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Blackanthem Military News
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Last Updated:
Mar 19, 2010 - 6:16:21 PM |
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Blackanthem Military news
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| Pfc. Matthew Purcell, Shadow air vehicle operator, completes the final preflight inspection of an RQ-7B Shadow TUAV before takeoff. Purcell is a native of Hot Springs Village, Ariz. (Photo by Staff Capt. Andrew Camp) |
FOB KALSU, Iraq -Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are inextricably linked with Army operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although relatively new additions to the Army inventory, TUAVs provide commanders with real-time video to observe targets and determine the position and movements of enemy units on the battlefield.
The TUAV Platoon, Company A, 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, operates the RQ-7B Shadow TUAV in support of Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces in Najaf and Qadisiyah provinces.
"Prior to 2004, Army TUAVs were consolidated at Division level and above," said Sgt. 1st Class Charles Trayer, TUAV platoon sergeant. "With the Army's move toward modularity, Shadow TUAV platoons are assigned to each brigade's military intelligence company. This gives the brigade its own organic aerial reconnaissance and surveillance assets."
The Shadows operated by the platoon are a direct descendant of the RQ-2 Pioneer, the Army's first TUAV, fielded in 1986. The Pioneer was used with great success during the first Gulf War, and as a result of lessons learned during the war, the Army began searching for a TUAV with increased range, payload and endurance. In response, Aircraft Armament Industries developed today's Shadow. The 4th Inf. Div. first fielded them in 2002, said Trayer, a native of Frankfort, Mich.
Since their arrival in September, the platoon has flown over 240 missions in support of not only the 2BCT Soldiers, but also Iraqi Army and Police units.
"Supporting the (Iraqi Security Forces) is one of our most important missions," said Trayer.
The real-time video provided by the Shadow has been used to support Iraqi patrols, raids and to provide observation for security of major cultural and religious events, such as the Ashura pilgrimages from Najaf to Karbala, added Trayer.
"With transition teams to provide the appropriate equipment, the ISF can receive the Shadow video feed and use it to support their own operations. Until the Iraqi Army fields their own TUAVs, we can continue to provide aerial reconnaissance and surveillance support to meet the intelligence needs of the ISF," he said.
Shadow operations are conducted from an airfield established by the same platoon in early 2006 and named after their company first sergeant who was killed in an improvised explosive device attack.
"It was good to see that the other units using (Bobby Mendez Army Airfield) had maintained the memorial," said Trayer.
"Although very few of us now assigned to the platoon knew 1st Sgt. Mendez, it's a fitting tribute that Shadows are still flying from the same site he helped to establish three years ago," he added.
All Shadow operators are enlisted Soldiers, most of whom are in their first two years of military service. "Although operated remotely, the Shadow is still an aircraft and the operators are pilots in every sense of the word," said Sgt. Andrew Dickenson, TUAV platoon instructor and operator and a native of Tempe, Ariz. "That's an incredible responsibility for a young Soldier - to be in control of a US Army aircraft in combat."
ADDITIONAL PHOTO:
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| Sgt. 1st Class Charles Trayer, TUAV platoon sergeant, poses at the memorial plaque dedicating Bobby Mendez Army Airfield. Trayer is from Frankfort, Mich. (Photo by Staff Capt. Andrew Camp) |
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Dana (Finn) Hallfors
24 Jan 2009, 15:37
What a great addition to the new generation. Being an R/C scratch built
hobbiest I can appreciate what this is all about. Good Luck and Keep the
Faith. (Vietnam Vet 68/69)
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