Maj Stephen Steele, Maj Thia Eades
The Battlefield Air Operations Kit is an Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) effort to revolutionize Air Force Special Tactics (Combat Controllers, Pararescue, and Combat Weather) and Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) equipment. The initiative was started by Secretary of the Air Force after a fratricide incident in Afghanistan. The Human Effectiveness Directorate has focused decreasing the weight of the equipment by reducing the number of pieces of gear needed to perform the mission. Also, the Human Effectiveness has focused on increasing the accuracy of information displayed to the operator and sent to the airborne strike assets.