FORT HOOD, Texas - The Global War on Terrorism spurred the development of many new tools in the military's arsenal.
One of these tools currently at the Army's disposal is the Raven Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, a remote controlled plane with a 4.5 ft. wingspan carrying a camera with infrared capabilities.
The Raven was introduced to the Army arsenal of UAVS in 2006 after winning the Army's small UAV contest in October 2005. Its primary uses are gathering intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance operations.
"Instead of sending troops over the hill, now we can send the UAV to look and get a clear picture of what's going on," said Sgt. Jason Turner, a master trainer for Company A., 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
Today, Turner is training the next batch of Raven UAV operators for 2ABCT: Staff Sgt. Aaron Denoon, an electronic warfare specialist in the 15th Brigade Support Battalion, and Sgt. Brandon Marshall, a signal support systems specialist in the 8th Brigade Engineer Battalion.
The three of them are hunched over a white folding table placed at the center of a field in one of Fort Hood's training areas. Turner guides the Soldiers through changes in elevation and trajectory entered into a ruggedized laptop, occasionally glancing up at the UAV buzzing in circles overhead.
Turner has been teaching Soldiers how to fly the Raven since 2012. Through his five deployments, he said that the Raven's 'over-the-hill' technology has saved lives.
"We've been able to identify IED's before our unit hits them," Turner said. "We were able to plan our routes better so we knew exactly what we were getting into instead of just having a map (reconnaissance)."
Today's training offers a new challenge for the trainees. A light rain has been falling steadily, increasing the difficulty of manual operation of the UAV.
"We had some setbacks but we've always been able to adjust and get some good training value out of the time that we've been able to train," Denoon said.
After roughly 40 hours of training both in the classroom and the field, Marshall and Denoon are nearly ready to provide overwatch for their units. Still, this does not mean that their training is over.
"Right now they're at the beginning level," Turner said. "As they progress in proficiency, there's more advanced flying techniques that we go over."
Turner's own use of the Raven during deployment and as a master trainer has made him an expert with the system. If he wanted to, he could make the UAV land right at his feet, he said.
"We try and get out every couple of weeks to every month to go fly and make sure that we don't develop bad skills and still retain all the information that we've learned," Turner said.
"It's an ongoing skill base," he added. "You're always going to continue to learn things and continue to advance your skills."
Upon completing the training, Marshall and Denoon will have all of the skills necessary to set up and operate the Raven in the field, providing their unit with a valuable vision asset.
"Out in the field it's a little more labor intensive," Turner said. "You have a lot more factors to worry about. It already takes up a lot of attention to detail. Then on top of that, in a combat environment, you have a lot more factors you've got to pay attention to."
Marshall and Denoon's first real test is approaching. The unit will be heading to Fort Irwin, California to complete their rotation at the National Training Center in February.
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