The Grand Master's Medal

Awarded to an individual under the age of 30 for outstanding achievement and endeavour in any field of aviation.

2018 awarded to:  Captain Alexander Horrell USAF

Captain Alexander Horrell is a collegiate golfer and Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, Captain Horrell has made profound contributions to the 661st Aeronautical Systems Squadron as a Developmental Engineer and serves as the squadron's Quality Assurance Flight Commander.  He leads a team of military, civilian, and contractor personnel to do the impossible!

Captain Horrell leverages engineering acumen to mitigate intangible threats with profound solutions. In 2017, Captain Horrell's Quality Assurance Flight fielded 100 quick reaction capabilities in a matter of months versus the years that it would have taken via traditional acquisition processes. The Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force prioritized counter-unmanned aerial systems capabilities and Captain Horrell was appointed to lead a 44-member quick reaction team to create, validate, and field a $465K counter-unmanned aerial system capability in under 4 months. This capability is actively protecting over 9K coalition forces throughout Central Command. Captain Horrell's test team isolated emitter array anomalies and eliminated radio frequency spectrum noises. This action doubled the emitter beam count and increased frequency ranges 33%. The emitter beam count detects each time the radio frequency beam is interrupted and relays the information to the system receiver. In doing so, the mission system can adapt and create new transmit solutions, effectively adapting on the fly to evolving countermeasures.

Captain Horrell vetted an improved Line-of-Sight video downlink on three HH-60 helicopters. This new capability enables aircrews to transmit situational awareness video to facilitate rescue and recovery of downed Airmen. A new datalink capability was added that doubled transmit ranges to improve search and rescue support. The acquisition, integration, validation, and aircraft modification was completed in under 2 months.

Captain Horrell led an effort and remedied a traffic clearance and avoidance system technical assistance   request within 30 days. His team's solution sustained ‘Operation   Inherent Resolve’ combat forces, while de-conflicting hazardous   air   traffic   in   highly-congested airspace.  Furthermore, Captain Horrell has personally flown over 30 flight test sorties and earned his first aerial achievement medal.

Finally, Captain Horrell created the squadron's first joint forces electronic warfare exercise. This exercise pitted the best electronic warfare weapon systems against one another. The exercise lasted 1 month, spanning across 3 agencies. Every aspect of electronic attack principles and theory were put to the test. This endeavour validated a $1OM counter-radar system.  Captain Horrell's effort pushed the limits of non-kinetic warfare and the new lessons-learned, tactics, techniques, and procedures became the foundation for new electronic warfare doctrine.

For his outstanding achievement and endeavour in a number of fields of engineering and flight testing, Captain Horrell is awarded the Grand Master’s Medal.

Previous Winners:

1962/63 M P Glegg Esq

1963/64 D A Martin Esq

196465 T A Henderson Esq

1965/66 P G Hadgett Esq

196667 J W D Robertson Esq

196768 R J Barbour Esq

1968/69 A J E Tiley Esq

1969/70 C Redrupp Esq

1970/71 R G P Taylor Esq

1971/72 D Smethurst Esq

1972/73 G G Leask Esq

1973/74 J F Rothwell Esq

1974/75 G J Bressey Esq

1975/76 J F Nash Esq

1976/77 M J Thrower Esq

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1992/93 M D W Bowker Esq

1993/94 R Ka Fuk Cheung Esq

1994/95 W S Gilmour Esq

1995/96 Jamal Jamal Mohammed Jamal

1996/97 Matthew J Clatworthy Esq

1997/98 Emma Joanne Phelps

1998/99 Captain W I E Anderson

1999/2000 Pilot Ofiicer J S Clayton

2000/01 Nicholas Chan

2001/02 Flight Lieutenant Nicola Thomas

2002/03 Daniel Fonseca MEng (Hons) GradRAeS

2003/04 Philip Gareth Donovan

2004/05 Peter Charles Edward Nye

2010/11 Isabelle de Montet-Guerin

            Captain Robert Shoenberg USAF

2012 - 2014 Not awarded

2014/15  Flight Lieutenant Christopher Gonzalez RAF 

2016  Flight Lieutenant Colin Bostrom MSc RAF

2017  Captain Matthew A Shipp USAF

2018 Captain Alexander Horrell USAF