Gorgon Stare Response

The Air Force claims fixes are on the way for a new wide-area airborne surveillance sensor pod that service testers lambasted in an evaluation report last month.

To recap, an internal Air Force audit of the new, supposedly all-seeing Gorgon Stare sensor, conducted by Air Combat Command's 53rd Wing, reveals an unreliable system of high-power cameras that frequently crashes during test flights. The Dec. 30 report -- marked “Draft/Predecisional” -- lists a number of major issues with the Sierra Nevada Corp.-built pod that need to be addressed before the system is deployed in Afghanistan.

Here is the Air Force's official statement on the draft report:

This system is being fielded to meet a Combatant Command requirement for a persistent, wide-area surveillance capability that allows multiple users to access the data from one platform.

This is a very advanced technology the Air Force is developing rapidly to meet warfighter requirements.

Gorgon Stare is in the first increment of a multi-increment program, and the second increment will increase the warfighter's capabilities by range and resolution.

The document leaked was a draft memo that was later revised in January.

The January memo includes three issues that we have identified and have fixes in place. The first was addressing critical Technical Order shortfalls; the second was Gorgon Stare Ground Station image and grid coordinate generation; and the third was Remote Video Terminal compatibility. We're working all three issues and do not believe they will affect the deployment schedule.

Air Force leadership understands the importance of providing quick, timely and actionable ISR for the field. Gorgon Stare will not be fielded until the theater commander accepts it.

The Air Force takes its responsibility seriously because lives depend on the quality of the intelligence products that are produced.

While the statement identifies fixes for some of the more minor problems reveled in the report, it makes no mention of issues the system has tracking people one they exit a vehicle or tracking anything at night.