Predator: silent stalker

Photo By Staff Sgt. Tony Ritter | An MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle prepares to launch for a night flight mission over southeastern Iraq, July 29, 2009. The aircraft serves in a surveillance and reconnaissance role but is also capable of firing two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.  

IRAQ

08.15.2009

Story by Airman 1st Class Scott Saldukas 

332d Air Expeditionary Wing

By definition a predator is one that preys, destroys and if necessary devours. It is a beast of nature, and for anyone with the intentions of hurting those that live and work on Ali Base they might have an encounter with one ... one with precision speed, eyesight and cunning.

The Air Force MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is the eyes in the sky around Ali Base. It flies nearly undetected in the lower atmosphere and scans the area for any questionable activity with its state of the art reconnaissance cameras all while keeping a silent vigilance.

"Detachment 1 is responsible for launching and recovering the MQ-1 in support of higher headquarters taskings in Iraq," said Maj. Steven Betschart the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, Det. 1 commander. "We maintain, takeoff and land the aircraft so that the crews stationed in the U.S. can fly the mission portion of the flight in the area of responsibility."

The mission for the 46th ERS, Det. 1, is supporting and operating the Predator UAV. This team of silent warriors provides the armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance required by combatant commanders.

The in-flight crews that control the aircraft from the U.S. are not able to takeoff or land the aircraft without the support of Airmen from Det. 1. These Airmen perform preflight inspections of the Predator and execute the takeoff before handing over the controls to flight crews in the U.S.
"This is a system known as a remote split operation. This allows us to have a much smaller logistics footprint in theater as well as an increased number of Predators airborne," said Betschart, who is deployed from Creech Air Force Base, Nev.

He noted that utilizing the remote split operation allows crew members the ability to support warfighter taskings regardless of where in the world they are while still being able to be with their families. This increases the total amount of taskings they support since there is no need to deploy to do the mission.

He noted that utilizing the remote split operation allows those who are qualified to fly the missions to remain at home station instead of being forward deployed reducing the number of personnel deployed from one-half to one-third.

The crews, both in theatre and state side, are made up of one pilot and one sensor operator. A third crew member, an intelligence coordinator, is also needed for the in-flight portion of the mission which occurs at home station.

"For the launch and land portion my job is to back the pilot up," said Senior Airman Michael Eulo, an MQ-1 Sensor Operator with the 46th ERS Det. 1. "Anything that looks out of the ordinary I tell the Pilot about it and he assesses the problem and takes the necessary actions to fix it."

Predators are capable of flying up to 25,000 feet and can fly missions in excess of 20 hours. They are also equipped with two laser-guided AMG-114 Hellfire Anti-tank missiles for precision attacks.
"The MQ-1 provides persistent armed reconnaissance while providing an 'unblinking eye'," said Betschart, an Upland, Calif., native. "It also completes the entire kill chain sequence from finding the target through destruction and post strike assessment."

Over watch security during raids, up-to-date threat information for those kicking in doors and the ability to track multiple targets are just a few of things the Predator can do to support the well being of service members on the ground.

The Predator is also capable of escorting convoys in order to provide warning of threats such as upcoming roadblocks, suspicious hot spots in the road or choke points along a route of travel.

"The Predator is an extremely valuable asset to the Air Force. It provides real time, full motion video to our warfighters," Betschart said. "The Predator is an extremely flexible asset and can do many different types of missions ... often on the same flight. Due to its long mission duration times, it provides the support our troops on the ground deserve for the entire time they need it, not just short bursts."

The assets the Predator and Airmen of the 46th ERS provide directly affects what takes place here at Ali Base.

"Our job also entails base defense, keeping everyone on and anyone who might be traveling off base safe," said Airman Eulo who is a Tewksbury, N.J., native. "We scan for IEDs, mortar tubes, rocket rails, pretty much anything that could be used as a weapon against us.

With members of the 46th ERS, Det. 1 working around the clock, personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force located at Ali Base can sleep easier knowing there are Predators with keen eyesight watching over them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• Date Taken: 08.15.2009
• Date Posted: 08.15.2009 04:31
• Story ID: 37530
• Location: IQ