Oklahoma Guardsmen train on unmanned aircraft system

Photo By Master Sgt. Claudia Burcham | Spc. Keith Baucom (left rear), of Midwest City, Oklahoma, and Pfc. Chris James (right rear), of Moore, along with two other members of Detachment 1, Company B, 45th Brigade Support Troops Battalion (BSTB), load the RQ-7B Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) onto a launcher during a mission at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The military uses the Shadow to provide troops on the ground with information about enemy movements in their immediate area. James, who works at Tinker Air Force Base, said he is looking forward to the day when the industry is able to expand. “They’re going to be the next big thing when they get Federal Aviation Administration clearance. Being here may just help me in the future.” (Photo: Pfc. Brianna R. Rhodes, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Public Affairs)  

FORT SILL, OK, UNITED STATES

06.05.2015

Courtesy Story

45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

By Pfc. Brianna R. Rhodes
45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Public Affairs

FORT SILL, Okla. – They are called the “Shadow Unit” by some of their fellow Oklahoma Army National Guardsmen which is a fitting name for Detachment 1, Company B, 45th Brigade Support Troops Battalion (BSTB).

The Soldiers provide over-watch for their counterparts on the ground and in harms way. During training at Fort Sill this past month, the Soldiers of Company B were able to put their skills to work providing support to the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) and the 45th Field Artillery Brigade through the use of their Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) known as the RQ-7B Shadow.

Spc. Phillip Ostrander, of Collinsville, Oklahoma, is an operator and one of the few members left that deployed to Afghanistan with Det. 1 in 2011. He said more than anything his Soldiers place great importance on keeping their brothers and sisters on the ground safe.

“This job holds a lot of importance for us,” said Ostrander. He also said that in 2010-2012 several unit members waived their College First benefits to accompany the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) on deployment. “We felt we had our job to do, we were capable of doing it and we wanted to do everything we could to help them [Oklahoma Soldiers] stay safe.”

The Oklahoma National Guard received the Shadow in late 2010. It is a complex system that allows high definition video images of the ground from high altitudes. The Shadow can fly a maximum of six hours at 500 to 1,500 feet above sea level and the high-definition camera is its most expensive part.

Before launching, the Shadow is assembled, prepped and tested by the repairer/maintainers and then fired into the air with a launcher. Once in the air, it takes two Soldiers to perform the operations: one Soldier to fly the aircraft and one to work the camera. According to Sgt. Adrian Carter, of Yukon, Oklahoma, if they find a target, they can mark it and send the marker to a gunship as much as five miles away and, as Carter says, “that can be a bad day.”

With troops relying more and more on technology, the Soldiers know how important it is to maintain and train on the UAV. They have a year-round annual training schedule with several “fieldings” per year which gives them opportunities to hone their skills. The Soldiers’ training provide the best support possible to Soldiers on the ground and also to update their certifications.

“The Soldiers perform this training for one week every three months but it can vary,” said Spc. Keith Baucom, of Midwest City, Oklahoma. “Without this schedule our skills won’t remain sharp.”

Pfc. Christopher James, an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) technician from Moore, Oklahoma, agrees. “Becoming a UAS technician is definitely a process. The duration of the advanced school that every Soldier has to go through in order to become a qualified UAS technician is six months.”

Carter calls it becoming a subject matter expert.

“There is a lot of info to pick up on. Operating the aircraft is very simple. It’s keeping up with the limits of the aircraft that is more difficult like keeping track of the amount of fuel you have for the mission and what the weather is doing,” said Carter who attends Francis Tuttle Vo-Tech.

“The busiest part,” said Carter, “is the preparation for launch. That’s where the action happens. Once in the sky, you are just looking at scenery on the ground for anything of interest. It can get a little monotonous. Basically this job is long periods of boredom followed by short periods of action. You have to stay focused.”

“There is a lot to know,” said Carter. “Otherwise, flying is pretty much smooth sailing.”

• Date Taken: 06.05.2015
• Date Posted: 06.15.2015 16:01
• Story ID: 166689
• Location: FORT SILL, OK, US
• Hometown: COLLINSVILLE, OK, US