UAS Operators Save Lives In Combat
Image via Defense Industry Daily
"Sgt. Christopher Harris was conducting a routine reconnaissance mission in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, in 2009, when the Puma unmanned aircraft system, or UAS, he was operating showed nearby, real-time footage of insurgents planting an improvised explosive device, or IED, along a U.S. Army convoy route.
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The Puma UAS is a 13-pound, portable, hand-launched unmanned aircraft system, known as a UAS, with a wingspan of 9.2-feet and electro-optical/infrared, or EO/IR, sensors able to beam back real-time imagery from combat-relevant locations.
The EO/IR sensors on Harris’ PUMA UAS showed live, real-time images of the insurgent activity on his one system remote video terminal, or OSRVT. The OSRVT is a laptop-like display screen and antenna able to give Soldiers like Harris advance warning of nearby threats.
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There have been hundreds, if not thousands of instances similar to this throughout the last ten years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, wherein UAS technology has been proven to bring a game-changing, life-saving capability to forces in combat; in fact, the number of UAS in theater has grown exponentially since the start of the wars, expanding from a handful of systems in 2002 and 2003 to more than 4,500 UAS aircraft in service today.
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“We are able to see a difference in ground that has been freshly dug, versus something that has been there a while. So, when you see that, you then have EOD units go to the site to verify if it is, in fact, an IED,” Avalos said.
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UAS also assist with what is called “negative terrain analysis,” wherein operators look to see whether elements of the terrain have changed, Avalos added.
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UAS training spans the entire gamut of activity, from systems engineering, UAS sensors, deployment and interference training, Avalos said. While UAS operators have a slightly different role compared to UAS maintainers, each student learns every skill during training so as to ensure students are aware of all the nuances involved in UAS deployment." via DefenceTalk
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