran Surface Towed Target; Catamaran Surface Towed Target (Super Cat); Floating At-Sea Target (FAST); Inflatable Banana Target; Williams Sled Towed Target; Pax River Pontoon; and HARM Barge.

Some targets on the ATMO inventory look like everyday civilian watercraft. The Ship Deployable Surface Targets (SDST) are actually manned and remotely operated jet skis. The 38-foot, commercial Fountain boat looks like any other pleasure boat cruising the Chesapeake Bay.

ATMO employees also create custom-designed towed targets for presentation. A variety of Improved Surface Towed Targets (ISTT) and Low Cost Towed Targets (LCTT) can be augmented in a variety of ways to meet the customer’s needs.

They look for simple, low-cost solutions for the customer – reusable Styrofoam blocks simulate floating mines and IEDs. The group reuses excess equipment otherwise disposed of by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMO) to save time and money for customers. They also work with local marinas that are willing to donate jet-ski hulks for Navy testing.

Some requests from customers can be challenging. But those challenges make the team think outside the box to give the fleet a wide variety of surface targets and other resources to ensure training scenarios are as realistic and threat intensive as possible.

Carlson says the ATMO team shows incredible ingenuity in responding to new and varying customer requirements. When the group modified an ISTT with silhouette shapes for helicopter gunfire training, not only was the original customer very happy, they now have other customers asking for these customized towed targets. ‘‘It shows the creativity of our folks, when they come up with a design to meet a specific fleet need,” says Carlson.

Their outstanding support during fleet training exercises has earned them recognition from Lt. Jim Von St. Paul, Operations Officer aboard USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79), who wrote, ‘‘Thank you for all your support during both SUW 5⁄7 [Long Range Fire, High Speed Target] and the MIO⁄VBSS [Maritime Interdiction Operation⁄Visit, Board, Search and Seizure]. Our crew received great training... We look forward to working with you again in the future.”

Another successful training mission brought thanks from OSCS(SW⁄AW) Paul Baker, Combat Systems Training and Assessments Officer, who wrote, ‘‘Both COMPCRON and PC Crew Mike were extremely pleased with the training product. All training objectives were met and⁄or exceeded. Please pass on to your team our sincere appreciation for their efforts. They helped ensure that PC Crew Mike is fully ready for operational tasking when they arrive in theater next month.”

Aerial Target Support

At its Dam Neck aerial targets location, the detachment supplies recoverable, remotely controlled, sub-scale aerial targets, which can be configured with a variety of augmentation devices to represent a wide range of threats. Equipped with the appropriate Target Augmentation⁄Auxiliary Systems (TA⁄AS), each aerial target can be configured to simulate a variety of manned aircraft or anti-ship cruise missile characteristics to evaluate weapon systems; perform Navy and Marine Corps aircrew proficiency training; and train shipboard weapons personnel to track and identify enemy aircraft and weapons.

The ATMO Norfolk Detachment supported its first aerial target event in February – a training support mission for the Canadian multi-role patrol frigate, HMCS St. John’s. ATMO presented one BQM-74 for tracking, then immediately followed with two simultaneous BQM-74 presentations for firing. All three targets were successfully recovered and the Canadian test team left with ‘‘exactly what [they] were hoping for.”

The Dam Neck civilian⁄contractor team is busy readying BQM-74E targets for upcoming deployments. The BQM-74E is a recoverable, remotely controlled, sub-sonic, sub-scale aerial target capable of speeds up to Mach 0.85 and altitudes from seven to 40,000 feet. The ATMO Norfolk inventory includes 40 of these target drones. Whether it’s a brand new BQM right out of the box, or one that has been used and recovered, each undergoes a series of tests before it can be packed up and declared ready for deployment.

Aerial target specialists assemble the BQM target, which includes carefully packing the recovery parachute and installing instrumentation packages. They can equip the target with a variety of TA⁄AS; including radar, infrared augmentation, threat emitters, scoring, location, and visual augmentation to program the target for a variety of mission profiles. Each BQM then undergoes extensive electrical and bench testing inside the ATMO maintenance building on Dam Neck’s Atlantic shore. Then each BQM is strapped to a cart, which is strapped to the pad outside, and a series of engine run-ups is performed to ensure the target will operate correctly on the launch pad.

BQM-74 target drones are launched from airborne, seaborne or land-based sites. The group can launch from a pad at their Dam Neck facility or from any number of sites around the world. The targets are flown by qualified ATMO Remote Control Operators (RCO) to the operating area for the target presentation to the fleet. In a recent exercise, the target was launched from Dam Neck, with the RCO controlling the BQM target from Wallops Island, Va.

Fleet Support

ATMO routinely supports force protection exercises conducted in-port, or underway. Piracy simulations include distressed vessels requiring anti-piracy assistance, medical aid and damage control support. HSMST operators can brandish weapons and role-play to support the scenario. Other training scenarios include: Maritime Interdiction Operation⁄Visit, Board, Search and Seizure; Approach Operations, which assess the ship’s ability to conduct approach and visit operations; Warning and Disable Fire, a three-phase event that evaluates a ship’s ability to locate and disable suspect vessels; Surface Gunnery and Aerial Gunnery Exercises, with towed, free-floating and remotely controlled surface targets; Oil Platform Defense and High-Value Unit Escort Probes and Attacks; live and inert Hellfire tests; Laser Exercises; Bomb Exercises; Long Range Fire, High Speed Target; and Fast Attack Craft (FAC) and Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FIAC) operations.

The scheduling agency for ATMO Norfolk Detachment is Fleet Forces Atlantic Exercise Coordination Center (FFAECC), co-located with Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility Virginia Capes (FACSFAC VACAPES). Day- and night-time operations are supported, and while typical missions deploy to VACAPES, New River, N.C. and Mayport, Va., the ATMO team can deploy to support large- and small-scale fleet exercises anywhere in the world.

For more information about the Atlantic Targets and Marine Operations (ATMO) Norfolk Detachment, contact Team Lead Steve Carlson: 757-416-2110 or e-mail stephen.f.carlson@navy.mil.