2005 Weems Award

Presented to: Mr. Peter G. Howe

Citation: For sustained contributions to the development of navigation, guidance, timing, and weapon delivery systems for the United States Air Force over the past 37 years.

Mr. Peter G. Howe served in the U.S. Air Force for nine years, with assignments at the Central Inertial Guidance Test Facility at Holloman AFB and the Avionics Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB, conducting flight tests of inertial, satellite-based, and integrated navigation systems. These included C-5, F-15, and F-117, and the initial proof-of-concept flight tests for GPS. Since leaving active duty, Mr. Howe's work has been at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Sensors Directorate, developing reference system technologies and applications. Mr. Howe has directed much of the AFRL Electronic Protection (anti-jam) research for GPS, initiated programs for the exploitation of enhanced position and time data for fire control and electronic warfare applications, initiated technology development of high accuracy reference systems to support multi-platform intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions and initiated successful programs to develop and test precise time transfer between aircraft and other platforms. Mr. Howe has been a key contributor to many tri-service activities, such as the Navigation Warfare (NAVWAR) Technology Assessment Panel.

In response to the Air Force's new vision for tying together all of its surveillance, intelligence, communications, and attack assets to achieve "network-centric warfare" capability, Mr. Howe initiated programs to determine requirements for position, navigation, and time. The results have become the cornerstone of Air Force's research efforts to further net-centric operations.

Mr. Howe was an original member of the Navigation Warfare (NAVWAR) Technical Assessment Panel established by the GPS Joint Program Office in the mid-1990s. He has contributed extensively to the Electronic Protection Analysis of Alternatives study and acted as the technical lead for NAVWAR electronic support measures.

In 2002, Mr. Howe led a team that demonstrated sub-nanosecond synchronization of a clock in an aircraft in flight with other stations. This work is another essential building block for the vision of net-centric operations.

Mr. Howe's best contributions to the development of navigation, guidance, timing, and weapon delivery systems for the U.S. Air Force have involved classified military applications.