It's a bird … it's a plane … no, it's the Wasp III

News: It's a bird … it's a plane … no, it's the Wasp III

4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division

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Story by Spc. Luisito Brooks Follow This Journalist

Sgt. Luisito Brooks

Staff Sgt. Joshua White, an infantryman with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, throws the Wasp III, an unmanned micro-aerial surveillance system, into the wind April 21.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – In today's warfare, being able to put a set of eyes on the enemy first, without the enemy knowing, greatly increases the success rate of the mission.

Soldiers with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division were the first U.S. Army Soldiers in Iraq to receive training on the Wasp III, an unmanned micro-aerial surveillance system, and take it for a test flight April 24 around Camp Taji.

"This system is effective, lightweight and very adaptable," said Staff Sgt. Brian Phillips, a Raven unmanned aerial surveillance master trainer with Company C, 1st Battalion, 38th Inf. Regiment, 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. "A single Soldier, at the company or platoon level can throw the whole system on their back and carry it into the field,"

Phillips also said a unit commander has the ability to launch the Wasp III from just about anywhere.

The whole system, including two planes weighing 16 ounces each, costs $70,000, but for these Soldiers having that view point on the battlefield is priceless.

"[The Wasp III] exploits blind spots that a unit may have on the ground," said Phillips, a Springdale, Ark., native. "When you are out there, that can mean life or death."

During the training, Soldiers spent many hours in front of a projection screen, as the instructor went through slides that explained, in great detail, how to operate, maintain and fly the Wasp III.

This micro-flier has multiple cameras attached that can send live video, day or night, to the controller on the ground several miles away. The amount of time these aerial surveillance systems can stay in the air depends on the pilots and weather condition.

Many of the Soldiers who attended the class said the best part of the training was seeing the Wasp III in the air because of its look and smooth flight.

"I think this is a great tool and the training was good, too," said Spc. Andrew Peters, a scout with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Bn., 38th Inf. Regt., 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. "The Wasp is really nice and flies really quiet, which [gives] us large advantage over the enemy and keeps our guys safe."