Deployed Tiger Brigade's UAS platoon takes to the air

Photo By Angela Fry | Louisiana National Guardsmen Pfc. Travis Hampton of Jonesboro, La., and Staff Sgt. Brandon Smith of Gardner, La., monitor the video imagery system of the Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System, the Shadow, as it flies over Contingency Operating Base Adder in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Soldiers are deployed with the 256th Brigade Special Troops Battalion's UAS platoon to set the conditions for the responsible drawdown of U.S. Armed Forces and equipment in Iraq. The Shadow is a 275-pound unmanned plane used to gather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information to support U.S. armed forces deployed in combat zones.  

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IRAQ

05.21.2010

Story by 1st Lt. Angela Fry 

256th Brigade Combat Team, Louisiana Army National Guard

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – Armed with a passion for flying and the resolution to protect its Troops, the Louisiana National Guard's Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems platoon formally took to the sky from Contingency Operating Base Adder on their first mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, May 21.

The 16-member platoon, part of the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team's Brigade Special Troops Battalion in Lafayette, La., arrived in theatre in March with the Tiger Brigade to assist in setting the conditions for the responsible drawdown of U.S. Troops and equipment in Iraq.

"The platoon was first fielded last summer," said Staff Sgt. Brandon Smith of Gardner, La., the platoon's readiness non-commissioned officer. "Since that time, we have been pretty much on continuous orders in preparation for this mission and training at Camp Shelby with the rest of the brigade."

The aircraft, formally known as the RQ-7B Shadow, is a 275-pound unmanned plane used to gather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information to support U.S. Armed Forces deployed in combat zones.

"The plane may be unmanned," explained Warrant Officer 1 Mike Gray of Pineville, La. "But this system is anything but 'unmanned.' This aircraft is flown and maintained by humans and the video and the intelligence it captures is interpreted by humans. We are flying the aircraft…the only difference is we are not physically in it."

According to Gray, the UAS platoon leader, another six Soldiers will report to Iraq to augment the mission within the next couple of months. At that time, the Soldiers will be able to completely utilize the unit's $40-million equipment, which includes four fully-functioning Shadows.

"Once we have the full platoon, we will be able to fly two planes at a time," added Smith. "We have all completed a minimum of six months to a year of schooling as pilots and maintainers and know how to get the job done."

Although the UAS platoon's primary mission at this point is to assist boots-on-ground in Iraq, the use of this unmanned aircraft is invaluable back home in the states to support the National Guard mission.

"I can fly my entire system of four planes for seven days on the same amount of fuel it takes to fly three Black Hawks on one mission," Gray explained. "Post-hurricane it is important to have that situational awareness…to be able to survey that damage via the video imagery when communications and infrastructure are down."

As Louisiana has been inundated with four catastrophic storms over the past five years, Gray is adamant about the importance of the unmanned system and the potential for its future growth.

"With this system, we can push out in front of the storm, wait for the storm, then launch the aircraft," he stated. "With the information we collect, we can give the commander the ability to go in and determine the priorities of work. He can know what the first focus should be; whether Search and Rescue operations or to stop the flood."

The ability to instill that same confidence in a commander in a combat zone by providing real time video to a ground control station via the aircraft's digitally-stabilized, infrared camera is another aspect to the system that Gray takes pride in.

"Stopping someone from planting an improvised explosive device is one part of this system," Gray stressed. "But being able to tell that commander that there is no IED on that convoy route is just as important. Having eyes on a target, even when an IED goes off, gives us the ability to react with information that is timely and accurate."

The Troops of the UAS platoon look forward to future growth of the program with dreams of an even larger, more-state-of-the-art unmanned system.

"We have our eyes on the Gray Eagle," stressed Gray, regarding the Army's version of the Air Force's Predator. "This aircraft has a 56-foot wing span, is 38-feet long, weighs 4,000 lbs and is armed with hellfire missiles."

Even though the pilots and crew chiefs joke about their jobs' likeness to video games, the importance of this mission is always the priority for them.

"I have some of the greatest Soldiers in this platoon," he said. "We have a 100-percent volunteer acceptance for this mission."

"Whatever we do here and when everything is said and done, my 16 Soldiers are here to win," Gray said with resolution. "We are cheap, deadly and effective. For us, going out and finding the bad guys is what we are here for. This mission is much bigger than us."

• Date Taken: 05.21.2010
• Date Posted: 06.07.2010 12:31
• Story ID: 51005
• Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ