ect Eglin AFB - Santa Rosa Island Survivable Fiber Proj Jan 2007 – May 2008
Mission Impossible By Roger Hornsby
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In January of 2007 MTC Technologies, Inc. – (recently acquired by BAE Systems), as a subcontractor to Multimax/Harris on the Air Force’s Information Technology Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract vehicle NETCENTS, was awarded a $24 million dollar contract to install 18 miles of hurricane survivable fiber optic cable on Santa Rosa Island in Ft. Walton Beach, Fl. This cable supports the Range Information Grid (RIG) for the 46th and 96th Test Wings at Eglin Air Force Base. The RIG is used to collect telemetry data from flight and weapons tests conducted in the nation’s largest weapons test range located over the Gulf of Mexico. Such tests include flights of new airframes as well as test firings of new air launched weapons technologies.
In 2004 and 2005 the existing fiber suffered damage from hurricanes and was rendered useless in washout areas that formed between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf. The previous installation had been direct-buried 5-6 feet below the surface, which
proved to be ineffective under extreme meteorological conditions. MultiMax/Harris teamed with MTC’s C4ISR Southeast Operations Engineering Division in Satellite Beach, FL and was selected to conduct an in-depth site survey to determine a better solution that offered a greater chance of surviving the storms that the Gulf region is so accustomed to. Over the course of a month MTC conducted the survey and drafted a Telecommunication Systems Installation Plan (TSIP) that impressed the selection authority at Eglin AFB. The proposed solution incorporated horizontally direct drill boring at 20 feet below the surface, pulling back 8” hardened conduit, installing inner duct, and then installing 244 strand fiber through the inner duct. It was determined that this solution presented greater than a 90% survival rate should a major hurricane impact the island. If the fiber were to wash up from this depth there would be much bigger problems than inoperable cable, the majority of the island would likely be washed away. The government was pleased with this solution and issued a Task Order for the team to perform the installation. Mr. Rich Font, 96th Comm Group, Director Plans and Programs, stated “We didn’t know if we would be able to find a contractor will to take on this unique challenge. Not only did we find a contractor that agreed to take it on – we found a contractor with innovative ideas – and we now have survivable fiber on our test range. The work that this team accomplished is absolutely amazing – no major delays, no serious injuries, and no environmental impact – simply outstanding!”