Photo By Sgt. Andrew Kuhn | Sgt. Nicholas Hammond, an aviation operations sergeant with Headquarters and...... read more read more
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Steadying the trajectory in the clutch of his hand, the Soldier contours his lean figure as if he was a quarterback preparing to launch a Hail Mary pass. The dull humming noise from the device’s small motor now screams in his ear. His head pivots back to spot the final thumbs up, the cue for launch. He focuses back to the horizon, raises the hand-held aircraft slightly higher than his head and takes off. With two powerful side skips, his torso twists as his right arm drives the Raven forward and up into the spring breeze, creating enough drag under its wings to carry the aircraft into the sky.
Another successful take off. Never having a failed launch, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Wes Strickland, brigade Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) master trainer with the 73rd Troop Command, proudly attributes it to his routine during the toss.
The RQ-11B Raven is an SUAS that provides real-time, full-motion video and sensor data to help Soldiers develop situational awareness, enhance force protection and secure routes, points and areas on the battlefield.
“It is beneficial because we can use it as target acquisition, reconnaissance and surveillance oversight,” said Sgt. Benjamin French, SUAS master trainer with the 811th Engineer Company (Sapper). “We can use that for out on route reconnaissance; we can see who’s setting out ambushes and that sort of nature.”
The aircraft is designed for rapid deployment and high mobility. Weighing approximately 4 pounds with 4.5-foot wingspan, the Raven is hand-launched and operates for nearly 90 minutes at 300 plus feet.
The system, aircraft and ground control station are assembled in about five minutes and operated by a two-Soldier team. Both color electro-optical and infrared sensors are fielded for day and night capabilities.
“They’ll send these out to get eyes on the objective ahead of time,” Strickland said. “It’s better to launch a Raven than to send Soldiers out.”
The Raven incorporates secure Global Positioning System navigation and a hand controller displays live video and aircraft status. The aircraft can be controlled remotely, or self-directed by issuing plotted points to guide its altitude and trajectory. Different aircraft flight modes allow the Raven to autonomously navigate, hold at a specific altitude, hover in place and return to its starting point.
“They’ll launch one Raven out front and they’ll have one in the back and just the sound alone tends to detour the enemy,” Strickland said.
The 10-day Raven operator course teaches Soldiers hands-on how to maintain and operate the aircraft for daytime and nighttime operations. Upon completion, operators then train at their units under the supervision of a master trainer.
“I enjoy coming out here and doing it; it’s a hands on experience that a lot of Soldiers don’t get the opportunity to do,” French said. “I enjoy training other Soldiers and spreading that knowledge; I enjoy getting to better myself as an NCO.”
Every 150 days, to maintain proficiency, operators have to conduct live-flight training, which consists of a launch and recovery of the Raven, Strickland said.
“I think it’s important that we have more operators who can perform the duties, so if we’re called upon it’s nice to have a bigger pool to draw from because at a moment’s notice we could be called,” Strickland said. “We have to be able to (snaps finger) on the spot, because time is of the essence.”
To become a master trainer, operators must attend a three-week course at Fort Benning, Ga., where they are taught fundamentals to instruct Soldiers on proper Raven operations.
| Date Taken: | 05.02.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.31.2017 22:57 |
| Story ID: | 243707 |
| Location: | CHILLICOTHE, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 58 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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