Embedded with our troops

For two months, Monty Egan worked alongside U.S. Army soldiers in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Learn about how his expertise translated into military success.

When Monty Egan retired from the U.S. Army 10 years ago and accepted a position as a senior customer service engineer with Rockwell Collins, he might have thought his days of being in the midst of military action were over.

Instead, Egan found himself back in the theatre of war recently with the U.S. Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), where he spent two months as an embedded field service engineer.

Rockwell Collins Field Service Engineer Monty Egan was embedded with the troops in Operation Enduring Freedom where he supported the Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) cockpit, which was loaded in an MH-47G Chinook.
Photo courtesy of Monty Egan

"My battalion was the first to be deployed overseas with our new Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) cockpit," said Egan, who provided support for CAAS, which was loaded on the cockpit of a Boeing MH-47G Chinook. "I was chosen to go along to make sure there weren't any problems with our technology."

This CAAS deployment is just one way Rockwell Collins is collaborating with the Army's Special Operations Aviation (SOA) unit to bring our common, open architecture avionics systems to rotary-wing platforms for the U.S. Defense Department (DoD).

According to DuWayne Jilek, principal program manager for Scout, Attack and Special Mission Programs at Rockwell Collins, our company's most recent version of CAAS integrates our technology with that of other suppliers.

"The Rockwell Collins team initiated the original SOA CAAS development program in 2004," said Jilek. "Since then, we have developed an avionics system that provides enhanced navigation, communication and mission essential capabilities to the aircrew. These upgrades are making a big difference for the soldiers who are flying the aircraft."

Egan agrees, adding that prior to our recent upgrades, soldiers were flying with equipment from the 1970s and 1980s.

"Now, they have 21st century technology, which gives them additional capabilities and information to use in route and mission planning," said Egan. "The result is increased situational awareness necessary to successfully perform missions."

Our company's relationship with the Army's Special Operations forces - commonly referred to as the Night Stalkers because of the stealthy, nighttime missions they perform - does not end with development and delivery of this particular version of CAAS.

The lifecycle support provided by our company's field service engineers also is a critical function and has been of tremendous value to our customers.

"The field service engineer program at Rockwell Collins provides exceptional support for Night Stalkers around the world," said Maj. Kevin Cochie, Special Operations Avionics program manager for the Army. "Those individuals are very dedicated."

According to Maj. Cochie, there were concerns initially about having one of our employees deployed into a combat situation. But at the end of the day, having Egan absorbed into the unit as a Night Stalker was the best option for both our company and our customer.

"He lived, ate, and worked shoulder-to-shoulder with our soldiers," Cochie said about Egan. "His expertise and experience was and still is critical in quickly solving CAAS hardware and software issues."

For Egan, who is based at Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, Ga., the time he spent with our troops was not that different than the time he spends at his home base.

"If a product or part isn't working correctly when I'm on base at Hunter, I test it and, if necessary, I send it to our service centers," said Egan. "I also support maintenance of the battalion's avionics equipment and help pilots understand or fix problems.

"When I was in supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, my duties were similar," continued Egan, who spent two months providing 24-hour assistance to the Army. "If a problem was identified, we would get the information back to our engineers and work to find a solution. And, if a pilot didn't understand something regarding the equipment, then I was there to demonstrate what they might try on the next mission."

Using what he learned during his time in active duty helped Egan relate to our soldiers and helped him become part of the group with whom he was deployed.

And, although he was granted three meals each day in the luxury of a mess hall, and was virtually free to walk most places, he never took those freedoms for granted.

"I always remembered where I was," he said. "And I remembered there was real danger out there."

While Egan's expertise regarding CAAS played a major role in the Night Stalker team's success, he also was able to provide something more important than technology experience.

"Monty provided mentoring to junior soldiers that goes above and beyond his duties as a Rockwell Collins employee," said Maj. Cochie. "He is very respected by our soldiers and the members of our battalion leadership team."