Sharing the skies, sharing the mission

Courtesy Photo | ALI BASE, Iraq -- The UAV starts sending back real-time video immediately after launch. Staff Sgt. Chenoa Abbott, noncommissioned officer in charge of the 407th Expeditionary Security Forces FPASS team (left) and Senior Airman Shawn Fernandez review the video stream on a portable computer.  

ALI BASE, IRAQ

11.17.2005

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

By Tech. Sgt. Paul Dean
407th Air Expeditionary Group public affairs

ALI BASE, Iraq --The glamour of their piloting job may not match that of a fighter jock, but a group of enlisted Airmen here use their wings to accomplish a task both positions share: base security through air superiority.

The 407th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron has more than a half a dozen Airmen assigned to the Force Protection Airborne Surveillance System unit, which uses unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicles to provide low-cost, low-risk video of any terrain it's assigned to look at.

The Predator's mini-me counterpart transmits real-time data, day or night, to a ground based operator (the pilot) for analysis and risk assessment. The second operator, the copilot, is responsible for pre-launch checks and launch assistance. A portable computer controls the UAVs flight controls and flight paths until the pilot spots trouble and switches to "U-drive," taking control from the computer.

"This isn't what people think it is. It isn't a toy and it's not just a remote controlled plane," said Senior Airman Shawn Fernandez, a 407th ESFS FPASS team member. Fernandez, along with all FPASS team members, are hand picked at their home stations to attend specialized training on the UAVs prior to deployment.

The FPASS teams are able to cover a lot of ground at a lower cost and greatly reduced risk than the alternative of using manned patrols exclusively.

After an FPASS team parks their vehicle at pre-assigned locations, the UAV is launched and begins its mission. The in-air time varies based on the assigned flight path and environmental conditions. The small UAV is almost silent as it goes about its business, and like a U2 flying many thousands of feet higher, the mini-UAV's imagery allows a trained operator to spot any kind of potentially aggressive situations or setups.

"This is a really great system. It allows us to cover a lot of territory that would be hard, if not impossible, to keep an eye on properly another way," said Senior Airman JoAnn Bonzi, FPASS team member.

"Every [Airman] here plays a part in base defense"especially security forces"and this is just one part of it. But it's a great part to be involved in," said Airman 1st Class Eric Vaughn, another member of the FPASS team.

The FPASS operators are called pilots and copilots in part because of shared responsibilities they have with traditional flyers. Just like a manned flight, FPASS pilots and copilots have to notify the air control tower about their location, get clearance to launch and check the flying weather forecast for the mission duration.

Staff Sgt. Chenoa Abbott is the noncommissioned officer in charge of the 407th ESFS FPASS team. "This is a really different role for a person from security forces to take on. Its really opened my eyes and given me a chance to see what the skies of the Air Force are really like," she said.

• Date Taken: 11.17.2005
• Date Posted: 11.17.2005 12:31
• Story ID: 3757
• Location: ALI BASE, IQ