(l-to-r) Congressman Jack Kingston of Savannah joins Maj. Gen. (ret.) Wick Searcy, former commander of the Georgia Air National Guard; Maj. Gen. (ret.) William P. Bland, former Adjutant General of Georgia; and Col. Floyd Harbin, commander of the Combat Readiness Training Center in cutting a symbolic cable to debut several high tech improvements to Georgia's Townsend Bombing Range. In his position on the Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations, Congressman Jack Kingston has championed the enhancement of the Georgia Air National Guard’s Townsend Bombing Range located near Darien making it one of the nation’s top military bombing ranges used to train combat fighter pilots.

In the movie "Top Gun," Maverick and Iceman had to watch amber-dotted bogeys during debriefing sessions after heart-stopping training exercises.

Up until recently, U.S. military technology wasn't too far advanced from those 1986 movie days.

Not so any more - at least not on this side of the Mississippi .

With the infusion of some $13.4 million in new technology, unveiled during a special cable-cutting ceremony Tuesday at the Georgia Air National Guard's Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center , those amber images are a thing of the past.

Trainers can now review or watch live exercises in multiple formats using the new P5 Combat Training System and LINK 16, a network of computers that read information from civilian and military aircraft alike. The information can be compiled into a three-dimensional format from Wilmington , N.C. , to Titusville , Fla. - and all points in between.

U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., who attended the ribbon-cutting, said earmarking money for the center has been a worthwhile effort.

"Everyone wants us to stop using earmarks because they say it's pork," Kingston said. "But this is not pork."

Kingston praised U.S. Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., who has been instrumental in gaining defense funds for additional dormitories at the installation as well.

"Look at your numbers: 62,000 visitors over the last four years and 10,000 missions," Kingston said. "This is good for all of us.

"(CRTC) has grown to become a major part of the Department of Defense's picture, and it's right here in our backyard."

Maj. Chris Rachael, the Savannah center's operational flight commander, demonstrated the systems' high-tech capacities Tuesday to an audience of military brass and government officials.

Better than 'Top Gun'

There's the old-school "Space Invaders" version - with pink, blue, yellow and green planes representing everything from friendly aircraft to enemy aviators, called bogeys.

Or the "stadium setting" view, with its 3-D images of the planes in flight that rivals the high-definition of the latest PlayStation 3 game.

There's the "God's eye view" of the battlefield, including dimensional land typography.

With the flip of a switch, the view changes to inside the cockpit, seeing move-for-move what any given pilot can see in the heat of the moment.

And that's just the beginning.

"It's the same as 'Top Gun' technology, only better," said Col. Scott Williams, commander of the 169th Fighter Wing based at McEntire Air National Guard Base outside Columbia, S.C. "We are way ahead of the rest of the Air Force. And from our point of view, it's long overdue."

Williams said that until the Department of Defense started funding this technology, Air National Guard pilots across the nation were training on dated programs for combat in high-tech war zones such as Afghanistan and Iraq .

Because of the new high-tech equipment, Williams said, his men can utilize the nearby Townsend Bombing Range, communicate through the Savannah center, and work directly - using satellite links - with pilots in Texas before hitting the "sandbox."

"When you hear a familiar voice on the radio in bad-guy land, it is such a comfort," Williams said, "especially if that person understands how you fly ... or (because of training) you know what to expect of them when things get crazy."

Moreover, Rachael said that going forward, the Army also could utilize the technology during training exercises at nearby Fort Stewart . For example, the technology could assist Apache or Black Hawk helicopter pilots working with ground troops.

"The possibilities are endless," Rachael said.

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