Soldiers Say Unmanned Shadows 'Transforming'
Battlefield
They are known as the "commander's eyes on the battlefield."
Coalition forces have used them to find roadside bombs, track the
enemy's movement, clear convoy routes and locate key targets -- all
without having to leave the relative safety of their bases.
Remote- and satellite-controlled unmanned aircraft systems are
transforming the way the military conducts aerial reconnaissance,
surveillance and target-acquisition missions. Soldiers from the
10th Mountain Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team have been using
the Shadow unmanned systems to monitor the battlefield since they
arrived in northeastern Iraq's Kirkuk province in October.
"The Shadow has been a tremendous asset to our brigade's combat
operations," Army Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Thornthwaite, unmanned
aircraft systems platoon sergeant in the brigade's Special Troops
Battalion, said. "We have been able to get a picture of the
battlefield before we send our troops outside the wire."
The soldiers complete rigorous maintenance and performance
checks before each launch of the Shadow, sometimes taking the
system completely apart and putting it back together to ensure the
machine is operational. They lock on to the Shadow's frequency
using a satellite, monitoring and controlling the system from a
ground control station. The system transmits images in near-real
time, and soldiers view the footage on television sets and computer
monitors.
The battalion's unmanned aircraft system operators have twice
located terrorists planting improvised explosive devices and
tracked their movement, allowing safe disposition of the bombs and
the capture of the bombers.
"With these systems, we are able to stay on top, stay observant
and keep an eye out," said Army Sgt. Josh Nelson, UAS training,
knowledge and standardization operator. "We are similar to a TV
crew, but with a much bigger mission."
These systems give coalition forces the upper hand on the
battlefield and save lives, said UAS operator Army Spc. William
Arms.
"When we discover an IED using the UAS, that is one less IED
that can kill an American soldier," he said. "These systems give us
a much-needed advantage. We are in the enemy's backyard, and we are
unfamiliar with this terrain. Using the Shadow allows us to look
around the corner without having to walk around out there."
Despite the important contributions they make, the unmanned
aircraft systems operators insist their job is only to help those
who do the "real work."
"The guys on the ground still do the work; they have the tough
job. We are here for them; we do our job for them," Arms said.
"They are out there protecting us, and we are just trying to
protect them, too."
(Aero-News salutes Army Spc. Jason Jordan, 10th Mountain
Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, Multinational Division
North.)