MN NG EMPLOYS UAVS TO ENHANCE TRAINING

Photo By Staff Sgt. Kris Wright | An Army National Guard Soldier assigned to the 334th Brigade Engineer Battalion wipes down the lens on the gimbal mounted camera during pre-launch inspections on an RQ-7B Shadow unmanned aircraft at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, Aug. 15, 2018.  

CAMP RIPLEY, MN, UNITED STATES

08.16.2018

Story by Sgt. Kris Wright 

358th Public Affairs Detachment

The unmanned aircraft operators launched the Shadow to support the OCTs working downrange for Combat Support Training Exercise 86-19-02. Shadows are used in training and combat environments to conduct aerial surveillance and amplify radio signals between troops communicating during battle scenarios.
Shadow Crew Chief Cpl. Michael Evans said these aircraft improve inter-troop communications.
"For today's mission, the radios mounted within the aircraft will boost the signal between the OCTs trying to communicate with eachother," said Evans. "They have some distance between them so our radio amplifying capabilites will extend their range of communications making their mission more effective."
Staff Sgt. Braden Horning said the Shadow's video surveillance capabilities improve troop safety.
"Since the infrared camera mounted below the aircraft sees things at night that others can't see, like terrain obstacles and concealed troops, we can inform their command staff to relay routes their troops can take while moving downrange," said Horning.
Horning also said the Shadow's capabilities improve Army readiness by aiding in troop safety.
"We can save lives by pointing out where the enemy is to ground troops. That's very important to me because it keeps Soldiers in the fight."

• Date Taken: 08.16.2018
• Date Posted: 08.17.2018 15:44
• Story ID: 289249
• Location: CAMP RIPLEY, MN, US