The National Guard Airmen operate, maintain and repair the Multiple Threat Emitter System, or MUTES, a system designed to simulate the signals radiated by early-warning radar, surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles, and some types of anti-aircraft batteries.

The threats can be sent up to 75 nautical miles away, said Master Sgt. Ronnie Pruit, MUTES work center supervisor.

"There are different scenarios we run that contain a number of threats," said Sergeant Pruit. "Our transmitters simulate different signals using almost the entire radio frequency spectrum, and we can shape those pulses to look like any threat the EWOs want us to simulate."

For the EWOs assigned to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., the site provides a training opportunity that helps them to quickly identify and counter potential threats to the "Buff," said Capt. Scott Case.

As a trainer and evaluator, Captain Case said the main objective of the MUTES training is to quicken the response time of the airborne EWOs.

"The MUTES helps us to identify threats we don't see stateside on a regular basis," he said. "Threat identification is crucial to the defense of the aircraft. If an EWO can identify a threat, they can counter it."

As an added benefit, the close proximity of the MUTES site and the bomb squadron allow constant and instant feedback between the two units, helping to fine-tune the various training scenarios. Evaluators and technicians sit side-by-side in the MUTES control cab, monitoring and grading the airborne EWO response and ability to identify threats.

"I really enjoy working with these guys," said Staff Sgt. Scott Campbell, MUTES ground radar technician. "It gives us a view of the operations side of the house that we don't normally get to see, and it lets us know exactly what the EWOs need. I also get to see the effects of what we do in the big picture. It feels like we are making a difference."

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