Engineer takes flight testing to fight, wins award

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Hien Q. Vu
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  What the human eyes couldn't see, the "Horned Owl" could.

A specially fitted C-12 aircraft launched from Balad Air Base, Iraq, the "Horned Owl" flew combat sorties in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The experimental aircraft used an advanced ground-penetrating radar system, sweeping the ground for IEDs and weapon caches buried in the desert terrain. Needless to say, ground troops depended on the Horned Owl to help save their lives.

They were not let down.

Among those forward deployed to Balad to conduct those missions was Capt. Nick Hague, 416th Flight Test Squadron Test Support Flight commander. As acting director of operations, Captain Hague led expeditionary flight test activities with the Horned Owl. He himself flew on 139 combat sorties.

Most importantly, he was part of a 30-person team that discovered 45 IEDs and weapons caches, more than 93,000 pounds of hidden ordnance, and caught on film terrorists in the act of planting roadside bombs, leading to their capture. The 2003 U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School graduate's flight test work on the C-12's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system was critical to further exploiting the technological capabilities and refining tactics, techniques and procedures.

"To be able to take a developing technology and exploit its capabilities to make a difference for the warfighter is a truly rewarding experience," Captain Hague said.

Captain Hague's critical involvement in the Horned Owl program, along with other milestone accomplishments as part of Edwards' Global Power Fighter Combined Test Force, garnered him the 2005 Air Force Materiel Command General James Ferguson Engineering Award. The award recognizes an outstanding AFMC engineer who contributed significantly to solving technical engineering problems.

"I can't think of anyone more deserving of this award than Nick," said Lt. Col. Mike Tarlton, 416th FLTS commander. "He is the quintessential flight test engineer who tackles every technical challenge with tenacity, and when he finds a solution, he keeps at it until he's made the solution even better."

Captain Hague's award citation read like a storied string of engineering impossibilities made possible by innovativeness. He was instrumental to planning and executing 26 high-risk engine tests. As a result, the entire fleet of F-15 Eagles and 65 percent of F-16 Fighting Falcons avoided being grounded. His work on radar decoy integration on the Taiwanese Air Force's F-16 inventory improved its combat survivability and air-to-air capability. He successfully prepared crucial countermeasure technologies for future F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

He also brought testing to the battlefield, effectively designing and constructing a radar test range facility under direct Iraqi insurgents' mortar fire. The facility was also used by Balad's Explosive Ordnance Disposal troops to train and perform their mission more effectively in conjunction with the Horned Owl operation.

An astronautical engineering graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Captain Hague is an FTE by trade and a trailblazer by instinct.

"As flight test engineers, we are but one of many pieces in a puzzle that help bridge the gap between the aircraft operator and the design engineer," Captain Hague said. "A flight test engineer relies on his technical training, operational experience and understanding of the aircraft under test to ensure the full potential of the weapon system is realized."

The award acknowledges the efforts put forth by many, Captain Hague said. "I'm deeply honored to receive this award, but it has been a greater honor to work with so many dedicated and competent test professionals. It is the team's day-to-day work and impact on mission accomplishment that deserves recognition."