EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Rodney Dutton, 36th Electronic Warfare Squadron Chief Engineer, saw his life’s work in action for the first time last fall.
After 30 years of civil service programming software to enable the warfighter, Dutton was given the opportunity to fly in an F-16D on a Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses mission.
“As we were flying,” said Dutton, “I was sitting there thinking about it all. About all of the software that was enabling the pilot to see threats on the screen and react to them in such a fast, deadly way.”
Over his two hour flight, Dutton participated in a large force exercise, experiencing Top Gun style dogfighting and mid-air refueling.
“I was so impressed, it was intense,” continued Dutton. “I like extreme stuff, but when we started pulling some G’s and my vision collapsed on me, I couldn’t believe he was able to fly. I got a way better appreciation for what they do.”
Dutton witnessed the results of his electronic warfare career being used in real-time. As the wing’s motto suggests, Dutton’s software not only shielded their F-16, but was also used as a sword against the enemy.
“It’s hard to believe that after 30 years of civil service Rodney had never flown before,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Moore, 36th EWS commander. “He dedicated so much of his life to support the mission, and it is so beneficial for him to see our software in action. It was certainly not simply an incentive flight. He’s our chief engineer, so all the software we write and test, he was able to experience in flight, enabling him to apply a whole new level of understanding to our work every day.”