The soldiers came from different locations, with different backgrounds, but they had one thing in common: an overwhelming eagerness to learn how to use the Raven unmanned aerial vehicle in the battlefield.
While the Raven looks deceptively like a remote-controlled hobby plane it is actually a high-tech device that can provide real-time footage or still images of the battlefield. The 10-day training program was conducted in Nangarhar province Oct. 5-15, 2007.
"It is a great tool," said Army Spc. Sean M. Noel, an infantryman from Company C, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, speaking of the Raven. "Before we go out to hit an objective, we can look at [the imaging.] To have this ability, it saves lives basically. We know what we are going up against."
The training course consisted of both classroom time and time spent outdoors flying the Raven.
"In the morning time we try to do classroom, where we do 'death by PowerPoint'," said Army Cpl. Erick J. Rodas, the 173rd Airborne Brigade master trainer for the Raven. "I try to liven it up by making after lunch strictly field site."
Rodas is a light-wheel vehicle mechanic by trade. He was chosen to become the brigade master trainer because he did so well when he attended a Raven training course on Fort Benning, Ga.
"When I was in Benning, I was the only student who earned what they call the 'Rock Star Award,'" Rodas said. "I got 100 percent on all of my exams. I showed proficiency and never failed a launch."
Ironically, Rodas was actually in a rock band at one point. He credits that with giving him confidence at age 22 to stand up in front of a class and teach students who may be twice his age.
Army Pfc. Andrew W. Powers, a military policeman with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, said Rodas taught the class well.
"He is a great teacher," said Powers. "He gave us a lot of hands-on instruction, which is good for me, I am a hands-on learner."
Powers said he thinks the Raven will be a beneficial tool for his unit, which sometimes participates in overnight missions when visibility is very limited.
Noel said he would encourage other soldiers to learn about unmanned aerial vehicles as well.
"Technology is growing," Noel explained. "The future is upon us and everything isn't about shooting guns any more."
Oct 18, 2007
BY 2nd Lt. Monika Comeaux
Photo by 2nd Lt. Monika Comeaux
Raven B UAV in Southwest Asia The SUAV has two modes of operation. Vehicle operators can remotely control the aircraft from a handset, just like a pilot controls a regular aircraft, or it can be controlled in navigation mode where the desired mission specifications are preloaded and the vehicle flies a mission on its own.
HERTI UAV Completes Trials The ICE system successfully completed and undertook autonomous target searches and, as part of the on-going joint industry / RAF 'Project Morrigan', also demonstrated searches for operationally representative targets as set out by the RAF Air Warfare Centre UAV Battlelab.
ScanEagle Team Achieves NATO UAV Interoperability Standard NATO maintains STANAG processes and procedures for military and technical equipment as well as procedures commonly used by member nations. STANAG was established so that one nation's military can access and use the procedures and equipment of another through common interfaces.
Increased UAV Ability The exercise involved a team of UAVs coordinating their efforts to divide the changing perimeter equally among the UAVs. This technology has application to Air Force missions such as monitoring the perimeter of an enemy stronghold.
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] successfully completed a 12-hour test flight of its A160T Hummingbird unmanned rotorcraft on Oct. 12, recording the aircraft's longest flight to date.
The A160T took off at 6:27 a.m. Pacific near Victorville, Calif., and landed 12.1 hours later at 6:32 p.m. The aircraft carried a 500-pound payload at an altitude of 5,000 feet, simulating a multi-sensor operational mission. The flight used less than 60 percent of the aircraft's maximum fuel, demonstrating the advantages of the A160's design, including its unique optimum speed rotor. The 12-hour flight followed an eight-hour flight on Sept. 27 during which the Hummingbird carried a 1,000-pound payload module.
Following the announcement that Royal Air Force Typhoons have formally taken up operational duties in the UK, development of the world's most advanced swing role combat aircraft continues.
Typhoon Instrumented Production Aircraft 6, known as IPA6 and based at BAE Systems site at Warton in the UK, has just completed engine runs. This is the first time the aircraft has worked as a complete system independently of ground support equipment and is a major milestone towards clearing the aircraft for first flight later this year.